Starting 5, May 23: Luka, Mavs rally past Wolves, take Game 1
When it’s time to take over.
THE LINEUP
What’s inside today’s edition?
Mavs Take Game 1: In a game of runs, Dallas had the final answer to win on the road
Dominant Duo: Kyrie’s start, Luka’s close and a combined 63 points lifted Dallas to a 1-0 lead
Positive Pacers: A tough Game 1 loss has not shaken Indy’s confidence entering Game 2
Jrue’s Impact: How Jrue Holiday has elevated the Celtics this season and Playoffs
All-NBA Teams: One key play from the five players selected to the All-NBA First Team
BUT FIRST … ⏰
Last night’s score & what to watch today.
Tonight, the East Finals resume in Boston (8 ET, ESPN) as the Celtics look for their first Game 2 win of the Playoffs to go up 2-0, while Indy tries to bounce back from a tough Game 1 loss to earn a split.
1. LUKA, MAVS MAKE LATE RUN, TAKE GAME 1
Behind its superstar duo, Dallas fends off Minnesota in Game 1 of the West Finals to steal home-court advantage.
Mavs Swipe Home-Court Advantage: Luka Doncic scored 15 of his game-high 33 points in the 4th quarter, Kyrie Irving added 30 and the Mavs closed the game with a 10-3 run to take Game 1 of the West Finals in Minnesota 108-105. | Recap | Watch the Final 4:39
- Luka and Kyrie combined for 63 points as Dallas improved to 15-8 this season when they combine for 60+
4th Quarter Frenzy: In a game that saw neither team hold a double-digit lead, the Mavs and Wolves traded haymaker runs over the game’s final period, with Dallas having the final answer.
- Minny’s 6-2 Start: Already up one, the Wolves opened the 4th with a pair of 3s in the first 40 seconds to extend their lead to five (89-84 Wolves, 11:20 left)
- Luka’s 7-0 Run: Doncic responded, scoring the game’s next seven points to give the Mavs a two-point lead and force a Wolves timeout (91-89 Mavs, 9:08 left)
- Mavs Run Continues: The timeout did not slow down the Mavs, who extended their run to 13-0 for their largest lead of the game (97-89 Mavs 7:38 left)
- Wolves Response: Minnesota’s 13-1 run bookended by 3s from Anthony Edwards – with a deep 3 by Karl-Anthony Towns for the lead in between – put the Wolves back up four (102-98 Wolves, 3:37 left)
- Final Answer: Dallas stole back the momentum with an 8-0 burst with 3s by Luka and P.J. Washington and a Luka stepback over Jaden McDaniels (106-102 Mavs, 0:49 left)
Inside vs. Outside: Minnesota finished with an 18-6 edge in 3-pointers made, giving them a 54-18 advantage in points off 3s.
Dallas countered by dominating the paint (62-38) and shot 94.1% (16-17) from the free throw line compared to 61.1% (11-18) for Minnesota.
- Dallas became the 5th team to win a Playoff game when making at least 12 fewer 3s than their opponent
- The last occurrence was a Lakers (6 3s) win over Golden State (21 3s) in last year’s second round
- McDaniels (24 pts) made a career-high 6 3s to lead the Wolves. Edwards (19 pts, 11 reb, 8 ast) added five 3s, while bigs Naz Reid (3) and Towns (2) combined for five more
2. KYRIE’S START, LUKA’S FINISH
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving deliver to lead Dallas to a narrow win in Minnesota.
The last time Luka Doncic was in the West Finals, the Mavs lost their first three games before bowing out in five games to the eventual champion Warriors.
Kyrie Irving was already home after the Nets had been swept in the first round by eventual East champ Boston.
Two years later, Luka (33 pts) and Kyrie (30 pts) are together, leading the Mavs to a 1-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals after combining for 63 of Dallas’ 108 points.
