Dallas was able to find success using Spain pick-and-roll against Minnesota Wolves without much response, leading them to start pulling away in fourth quarter.
McDaniels and Edwards decided to switch onto Doncic and Irving respectively, leading to some fierce crossmatching on either end, creating small/big screens in various forms on both ends.
NBA Game HighLights
NBA highlights draw fans in, but can often give an inaccurate impression of how Basketball is played. Therefore, whenever possible it is best to watch an entire game for a better understanding of what’s taking place between Wolves vs Mavs.
Minnesota was able to overcome a three-game deficit without Dereck Lively II, forcing Game 5 at home and forcing this series into an extended fifth game. To be victorious in this battle of attrition, however, the Wolves must improve their effectiveness in the paint if they wish to succeed in winning this series.
The Wolves attempted to gain an early advantage by pulling Irving and Washington off of the floor early in the second quarter, using Nickeil Alexander-Walker, McDaniels, Reid, and Gobert as starting lineup members to begin that period. Although their scoring ability wasn’t impressive at times, their defense prevented any significant runs by Dallas which enabled them to take a 54-52 advantage at halftime.
Wolves Team Performance
The Wolves are an equally deep and physical team as the Mavericks, boasting five players with multiple 12+ point games such as Anthony Edwards (an ascending superstar), Karl-Anthony Towns (star big man) and Rudy Gobert.
Dallas currently only boasts two players with multiple double-digit scorers; though their defense has been one of the league’s best, that hasn’t been enough in this series.
The Mavericks have had difficulty scoring in transition, which has left them vulnerable against fast, nimble opponents like the Wolves. According to Cleaning the Glass, only 8.5% of their offensive possessions this playoffs have resulted in scoring in transition compared to their regular-season average of 59.4%.
Mavs Team Performance
Since Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving are scoring so heavily for Dallas, it will be fascinating to watch how Minnesota defends them at the perimeter. Dallas managed to get plenty of wide open threes against Denver; Minnesota must match that effort on defense.
Mavericks quickness was immediately evident against an under-performing Timberwolves squad, using it to quickly get into the paint and finish highly-contested looks. Doncic and Irving took advantage of Minnesota’s overly-aggressive high-wall coverage by running off it to create space at the rim for easy dunks.
The Mavericks took great advantage of their ability to score off turnovers during Game 1. They forced 17 Minnesota turnovers which gave their own offense an extra boost and will need to continue this trend if they want to avoid being overwhelmed by Minnesota’s physicality inside.
Scoreboard Wolves vs Mavs
The Mavs quickly overcame early foul trouble to open up an 18-point lead in the second quarter, but Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert kept fighting back with strong play from their big men – each scoring at the rim!
Mavericks reserve Luka Doncic scored two trademark three-pointers out of transition while Kyrie Irving made an off-a-dump pass midrange two to put Dallas ahead 23 in the first half with Minnesota outscoring Dallas 52-28 in the paint.
In the third quarter, McDaniels made a costly miscue that resulted in Irving scoring and Dallas adding two field goals, as they continued their comeback. At one point Rudy Gobert and Derrick Jones became tangled on a screen and both received technical fouls – though Wolves kept fighting and eventually pulled within seven points with Towns and Irving both hitting big shots.
Rivalry
To beat Minnesota in this series, Dallas needs Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to step up big time. The Wolves boast length and were among the premier defensive units in the league; so this won’t be easy for Dallas.
It will also be important for the Mavs to use their size and defense to get the ball into the paint, something they excelled at against Denver, and should form part of their plan against Minnesota.
Turnovers and missed shots by the Timberwolves should give them an advantage as well as their ability to quickly turn those opportunities into open-floor opportunities, either via Doncic drives and passes or quick attacks off missed shots by opposing guards. All their role players, particularly Derrick Jones Jr. and Anthony Edwards will need to step up in this area.
Final Words
Closeout games often sap energy away from losing teams, and that was definitely true tonight for the Wolves. They went cold shooting in the fourth quarter and found it hard to stop Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving from scoring off misses easily. Furthermore, the Wolves struggled to generate quality shots around the rim in both quarters which proved detrimental given how strong Dallas’ defensive presence is.
In the first half, both Wolves vs Mavs teams appeared fatigued and late to loose balls and made mistakes with fouls, yet Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards kept them competitive by producing valuable seconds quarter production; but Dallas outplayed them at 61% shooting for an early lead of 69-40 at halftime.
