The regular season has only resumed a week ago, but the Wolves and Mavericks are already off to a good start! In any case, this is what emerged from these reunions between the two finalists of the last Western Conference final, which offered a thrilling match, with suspense until the end.
It first took a great Dallas to resist the incredible first quarter of Anthony Edwards, author of 24 points at 6/8 from 3-point range! Barely behind (34-26), the Texans gradually fell behind to move in front at rest time with the Doncic-Irving pair as a launching pad and lieutenants ready to draw like Klay Thompson or PJ Washington to carry the score at 59-61 at halftime.
Mike Conley's two 3-point baskets from the restart revived the locals (69-61), but Dallas once again corrected the situation very quickly by delivering a 13-2, notably thanks to a hot shot from Kyrie Irving (71-74). What followed was a 9-2 score marked by three 3-point baskets from Spencer Dinwiddie on a marvelous blind pass from Luka Doncic and Quentin Grimes twice, enough to offer a first gap to Dallas (75-83).
Kyrie Irving took up the torch by ending the third quarter with a new fiery sequence with two more 3-point baskets (80-93).
The Wolves moved up a gear to try to come back and almost succeeded. But it was his reliance on the mastery of Luka Doncic, who provided the necessary push each time. There was notably his luminous pass for Daniel Gafford's alley-oop at an important moment of the match (104-109), then two more points, and finally a masterful 3-pointer scored from the city center on the head of Nickeil Alexander-Walker, a basket reminiscent of the last series of playoffs between the two teams (109-117).
This time, Minnesota was forced to admit its defeat, 120 to 114, against an already sharp Dallas team, which also played “back-to-back”!
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Anthony Edwards' historic first quarter. The back set the tone from the first action by sneaking in to achieve a totally incredible drive. What followed was 12 minutes of pure madness where “Ant-Man” put on a show, particularly with his 6/8 3-pointers. He finished the period with 24 points at 8/10 shooting, his career best, regardless of the quarter. He even allowed himself to miss two throws in the process. The rest was less flamboyant, the player having finished with 37 points at 12/20 shooting.
– “Luka Magic” in his works. Kyrie Irving was more than valuable with his 35 points, but we remain marked by the performance of Luka Doncic for his magical touches, those which confirm that the Slovenian leader is one of the greatest. Luka was therefore “Magic” on several sequences, often with millimeter passes. Special mentions for this drive concluded by a blind pass over the head for Spencer Dinwiddie's 3-pointer in the corner, and especially for his winning shot against Nickeil Alexander-Walker 9 meters from the basket and which n pierced the net to definitively put an end to the suspense, with the “trashtalking” session well behind it. Pure Luka Doncic in the text.
– Suspense and drama. The reunion between Wolves and Mavs gave rise to a tight match, causing some scares among some of the major players. The first to have to grit his teeth was Anthony Edwards, who twisted his ankle after stepping on Daniel Gafford's foot. It was then Luka Doncic who took a big crutch from Jaden McDaniels just before the break. The Slovenian went straight to the locker room and appeared to be in pain, but eventually returned to the match. In the second half, it was Anthony Edwards and Julius Randle who found themselves on the ground in the same action! We were still very afraid for the rear, victim of hyperextension of the left leg after a slide. As for the inside, it was an involuntary blow to the nose that stunned him. More fear than harm since all the actors affected were able to continue the game.
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How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