- Luka and Kyrie became only the sixth pair of teammates to each score 30+ points in their first Conference Finals game together – and the first since Giannis and Jrue Holiday in 2021 for Milwaukee
A Tale of Two Halves: For much of the Playoffs, Kyrie has gotten off to slow starts before exploding in the 2nd half. Take a look at these numbers entering Game 1.
- 1st Half:0 ppg, 40.6% FG, 23.8% 3P
- 2nd Half: 15.1 ppg, 52.4% FG, 51.9% 3P
In Game 1, Irving flipped the script, scoring 24 points in the game’s first 24 minutes to keep the Mavs close, down by just three points at the half.
- Rare Occurrence: This was Kyrie’s eighth Playoff half with 24+ points, but only the second time in the 1st half
- ️ Luka: “We probably would have been down 20 if he hadn’t scored that many points… I had to help him in the 2nd half a little bit. So we switched roles this time.”
Luka Takes Over: Doncic scored 19 of his 33 points in the 2nd half, including 15 in the 4th quarter alone to lead the Mavs’ rally.
Kyrie vs. Ant: After the Wolves beat the Nuggets to reach the West Finals against Dallas, Edwards called out his matchup with Kyrie in his postgame interview on Inside the NBA.
- Kyrie was tuned in and loved the “motivation technique” it gave him, as well as Edwards’ confidence and swagger to call him out.
- Round 1 went to Kyrie and the Mavs. Round 2 tips on Friday (8:30 ET, TNT)
3. POSITIVE PACERS
The Situation: With nine seconds left in Game 1 on Tuesday, the Pacers found themselves up three — staring at a potential series-opening win at TD Garden.
One turnover, one Jaylen Brown double bang, and 10 Jayson Tatum overtime points later, and the Celtics were celebrating.
- The Sentiment: “It doesn’t prove anything,” said Tatum. “We won a big-time game. Series is far from over.”
- “Our guys just need to keep fighting the way they fought in this game,” said Pacers coach Rick Carlisle. “And we’ll be back Thursday.”
The Stakes: The Pacers have been here before, having overcome Game 1 losses to the Bucks and Knicks in the first two rounds. And history says tonight’s Game 2 (8 ET, ESPN) may have a bigger impact on the series than Game 1.
- Teams that lose Game 1 in the Conf./Division Finals are 29-105 all-time in the series (21.6% chance to win)
- Teams that lose Games 1 & 2 in the Conf./Division Finals are 6-74 all-time in the series (7.5%)
- Teams that tie the series 1-1 after trailing 0-1 in a Conf./Division Finals are 23-31 all-time in the series (42.6%)
Despite letting Tuesday's series opener slip through its fingers, Indiana has plenty to build on moving forward.
Indiana Takeaways: While Indy’s 21 turnovers proved costly — leading to 32 Boston points — the Pacers still nearly got the road win by excelling in several categories.
- Assists: Although Indiana’s 21 giveaways were a team-high this postseason, the Pacers also tied their Playoff-high with 38 assists
- Shooting: The Pacers (53.5%) shot over 50% for the 9th time this postseason, matching the combined total of the other three conference finalists (3 each)
- Comebacks: Indiana erased three double-digit deficits — one in each of the first three quarters — before taking the lead in the 4th
- Balance: Tyrese Haliburton (25 pts, 10 ast), Pascal Siakam (24 pts, 12 reb) and Myles Turner (23 pts, 10 reb) all posted 20/10s, and four other Pacers scored 12+ points
No Panic: The Pacers’ optimism elevated them out of early holes against Milwaukee and New York, and they’re looking to do the same against Boston, who is 0-2 in Game 2s this postseason.
- Pacer Pushback: After losing Game 1 to Milwaukee, Indiana won four of the next five to advance and then ousted the Knicks in seven games after going down 2-0
- ️ Haliburton: “What I will say is encouraging is that we’ve been trash in Game 1s… Today, we played great for about 47 minutes”
- ️ Turner: “You go back to the Milwaukee series; we lost that Game 1. You go back to the New York series; we lost that Game 1 in a close fashion as well. So, it’s definitely a long series”
- ️ Siakam: “As long as we continue to do us, we’ll be fine.”
