By james art Whenever the Dallas Mavericks find themselves in a bind, conventional wisdom suggests they already know they can turn to Luke
Doncic or Kyrie Irving to get out of a jam.
It happened again Tuesday night on the road against the Minnesota Timberwolves as Doncic and Irving bailed out the Mavs and allowed them to walk away with a 120-114 victory.
First, Irving’s 24-foot three-point bomb put the Mavs ahead of the Timberwolves, 112-107, with 2:31 left in the game. Then, a stunning 32-foot three-point dagger by Doncic — with 24 seconds on the shot clock running out — extended the Mavs’ lead to 117-109 with 1:04 left.
“I thought our execution and our balance with those two as our quarterback (was solid),” coach Jason Kidd said. “I think I have Klay (Thompson) so close 
games too – we’re getting used to him being able to run things with his involvement as a screen setter.
“And then you belatedly saw Luca and Kai in the back. You’re talking about two of the best shooters in the league.”
Indeed, Doncic and Irving form perhaps the best backcourt in the entire NBA that seems to be at its best when the game is on the line.
Kidd said with Doncic and Irving on the floor, “Something we talked about here the last two years is we felt comfortable that we were going to have a wide open look. And then understanding the difficulty of some of the shots that these two guys – Luca and Kai – can make.
“First, these two are not afraid of the moment, but they can also find the open man to get a wide open three. Kia was running the game (against the Timberwolves) and the ball was in his hands. He made some big, big shots.
The biggest blow of the game, however, came from Doncic, who has an innate way of making life miserable for opponents when the game is on the line.
“He likes to have the opportunity to win the game,” Kidd said, referring to Doncic. “He’s not afraid and he stepped up and made a big shot.”
It was a blow that sent the Mavs into this five-game homestand — they begin Thursday against the Houston Rockets — with a 3-1 record. And it comes after Irving had 35 points and five assists against Minnesota and Doncic added 24 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.
“I thought this (win over Minnesota) was a step forward for the Mavs playing better basketball as a team,” Kidd said. “Now that we can have a home stand here – we’re at home for a while – we should be able to defend home.
“It’s definitely a win we can build on.”
Here are some other tidbits surrounding Thursday’s game between the Mavs and Rockets.
*This is the first game of a season-high five-game homestand for the Mavs. The homestand also includes games Sunday against Orlando, Monday against Indiana, Wednesday against Chicago and Nov. 8 against Phoenix before the Mavs hit the road for a three-game stretch beginning Nov. 10 in Denver.
*For the Rockets, it’s the finale of a three-game road trip — all through the state of Texas — before they return home to host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Houston comes to Dallas after splitting two games in San Antonio against the Spurs. San Antonio won Saturday’s game 109-106, and the Rockets prevailed Monday 106-101.
*Luka Doncic leads the Mavs with 26.8 ppg, 9.3 ppg and 7.0 ppg, Kyrie Irving is averaging 23.8 ppg and 5.3 ppg and Klay Thompson is averaging 16.5 points per game and is shooting an energetic 42.5 percent from three. Also for the Mavs, PJ Washington is averaging 11.3 points and 7.5 rpg, Dereck Lively II is averaging 9.8 points and 8.8 rpg, and Daniel Gafford is averaging 9.9 points and 6.3 rpg.
*Jaylen Green (28.8 ppg), Fred VanVleet (14.8 ppg, 6.3 ppg) and Alperen Senggun (14.8 ppg, 12.5 ppg) lead the the heavy workload for the Rockets. Houston also got big productions from Jabari Smith Jr. (11.5 ppg, 9.0 ppg) and Dylan Brooks (10.8 ppg).
*Mavs forward PJ Washington has steadily improved his game over the past two games. In Monday’s 110-102 win over the Utah Jazz, Washington had 12 points, 11 rebounds, four steals and two blocks and was 6-of-11 from the field. And in Tuesday’s 120-114 win over Minnesota, Washington finished with 17 points and eight rebounds and was 7-of-13 from the floor, including 3-of-6 from beyond the three-point arc.
*In Monday’s win over the Spurs, Fred VanVleet sank a game-clinching 3-pointer with 18 seconds left to give the Rockets a 104-99 lead. Jalen
Green led the Rockets with 34 points, Jabari Smith Jr. finished with 17 points and eight rebounds and Alperen Sengun added 12 points and 12 rebounds.
HOUSTON ROCKETS (2-2) vs. DALLAS MAVERICKS (3-1)
When: 7:30 p.m., Thursday
where: American Airlines Center, Dallas
television: KFAA-29, MavsTV stream
radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
X: @DwainPrice