MINNEAPOLIS — Kyrie Irving won a lot of Minnesota fans free fried chicken when he missed two consecutive free throws with 1:44 left Friday in Game 2 at Target Center.
“Bricken for Chicken,” they call the promotion.
Irving, 90% from the line this season, couldn’t say for public consumption what he called the misses at the time that could have cut the Wolves’ lead to one point.
“I was just like, holy gosh,” he said, “like, ‘What the heck is going on?’ "
Fortunately for Irving as well as the Mavs, he redeemed himself later, making a 3 from the corner to bring the visitors within 108-106 with a little more than a minute remaining.
Luka Doncic did the rest, making a step-back 3 to give the Mavs a 109-108 win and a commanding 2-0 lead in the Western Conference finals as the series returns to Dallas on Sunday for Game 3.
For the record, Irving also missed another free throw earlier in the quarter, to his disbelief.
“I think I was as surprised as a lot of people in the arena,” he said. “In those moments, I’ve got to stay focused and be aware of how much it means to our team to make those. But when you miss, you’ve also got to take that accountability and be better.
“The next-play mentality was the only thing I could carry forth. I got into that corner and knocked it down.”
The last two field goals from Irving and Luka — who finished with 20 and 33 points, respectively — completed an improbable comeback from a 16-point second-half deficit. In both games in Minneapolis, the Mavs rallied with big fourth-quarter performances from their superstars.
Friday, Irving made four 3s in the fourth, missing only one attempt. Luka’s winner with 3.1 seconds left was his only field goal of the fourth. But, between them, they combined for eight assists in the quarter.
Luka’s last shot ranks as one of the biggest in a career full of them. He said he was certain it was good after he shook Rudy Gobert at the top of the arc.
“I have all the confidence in the world,” he said.
What was Irving thinking when Luka let it go?
“It was just time to get ready for magic,” he said.
Irving also had a message for all the kids out there: If you miss your free throws, don’t let it weigh on your conscience, because it can carry over. Leave it there, which, in Irving’s case, is Target Center.
“Right now,” he said, smiling, “make all my free throws when I get back home is my focus.”
Twitter/X: @KSherringtonDMN