Mavericks Draw Line, Beat Timberwolves by Significant Margin to Capture Western Conference Finals Berth
Photo Credit: Matt Krohn, Associated Press Photo
After opening the door to a potential Timberwolves comeback when the Mavericks were up 3-0 on the series, the Mavericks(50-32) ended the Timberwolves’(56-26) season in game five of the series, winning by a score of 124-103, according to ESPN. After the 5:43 mark in the first quarter of the game, where the Mavericks were tied with the Timberwolves by a score of 18 apiece, the Finals-bound team put their foot on the gas pedal, leading for the remainder of the game.
As was a common theme for the series between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Dallas Mavericks, Kyrie Irving and Luka Dončić took the fifth edition of the series over. Both players scored 36 points, accounting for 72 of the team’s 124 points, according to Pro Basketball Reference. Luka Dončić was 14 of 22 from the field, hitting 63.6% of his shots from the floor, including hitting six of his ten threes, contributing to an impressive 60% mark from the three-point line.
Photo Credit: David Berding, Getty Images
Kyrie Irving, though his field goal percentage came in at 51.9% and was slightly lower than Luka Dončić’s, hit 14 of 27 of his shots from the floor and four of his ten threes, going for an additionally impressive 40% clip from three-point land. The duo will head into the NBA Finals with Luka Dončić averaging 28.8 points per game in the playoffs and Kyrie Irving averaging 22.8 points per game in the playoffs. The duo could easily square up against the Celtics’ own group of stars, as Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown have been averaging 26 and 25 points per game, respectively. The statistics provided were pulled from Pro Basketball Reference.
Photo Credit: Abbie Parr, Associated Press Photo
Though when looking at the box score, the production from the rest of the Mavericks team seems decreased, the reason for that seemingly reduced production is a result of the volume of shots that Irving and Dončić took for the game. The stars took 49 combined shots, which makes up 58.3% of the total shots taken by the Mavericks as a team. Seeing as the two stars each put up 36, that volume is certainly justified. Going forward, it makes sense for the tandem to take a high volume of shots, with the stipulation that other Mavericks players can be relied upon to perform if attempts from Kyrie and Luka aren’t falling.
The fifth game of the series demonstrated a significant step back from the fourth game of the series, where the Timberwolves were able to escape the brink of elimination. Though the Timberwolves shot 52.7% from the floor and 45.8% from three in the fourth edition of the series, those numbers dipped to 42.7% and 31.3% respectively, according to Pro Basketball Reference. However, Anthony Edwards remained yet another bright spot for the team, scoring 28 points all while making ten of his 18 field goal attempts and making four of his six attempts from three.
Photo Credit: David Berding, Getty Images
While the Minnesota Timberwolves season has ended, the season was an overall success for the team. The group, fueled by Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert, and Karl-Anthony Towns, was able to bring the team to only the second Western Conference Finals in the history of the franchise, and was finally able to break through the 2021-2022 and 2022-2023 trend of being first-round exits in the NBA Playoffs. Seeing as Anthony Edwards and Jaden McDaniels have both been extended until the 2028-2029 season according to contract information found on Pro Basketball Reference, the Timberwolves definitely have a young group of players that the franchise can construct around.
The first game of the NBA Finals will be played in Boston, with the Celtics hoping to take game one of the series and defend TD Garden.
