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'They really like me here': No love lost between Luka Doncic, Wolves fans

Doncic screamed in the direction of fans after hitting a crazy shot late in Tuesday's game.
Joe Nelson|
Oct 29, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic (77) reacts to a call 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) reacts to a call 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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Minnesota Timberwolves

Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving killed the Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals last season and they did it again Tuesday night in Minneapolis.

While Minnesota can look at 20 turnovers and woeful free-throw shooting as the main reasons they didn't beat the Mavericks in the rematch, the marquee moment of the night was Doncic burying a 32-foot 3-pointer with 1:04 to play to put Dallas ahead 117-109.

After hitting the shot, Doncic glared into the crowd and yelled something at Timberwolves fans. It hasn't been confirmed, but an average lip reader can probably accurately tell that he screamed "that's what I f****** do!"

Maybe the fans he was yelling at had it coming? All is fair in love and basketball, right?

"I heard a lot of stuff, they really like me here," Doncic said afterward. "Last year was fun. It's a big moment in my career, my life, so it was fun to be back here."

Doncic stuck a dagger in Minnesota with a step-back 3-pointer against Rudy Gobert to beat the Timberwolves at the buzzer in Game 2 of last season's conference finals. As iconic as that shot was for the moment, the 32-footer he swished with Nickeil Alexander-Walker in his face was a more unlikely make.

"I don't know how I can make those shots and not normal shots," Doncic said. "It's just me."

The Timberwolves look like a true contender but Dallas clearly has their number. Finding the secret sauce to stop Doncic and Irving will be one of the main storylines for every West contender for the next six months.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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