Luka Doncic scored a game-winning 3-pointer for the Mavericks before unleashing a barrage of expletives on the Timberwolves’ Rudy Gobert as Dallas took a 2-0 lead over Minnesota with a dramatic 109-108 victory Friday in Minneapolis.
It’s unclear what exactly the 25-year-old Slovenian said to his 31-year-old French rival after scoring the game-winner with three seconds left, but it’s safe to say he added a few F-bombs. The two were eager for much of the match after Gobert committed a hard foul on Doncic in the first half.
‘We wanted that [matchup],” Doncic told the TNT crew that he was defended by Gobert on the final possession.
“I can’t move fast, but I can move faster than him,” Doncic later added, poking fun at the seven-foot Frenchman.
Luke Doncic celebrates his game-winning three-pointer against the Minnesota Timberwolves
Dallas’ Kyrie Irving tries to block a layup attempt by Anthony Edwards in Minneapolis
Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards gave Dallas a chance with 12.6 seconds left with a costly turnover after an errant pass to Naz Reid that sailed out of bounds to set up Doncic’s dramatic go-ahead 3-pointer.
The Timberwolves trailed the Mavs by as many as 18 in the third, but Dallas would regain the lead in the fourth quarter on an Irving three-pointer two minutes into the frame. Irving added another 3-pointer two minutes later, but Reid was simply too hot off the bench for Minnesota and quickly answered with his seventh goal from deep.
In total, there were 11 lead changes in the fourth quarter.
The Mavericks fell behind in a Game 1 upset thanks to a combined 63-point effort from Doncic and Irving in the 108-105 win.
Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals will be held in Dallas on Sunday.
