NBA playoffs: Luka Dončić, Mavericks power past Anthony Edwards to take a 3-0 lead over Timberwolves

Anthony Edwards turned it on in the second half on Sunday night in Dallas. His dominant run, though, just came a bit too late.

Luka Dončić and the Dallas Mavericks, after shutting down Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves early, held on down the stretch to claim a 116-107 win in Game 3 in the Western Conference finals. That gave the Mavericks a 3-0 lead in the series, which has them just a single game away from earning their first NBA Finals berth since 2011.

Dončić and Kyrie Irving had yet another strong outing together, too. The duo combined for 66 points in the win for Dallas, and helped spark a 14-1 run in the fourth quarter to seal the nine-point win. Irving hit a huge contested corner 3-pointer during that run, too, which all-but pushed Minnesota out of reach.

Mavericks jump up early, lose Dereck Lively

The Mavericks jumped up quickly over the Timberwolves after a strong first half, but they lost center Dereck Lively in the process.

Lively, who has shot a perfect 13-of-13 from the field so far this series, dominated yet again inside to kick off Game 3. He even threw down a massive dunk over Rudy Gobert in the first quarter.

But early in the second quarter, in the paint from Karl Anthony-Towns. That sent him down to the court hard, where he remained curled up in a ball clearly unwell for quite some time. Eventually, he was helped off the court very slowly.

Lively was considered questionable to return at halftime with a neck sprain, and he was eventually ruled out. He finished with six points and three rebounds. It’s unclear how long he’ll be out, but his status for Tuesday’s Game 4 is absolutely in doubt.

Despite losing Lively, though, the Mavericks pushed ahead to a 60-52 lead at halftime after a mini Minnesota run to close out the period. Towns was basically a nonexistent factor for the Timberwolves offensively in the first half. He went 0-of-7 from the field to start the game, and finished the half with five points while shooting 0-of-5 from behind the arc. The Timberwolves shot just 4-of-16 from the 3-point line as a team, too. Doncic and Irving, however, combined for 29 points for Dallas.

Edwards keeps TWolves alive

The Timberwolves jumped right back in it in the third quarter, thanks to a huge burst from Edwards. The Timberwolves pulled out a 13-3 run in the third and tied the game up just past the midway point. Edwards had 10 of his 26 points in the quarter, and he threw down a ridiculous dunk over Daniel Gafford.

Though Minnesota briefly retook the lead for the first time since the opening minutes, the two teams were locked up entering the fourth. They kept bouncing back and forth throughout the period, too. It wasn’t until a clutch P.J. Washington corner 3-pointer and a Dončić mid-range jumper that the Mavericks finally started to pull ahead in the final minutes. Dallas held Minnesota without a field goal for a five minutes stretch late the game, too, while erupting on that 14-1 run to close out the nine-point win.

Dončić led the way with 33 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Irving finished with 33 points and four assists, too. The duo combined for 20 points in the fourth quarter alone.

Edwards finished with 26 points, nine assists and nine rebounds in the loss for Minnesota. Mike Conley added 16 points, and Towns added 14 points and 11 rebounds.

Game 4 of the series is set for Monday night in Dallas.

This post will be updated with more information shortly.