Dallas Basketball

Kyrie Irving 'Expected' Luka Doncic's Timberwolves Dagger to Go In

Doncic only hit one three-pointer in Tuesday night's win over the Timberwolves, but it was enough to lift them to a win

Austin Veazey

Oct 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) talks to fans against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
Oct 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) talks to fans against the Minnesota Timberwolves in the fourth quarter at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Brad Rempel-Imagn Images / Brad Rempel-Imagn Images
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The Dallas Mavericks escaped from Minnesota with a 120-114 win over the Timberwolves, giving them a great win early on in the season. For two nights in a row, Luka Doncic struggled to score in the ways Mavs fans have become accustomed to and was just 1/8 from the three-point line. That one made three gave Minnesota fans deja vu, though.

With a little over a minute remaining in Tuesday night's contest and the shot clock winding down, Doncic pulled up from 32 feet and drained it to effectively put the game out of reach, instantly turning to the crowd to talk trash. Stan Van Gundy's reaction to the shot said it all.

READ MORE: Mavs, Dereck Lively II Affirm Summer Slander of Rudy Gobert

Kyrie Irving, who led the team in scoring with 35 points, was asked about Doncic's dagger after the game and said everyone expected it to go on, even with his shooting struggles. "We all expected that one to go in. Those types of shots he takes, especially late in the game, even if he’s not shooting well, you know how competitive he is. He really wants to play well, and in the fourth, every shot he took was a great shot. He figured it out in the first three quarters, but he showed up when we needed it most."

Doncic has struggled to shoot the ball to start the season, outside of Saturday's game at Phoenix, and it may be due to the calf contusion he suffered before training camp, which forced him to miss the preseason. He's still finding his shooting legs. He'll have a good chance to get back on his feet with a five-game home stretch coming up.

Even if it wasn't the same shot, this dagger reminded fans of Doncic's game-winner over Rudy Gobert in Game 2 of last year's Western Conference Finals, allowing the Mavs to take a commanding 2-0 lead on the series. Tuesday's shot was about eight feet further back and was over Nickeil Alexander-Walker instead of Gobert, but it had the same effect and resulted in the same trash talk.

READ MORE: 3 Takeaways From Mavericks' Big Win Over Timberwolves

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Austin Veazey
AUSTIN VEAZEY

Austin Veazey joined NoleGameday as the Lead Basketball Writer in 2019, while contributing as a football writer, and started as editor for MavericksGameday in 2024. Veazey was a Florida State Men’s Basketball Manager from 2016-2019. Follow Austin on Twitter at @EasyVeazeyNG

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