"Naz be hoopin": Ja Morant and NBA fraternity unite to heap praise on Naz Reid's fiery shooting
As Naz Reid nailed his seventh 3 of the night in eight attempts during the Minnesota Timberwolves Western Conference finals Game 2 against the Dallas Mavericks, Ja Morant and the NBA world was at its feet. Reid single-handedly kept the T'Wolves in the game during that stretch as both teams exchanged blows on every possession.
Reid's recording-breaking feat as the center with the most 3s in a conference final game had fans hailing him across NBA X/Twitter, led by Memphis Grizzlies superstar Morant:
"Naz be hoopin," Morant wrote.
The NBA world soon hopped on to share their reactions to Reid's fiery shooting night as one X user warned the Wolves about throwing away the Sixth Man of the Year's masterclass:
"The Wolves better not waste this Naz Reid game."
A Lakers fan mocked Gabe Vincent for making less 3s in the 2023-24 season than Reid made in Game 2:
"Gabe Vincent made 3 threes the entire season for the Lakers"
A Warriors fan complimented Reid's ability to torch all teams and not just Golden State:
"I am proud to have personally witnessed Naz Reid’s growth from a Warriors killer to an everyone killer."
Naz Reid's efforts in vain as Luka Doncic hits dagger to send Mavs up 2-0
Naz Reid's efforts didn't yield the desired results for the Timberwolves. Luka Doncic closed the game for the Mavericks with a game-winning 3 over Rudy Gobert to give Dallas a 109-108 win. Reid finished with 23 points off the bench, making 7 of 13 shots, including 7 of 9 from 3. His teammates endured a rough shooting night, shooting 5 of 22 from deep.
Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns disappointed again after the former tallied 21 points on 29.4% shooting, while the latter had 15 points on 4 of 16 shots. The Timberwolves even replaced KAT with Reid in the clutch amid his offensive struggles.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks once again rode behind a valiant effort in the clutch from their superstars as Luka Doncic dropped five points and five assists in the fourth, while Kyrie Irving had 13 of his 20 points in that stretch on 4 of 5 3-pointers.
The Mavericks take a 2-0 lead back to Dallas, and a sweep could be on the cards. Their defensive schemes have been difficult for Minnesota's streaky offense to tackle, especially their rim protection. It has played a great role in limiting Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns' efficiency in this series.