We look forward to stronger competition in the future

Slovenian star Luka Doncic scored a hat-trick in the second consecutive victory for the Dallas Mavericks over the host Minnesota Timberwolves 109-108, 3.8 seconds before the end of time, on Friday, in the final of the Western Region of the American Basketball League (NBA).

In an exciting match until the last breath, Doncic achieved a triple-double (10 or more in 3 statistical categories), with 32 points. 10 rebounds and 13 assists, saving his team from an 18-point deficit in the second quarter and handing Minnesota its second loss at home in the Western Conference final round.

The other star in Dallas, Kyrie Irving, made a slow start as he fell into the trap of mistakes, but he scored 13 of his 20 points in the breathtaking final quarter, which witnessed the identity of the leader changing 11 times.

Minnesota led 108-103 with 1:29 minutes left, but Doncic found Irving in the corner of the court and launched a successful hat-trick.

In the last breath, the Slovenian star deceived French center Rudy Gobert, the best defensive player this season, by scoring a wonderful hat-trick 3 seconds before the end of time.

After scoring 7 three-pointers out of 8 attempts in the match, Minnesota substitute Naz Reid had the opportunity to regain the lead from the last attempt, but his long shot did not enter the basket.

“The playoff game was exciting,” said Irving, who won the title in 2016 with the Cleveland Cavaliers. “Luca carries us, that’s what we were talking about in terms of leadership.”

Daniel Gafford added 16 points and 5 blocks to the winner, P.J. Washington 10, and substitute center Derek Lively 14.

“Everyone contributed,” Irving, 32, added.

For Minnesota, his star Anthony Edwards scored 21 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists, but he only succeeded in five attempts out of 17, in a difficult night for the player who carried his team in recent weeks.

Veteran distributor Mike Conley added 18 points, Gobert 16 points and 10 rebounds, and Dominican Karl-Anthony Towns 15.

After leading 32-26 in the first quarter, Minnesota increased the gap to 18 points, but Dallas scored 8 points compared to two for its host, which maintained its lead at halftime 60-48.

Doncic scored 11 points in the third quarter, when the Mavericks closed the gap to two points 3 times.

After a hat-trick from Reid, Minnesota increased the gap to seven points (86-79) entering the decisive quarter.

With a three-pointer, Irving gave Dallas its first lead since the opening quarter. Reid restored Dallas’ lead with a three-pointer on his own, and the tug-of-war continued.

“Pass to Luca”

Dallas coach Jason Kidd said that Doncic had to choose between shooting from beyond the arc or getting the two equalizing points and thus extending the time. “He had to pass to Luka, and let Luka do what he does best in those moments.”

Kidd, who won the title as a player with Dallas in 2011, continued: “We talked about trying to get two points, but when he started dancing with Goober, we knew the back step was coming and the rest became history.”

On the other hand, Minnesota coach Chris Finch, who pointed out after the first game the need to improve in critical time, spoke about losing two shots in the last minute.

He said that Edwards, 22 years old, had to make the decision, but he ruled out talk about the need to give him additional minutes of rest. “Maybe we should have rested him at the beginning of the last quarter, but it is the final of the Western Region, man.”

“You can’t hide people or take a break,” he added. “I can’t see Kyrie shying away from any confrontation.”

Dallas seeks to consolidate its progress when it hosts the third and fourth matches at home, starting on Sunday.

The winner of this series will face the champion of the Eastern Conference, where the Boston Celtics currently lead the Indiana Pacers 2-0, while the third match will be held in Indianapolis, on Saturday.