Luka Doncic ‘Broke’ the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 6

Highlights

Luka Dončić dominated Game 5 with 36 pts, mirroring an iconic LeBron James performance with his sheer dominance.
Dončić led a demolition of Minnesota from the game’s start, leaving them shocked and uneasy.
Dončić and Kyrie Irving combined for 60+ points multiple times, aiming to solidify a legendary legacy in NBA history.

The Dallas Mavericks will face the Boston Celtics in a marquee NBA Finals matchup between an elite offensive backcourt and an elite defensive backcourt.

Dallas will make its first Finals appearance since 2011 when the franchise won the franchise’s only NBA championship with current coach Jason Kidd playing point guard.

Now, there’s a new sheriff in town: 25-year-old Luka Dončić . No. 77 earned Western Conference finals MVP and had his highest-scoring outing of this postseason with 36 points. As most would say, the Slovenian flat-out ripped Minnesota’s heart out from the jump.

Brian Windhorst: Luka Dončić Broke Minnesota Last Night

A term often used loosely — it’s a perfect description of Game 5

Doncic came out in attack mode. The moment he felt that jolt of energy hit him after watching his first shot go down — the game was effectively over.

On Friday’s episode of ESPN’s “First Take,” NBA Insider Brian Windhorst boldly described Doncic’s Game 5 performance. He even likened the 25-year-old’s Game 5 to an iconic LeBron James performance from 12 years ago.

“5 or 8 minutes into [Game 5] when [Doncic] had hit that fourth 3-pointer, and Minnesota called another timeout, and [Doncic] already had 17 points, and Minnesota only had 8 as a team — he was screaming. The only sound in that building was Luka screaming. They didn’t have the music ready. It was just quiet. It was Luka screaming…I was transported back to that night in Boston Garden in 2012 when the [Miami] Heat were down 3-2 in that series. LeBron was on the chopping block for maybe losing again. The first quarter, LeBron killed [the Celtics]. Killed them with those jump shots. It was basically over in the first quarter. That’s what Luka did [in Game 5]. He broke [Minnesota]. He broke the fans. He broke the game operations. He broke the spirit.”

Similar to James in 2012, Doncic is a young superstar searching for his first championship. Doncic has stated many times his appreciation for James and how much he watched the NBA’s all-time leading scorer growing up. The Slovenian superstar now has the opportunity to do something James fell short of: win a title at age 25.

No. 77’s Sheer Dominance Draws Massive Praise

Doncic left Minnesota with a memory they won’t shake all summer

Doncic seized control from the Mavericks’ opening possession of the night. He was in double figures within the first 153 seconds of the game. Doncic outscored the Timberwolves by a 20-19 margin in the first quarter.

“You know that gets me going,” said Doncic, who also had 10 rebounds and 5 assists. “Everybody knows that by now.”

The Mavericks continued to pour it on in the second quarter when Irving joined Doncic in the demolition job of the league’s No. 1-ranked defense. Irving, a one-time champion who played in three Finals with the Cleveland Cavaliers , scored 15 points in the quarter.

Doncic and Irving each finished with 30 points. It was the fourth time the duo combined for at least 60 points this postseason. The only other duo to accomplish that more often during a single postseason was legendary L.A. Lakers duo Elgin Baylor and Jerry West.