Three stars from Friday's NBA playoffs
The Mavericks stunned the Timberwolves in the final seconds on Friday to take a 2-0 lead in the Western Conference Finals.
Meanwhile, Minnesota fans have seen their squad drop four of their last five playoff games.
Here are three stars from a wild Friday night of NBA playoff action.
Mavericks guard Luka Doncic | 32 points, triple-double
We don't have a lot of hard and fast rules when deciding who the three stars are on a given night, but if a player completes a triple-double by hitting a game-winning three-pointer over the Defensive Player of the Year, Rudy Gobert, he's one of those stars.
Gobert told reporters he "let [his] team down on that last play," but he didn't have a chance against Doncic, who was doing anything he wanted in Game 2.
He finished with 32 points but was almost as deadly as a passer. Doncic's 16 second-half points came on only nine field goal attempts, and he added five assists in the fourth quarter, one aided by a ridiculous Daniel Gafford finish.
It's the eighth triple-double of Doncic's young career and his fourth in his last five playoff games. In the last few games, he has recovered his lost three-point stroke. After shooting 24 percent from deep against the Los Angeles Clippers in the first round, he's now 17-for-38 on three-pointers in his last four games.
Mavericks center Dereck Lively II | 14 points, nine rebounds
Minnesota has two All-Star centers and the Sixth Man of the Year, but 20-year-old rookie Dereck Lively II held his own against the impressive competition in Game 2. In 27 minutes, he scored 14 points, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and making both free throws.
Doncic and Irving look even better when they can toss the ball in the area of the rim and trust that Lively will turn it into two points.
Coach Jason Kidd trusted Lively down the stretch, and the All-Rookie second-teamer delivered. He grabbed nine rebounds, didn't commit a turnover, and, in the game's biggest moment, got Doncic free of Jaden McDaniels with a veteran-quality screen, making it impossible for the Timberwolves to do anything but switch Gobert onto Doncic.
An honorable mention goes to the other Dallas center, Daniel Gafford, who had 16 points and blocked five shots. In their combined 48 minutes, Gafford and Lively shot 14-for-16, got 14 rebounds and didn't turn it over once. That's an All-Star effort from two unheralded bigs.
Timberwolves center Naz Reid | 23 points, seven 3 PM
Reid was on fire during Game 2, making seven of his first eight shots from behind the three-point line. That's the most he's ever hit in a playoff game and a mark he's reached in only two regular-season games.
He had to play more minutes than usual after Karl-Anthony Towns got in foul trouble, which turned into a boon for the Wolves. Towns is a Three-Point Contest champion, but he was 1-for-5 from deep while Reid finished 7-for-9. Reid also made big plays on the defensive end, blocking a shot and sinking a three for a one-man five-point swing late in the third quarter as the Mavericks were about to take the lead.
The only thing Reid couldn't do was sink the last shot of the game, a rushed 26-footer off a desperate Mike Conley pass. But it's telling how much the Timberwolves think of Reid that with Game 2 on the line, the ball didn't go to one of their four one-time All-Stars. It went to him.
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