Deprived of Derek Lively II, the Mavericks lacked size against the Wolves. But the whole team compensated, Luka Doncic defending in particular on Karl-Anthony Towns while Tim Hardaway Jr. or Derrick Jones Jr. also had to slow down the interiors of Minneapolis, although giving them back quite a few centimeters and kilos…
The physical impact of Chris Finch's troops, however, seemed to have made the difference in the fourth quarter, the visitors going +6 (100-106) as we entered the last four minutes.
And while Luka Doncic found Dwight Powell, it was Kyrie Irving who sealed the match for Dallas with two killer 3-pointers in quick succession. One at the head of the racket against the long arms of Jaden McDaniels then one in the corner, following the shift from Dwight Powell. The Wolves will not come back after this double stab.
Killer 3-pointers and the little things
“Kai was huge, Luka was huge” noted Jason Kidd after the match. “These guys set the tone, not only offensively, but defensively as well. I think they trusted each other – not just to take turns down the stretch – but also to find their teammates.”
With Luka Doncic as creator and Kyrie Irving as money-time finisher, Dallas had the right formula.
“When we face the cream of the crop, the best defenders, that’s when we use everything we work on in the gym” Uncle Drew explains. “It’s time to release it. They blocked me, they stole the ball from me, but most of the time I felt like I was going wherever I wanted on the court and succeeding. »
With 35 points at 14/27 shooting including 6/8 at 3-points, plus 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 interceptions and 2 blocks, Kyrie Irving was indeed quite successful. Just to stand up to the size of Minnesota.
“We knew we were lacking size against Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns tonight, so we wanted to do our best to hold the rebound and do the little things necessary.”concludes Kyrie Irving. “It was the little things that allowed us to win today. »
