The Dallas Mavericks secured a narrow 109-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 2 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Friday, extending their series lead to 2-0.

Despite trailing by 18 points (58-40) at halftime, the Mavericks mounted a remarkable comeback to clinch their second consecutive road win. Luka Doncic spearheaded the offensive charge, recording a triple-double with 32 points, 10 rebounds, and 13 assists. His game-winning 3-pointer, executed with just three seconds remaining in the fourth quarter and in the face of four-time Defensive Player of the Year Rudy Gobert, sealed the victory for the Mavericks.

The Mavericks trailed 108-106 before Doncic made that big shot. He received the ball on the top of the key and faced this season's All-Defensive Second-Team selection Jaden McDaniels. McDaniels did a good job of beating through screens to guard Doncic most time in Friday's game by always appearing between him and the hoop. He, Kyle Anderson (whose Chinese name is Li Kaier) and Naz Reid combined to limit Doncic to 43.4 percent in field goal (FG) rate.

However, the Mavericks found their solution to the defense on Doncic and the key was in their two big men, Dereck Lively II and Daniel Gafford. The two combined to shoot 14-for-16 from the field, all in the paint, to score 30 points and 14 rebounds, including four on the offensive glass. Both had to count on the playmaking abilities of Doncic and Irving, but their quick and agile rolling toward the rim after setting pick for Doncic and Irving spaced the floor on the vertical level, enabling their perimeter star duo to attack better.

Back to Doncic's game-winning play at the end of the game. Lively II came to set a screen for Doncic, forcing Gobert to switch with McDaniels to guard Doncic. Doncic made a fake move of pretending to break in and then stepped back to shoot a triple before Gobert could close out in time to contest his shot. The ball flew right through the net for the Mavericks to lead by one point.

That was the only FG made by Doncic in the fourth period, but the Mavericks still outscored the opponents 30-22 in this quarter after Irving went 4-for-5, all from downtown, to get 13 points. He also performed well in guarding Mike Conley and switching to contain much younger, much stronger and much more athletic Edwards.

Compared to Doncic and Irving, Edwards once again disappointed the home team, not only missing 12 of his 17 shot attempts but also failing to step up and lead the team's offense during crucial moments. While he demonstrated significant offensive aggression in the first period, earning six trips to the free throw line, he couldn't sustain that momentum. On several occasions, he opted to pass to open or half-open teammates when faced with double-teams from the Mavericks or the threat thereof. While these were reasonable decisions, they didn't benefit the Timberwolves as much as Edwards unleashing the power of his individual attack.

The best-performing Timberwolf on Friday night was Reid who drained seven 3-pointers out of nine attempts to score team-high 23 points. He made key defensive contributions as well, including deflecting a mid-range jumper by Doncic in the final 40 seconds of the fourth quarter. That's why coach Chris Finch decided to trust him over Karl-Anthony Towns in this period.

The Timberwolves had the chance to further extend their two-point lead (108-106) after Reid's successful defense. However, Edwards thew the ball out of bounds on the next possession when he tried to pass to Reid. Before that turnover, he found himself unable to beat the defense of Lively II. Then Doncic made the game-winning 3-pointer.

With three seconds left, the Timberwolves called their final timeout and had Edwards to launch the last attack. He received the ball, faced P.J. Washington and Derrick Jones Jr. on the top of the key and decided to pass to Reid. Reid's buzzer-beating attempt failed to go into the hoop and lost their second consecutive home game.

Game 3 of the series will take place at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Sunday.