The Dallas Mavericks are headed to the NBA Finals for the third time in franchise history after their superstar duo of Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving led Dallas to a 124-103 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 5 of the Western Conference Finals on Thursday night.
Doncic got off to a hot start from the jump, pouring in 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting less than four minutes into the first quarter. He finished with 20 first-quarter points and had 25 points at the half. Irving got off to a slow start, missing his first three field goal attempts before catching fire and finishing with 19 at the break. The Mavericks led Minnesota by 29 at halftime and the Batman and Robin duo outscored the Timberwolves 44-40 in the first half.
Irving and Doncic finished with 36 points each on a combined 28-of-49 shooting.
Dallas will be in the Finals for the first time since 2011 and the third time in the franchise's 44-season history. The organization won its first and only championship in 2011 over the Miami Heat and lost the 2006 Finals to Miami.
Dallas will meet the Boston Celtics in the Finals, with Game 1 scheduled for Thursday, June 6 at TD Garden.