By Eurohoops team/ info@eurohoops.net
Luka Doncic had in front of him the defensive player of the year, Rudy Gobert.
The game was on the line, Doncic made the step-back, shot a three with three seconds left and the rest is already iconic history.
The Slovenian star and the Dallas Mavericks are headed home with a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals after a 109-108 victory over the Timberwolves.
“I was just trying to get to my spot and step back. I’m confident in that shot,” Doncic said who also had 32 points, 13 assists, and 10 rebounds for his eighth triple-double in 42 career postseason games for the Mavericks, who erased an 18-point deficit that stood late in the second quarter and were still down 16 midway through the third.
“As you’ve seen with Luka, he loves that stage. He doesn’t run from it,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “I thought he was great the whole game, keeping guys together, his energy.”
Naz Reid went 7 for 9 from 3-point range for 23 points, but his last try at the buzzer rimmed in and the Wolves lost both the first games of the series at home.
Kyrie Irving had 13 of his 20 points in the fourth quarter, while Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards scored 21 points, Mike Conley added 18 points and French Rudy Gobert had 16 points and 10 rebounds for the Wolves.