"We switched roles this time": Luka Doncic hilariously praises Kyrie Irving's first-half blitz
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving combined for 63 points to lead the Dallas Mavericks to a Game 1 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals. After the game, Doncic commended Irving for driving the Mavericks’ offense in the first half.
This season, it has been common for Luka Doncic to dominate the first half while Irving takes over as the team's closer. However, tonight, Irving was the primary offensive force in the first half, helping to keep the game tight.
Irving scored 24 points on 11-of-14 shooting in the first half, marking his highest first-half point total as a Maverick.
“Amazing. He got us going,” Doncic said postgame. “Without him here, we probably would have been down 20 at halftime, so he got us going. So I had to help him in the second half a little bit, so we switched roles this time.”
Luka Doncic added 14 points on 14 shots in the first half, during which the Mavericks struggled from beyond the arc, making only two of 13 attempts. Doncic and PJ Washington combined for just two makes in 11 attempts.
Meanwhile, the Timberwolves were red hot from deep, hitting 11 of 25 attempts, and took a 62-49 lead at halftime. Jaden McDaniels scored 19 points and made five threes, while Anthony Edwards contributed 13 points and three triples to lead Minnesota's first-half effort.
Luka Doncic takes over in 2nd half as Mavericks take Game 1
Luka Doncic overcame his first-half jitters and scored a game-high 19 points in the second half, as the Mavericks finished strong for the win. Irving, meanwhile, went quiet in the second half, scoring just six points on 1-of-9 shooting.
Doncic ended the game with 33 points, eight assists and six rebounds, while Irving contributed 30 points and five rebounds.
Mavericks forwards PJ Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. combined for 21 points and 11 rebounds. Mavericks centers Daniel Gafford (13 points, seven rebounds) and Dereck Lively II (nine points, 11 rebounds) also made significant contributions.
Despite the Mavericks shooting just 24% from beyond the arc, the Timberwolves lost the game.
McDaniels led Minnesota with 24 points, while Anthony Edwards added 19 points on 16 shots, along with 11 rebounds and eight assists. Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert combined for 28 points and 14 rebounds. Naz Reid and Kyle Anderson scored 15 and 11 points off the bench, respectively.
Ultimately, the Timberwolves' downfall was their free-throw shooting, as they missed seven of their 18 attempts in the three-point loss.