Slovenia’s Doncic led the way with 33 points, 15 of which came in the fourth quarter, as the Mavericks took the lead in the best-of-seven series.
Kyrie Irving also contributed 30 points for Dallas, 24 of which came in the first half in Minneapolis.
“We had to work really hard to get this one,” Doncic explained.
“I believe we are notorious for losing game one, so we were attempting to make a point. But it’s only one win, and we still have three more to go.”
The two teams swapped leads many times in a see-saw final quarter, with Anthony Edwards’ 24-foot three-pointer giving the Timberwolves a 102-98.
