Mavericks role players PJ Washington, Daniel Gafford and Naz Reid must hit shots for Minnesota to match Dallas’ pinpoint offense; otherwise the series may quickly disintegrate.
Can the Wolves stop pick-and-rolls by blitzing ballhandlers and creating 4-on-3 situations, like they did against Oklahoma City in Round 2?
Luka Doncic
After an uneventful pregame, Minnesota made an impactful statement on their home floor. A victory like this could set the franchise up for future success; even if that does not pan out this time around, Minnesota still boasts a talented young roster that could blossom further over time.
As is typical in elimination games, this contest started off slowly. The Wolves managed to close on and even take a lead against Dallas but were ultimately unable to take control due to an exhausted Dallas frontcourt that saw Dereck Lively II, Jaden McDaniels and Maxi Kleber all commit fouls while the Mavericks crowded the paint and prevented Edwards and Towns from driving lanes.
Doncic had enough, as you could feel Mavericks frustration rising, to grab Josh Green by the jersey and shout out, “Motherfucker! You can’t guard me!” It was beautiful moment and should serve as a reminder of what Doncic can accomplish.
Kyrie Irving
Irving’s loss against the Timberwolves in Game 4 marked just one blemish on an otherwise spotless 14-1 record in potential closeout games – one of the NBA’s longest individual streaks – but also ended Minnesota’s chances of three straight victories over Dallas to keep its playoff hopes alive, forcing an important match-up to happen on Thursday in Dallas.
Irving scored 49 points and had 10 assists and two blocks, as well as being involved in the game-winning layup which came after being fouled and making two free throws with 13.0 seconds remaining.
After the game, Irving thanked Minnesota defender Jaden McDaniels for keeping him off his rhythm. McDaniels, a second-team All-Defensive selection who was assigned to cover Irving during Game 4, did just that. Irving identified ways of quickly getting into a flow faster so as to control more quickly the game while also decreasing turnovers by being more decisive with the ball.
Jaden McDaniels
Minnesota’s “X-FACTOR” Jaden McDaniels holds much responsibility on his shoulders as Minnesota’s premier perimeter defender and boasts both length and leaping prowess to deny top scorers such as Luka Doncic from scoring their points.
McDaniels has struggled to establish consistency on the offensive end. After starting off the series by hitting three-pointers from all over, his game took an abrupt turn during the second half of the first matchup and his performance fell off precipitously.
He made up for lost ground with 21 points scored against Denver over Games 6 and 7, providing much-needed production on Thursday night.
Dallas Mavericks have taken an aggressive stance this postseason in their defense, closing out to the perimeter and shrinking their floor off-ball in order to limit easy paint attempts and forcing Minnesota into using two-way players like Nickeil Alexander-Walker as well as secondary scoring opportunities from role players like McDaniels as an additional scoring option against Dallas’ defensive scheme.
Karl-Anthony Towns
Karl-Anthony Towns was selected first overall in the 2015 NBA draft and quickly established himself as an integral component of Minnesota Timberwolves rebuilding efforts that won just 42 games last season. Towns led all double-double players this year and was instrumental in Minnesota making an early playoff push.
Towns stands 7-foot-1 and can be found battling for rebounds or competing for position in the paint, but he’s also adept at running intelligent pick-and-rolls with teammates or making wide open 3-point shots when his man doubles him in the post.
Towns is an invaluable presence on both ends of the court, which was key in Minnesota achieving success despite an abundance of turnover, an absence of shooting ability and weak supporting cast. Unfortunately, however, he’s been an issue defensively in Minnesota’s first two games against Dallas so if Minnesota wants to advance, Towns needs to improve as quickly as possible if Towns is going to advance his team further.