4. THE JRUTH: HOLIDAY’S IMPACT IN BOSTON
“We’re trying to win a championship,” said Celtics president Brad Stevens after trading for Jrue Holiday on Oct. 1. “That’s a real price. But that’s how good we think Jrue is.”
That Price? Malcolm Brogdon, Robert Williams & two First Round picks.
The Reward? A 2x All-Star, 6x NBA All-Defensive player, 3x NBA Teammate of the Year, and 2021 NBA champion, who was brought to Boston to help the Cs break through.
Game 1 of the East Finals showed why the Celtics were willing to take the risk.
- 2nd-Half Scoring: Holiday scored 28 points, including 18 in the second half, while adding eight assists, seven boards and three steals in a game-high 48 minutes
- Defensive Difference-Maker: With 1:02 left in OT, and the Celtics leading 124-123, Holiday’s hounding on-ball defense forced a Tyrese Haliburton turnover, leading to a Jayson Tatum 3
- Clutch From The Line: With 0:16 left in OT, and the Celtics leading 129-125, Holiday knocked down two free throws to seal the game
- ️ Jaylen Brown: “Jrue came out and balled, and he’s the reason why we won this game.”
Holiday vs. Haliburton: Holiday, who was named to the All-Defensive Second Team on Tuesday, also forced Haliburton into a turnover with 27 seconds left in regulation and kept the Pacers All-Star in check when guarding him.
- On 27 possessions in five minutes of matchup time, Holiday held Haliburton scoreless on 0-3 shooting with three assists and two turnovers
- ️ Haliburton on Holiday: “He’s the best defender in the NBA, and he has been for a long time.”
- ️ Coach Mazzulla on Holiday: “He’s the kind of guy that can impact the game in different ways every night.”
Spring Holiday: Holiday’s Game 1 performance showcased the type of impact he’s made for Boston this postseason.
- Offensive Rating: The Celtics’ offense has been 15.4 points per 100 possessions better with Holiday on the court (120.2) vs. when he’s off (104.8)
- Net Rating: Holiday holds the 2nd-best on-court/off-court NetRtg disparity (+13.3) among the Celtics, trailing only Jayson Tatum at +19.0 (min. 20 min/g)
Holiday On His Success: “Be aggressive. No matter what end of the floor it’s on… Continually having the coaches and my teammates in my ear telling me they’re going to need me.”
5. JOKIC, SGA LEAD ALL-NBA TEAMS
Denver’s Nikola Jokic and OKC’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander were unanimous picks for the All-NBA First Team. It was the 4th First Team honor for Jokic, while SGA made his 2nd straight First Team.
- Streaks Round Out First Team: Dallas’ Luka Doncic (5th straight First Team selection), Milwaukee’s Giannis Antetokounmpo (6th straight) and Boston’s Jayson Tatum (3rd straight)
- Accolades: The five players comprising the First Team have a combined five Kia MVPs, two NBA titles and Finals MVPs, 21 All-Star selections, 21 All-NBA selections (17 First Team, four Second Team), one DPOY, one ROY and one Most Improved Player
- Highlights: Check out a signature play from this season by each First Team honoree
Nikola Jokic: The only player to rank in the top 10 in points (10th), rebounds (4th) and assists (3rd)
Shai Gilgeous-Alexander: Ranked 3rd in scoring (30.1 ppg), led the NBA with 51 30+ point games
Luka Doncic: Won his first scoring title with a career-best 33.9 ppg
Giannis Antetokounmpo: Became the first NBA player to average 30+ ppg and 60%+ shooting
Jayson Tatum: Led Boston to the NBA’s best record (64-18) – seven games better than any other team
