MINNEAPOLIS - Luka Doncic did whatever he wanted, then said whatever he liked. For the second time in three days, the Dallas Mavericks guard held the ball with a chance to administer heartbreak to the Minnesota Timberwolves. For the second time in three days, he did exactly that, leaving Timberwolves stars Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert to look powerless by comparison.
After hitting a breezy midrange jumper to steal Game 1 of the Western Conference finals Wednesday, Doncic came through with a sequel that was better than the original. With his team trailing by two points in the closing moments of Friday’s Game 2, Doncic sashayed side-to-side to shake Gobert before tiptoeing backward for a three-pointer that swished through with 3.1 seconds left to deliver Dallas a 109-108 victory.
The 25-year-old sensation underscored his latest game-winner - which capped an 18-point comeback and reduced Target Center crowd to a queasy silence - with a string of expletives in Gobert’s direction. “I was speaking Slovenian,” Doncic joked after finishing with 32 points, 13 assists and 10 rebounds to give the Mavericks a 2-0 lead with the series shifting to Dallas for Sunday’s Game 3. “I don’t decide what I’m going to look for before the play.
I just see what the defense gives me. I just saw some space and decided to shoot a three. Get to my spot and step back.
That’s it.” Doncic’s silky dribbling, pure shot and crude expulsion provided a fitting end for .