Getty Image / Joshua Gateley
Pairing Luka Dončić with Kyrie Irving in Dallas at the 2023 NBA Trade Deadline was considered a big risk by many around the league. Frankly, it didn’t pay off last year, as the Mavericks were terrible after the move and missed the postseason altogether
But, this playoff run, especially these Western Conference Finals against the Minnesota Timbewolves, has shown that the two can be dominant together. So dominant, in fact, that they made NBA history in Game 3 with another fantastic close to the game to give Dallas a 3-0 lead.
The Mavericks and Timberwolves were locked in a close battle in the 4th quarter for the third straight game in this series. In the first two games, the difference between winning and losing was that Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić significantly outplayed Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards down the stretch.
That continued Sunday night, to say the least. Dončić and Irving dominated the fourth quarter, cooking the Wolves defense.
The Wolves will go down 3-0.
Stars in the fourth:
Luka/Kyrie:
• 19 points on 8/10 FGAnt/KAT:
• 2 points on 1/5 FGThat's the game.
— Canis Hoopus (@canishoopus) May 27, 2024
That’s just a fantastic close from your two superstar players. And, those eight field goals were not easy shots! The majority of them were contested jumpers that Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić simply made.
Just how good has the Mavs backcourt been in this series? They set a bit of NBA history on Sunday night.
Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic are the first starting backcourt to each have at least 30 points in the same game 3 times in a postseason in the last 50 years, per @ESPNStatsInfo.
— Anthony Gharib (@GharibSports) May 27, 2024
That’s exactly what Dallas management had in mind when they made the move at the deadline last year. Now, they’re just one game away from their first finals trip in 13 years.