Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Game Player Stats and Box Scores for May 24 | 2024 NBA Playoffs Game 2
The Dallas Mavericks remain in the Twin Cities region to hopefully get a stranglehold of the Western Conference finals against the Minnesota Timberwolves. Dallas leaned on Luka Doncic in Game 1 before fending off the hosts with a string of defensive stands to eke out a 108-105 victory. Doncic and Co. are looking to leave Minneapolis on Friday with a 2-0 lead.
The Timberwolves looked ready to pull away in the first half of the fourth quarter before eventually caving in. Like what their coach Chris Finch said, they need to have better shot selections and most importantly, play with poise.
Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves game player stats and box scores
Dallas Mavericks game player stats and box scores
Minnesota Timberwolves game player stats and box scores
Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Game Summary
The first quarter was a seesaw showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves. Dallas had a quick start, but Minnesota promptly caught up to make it a tight contest in the first 12 minutes. The hosts took a 32-26 lead leading into the second period.
The Timberwolves opened the first four minutes of the second quarter with a 17-6 to extend the lead to 48-33. A corner triple by Naz Reid forced Mavericks coach Jason Kidd to burn another timeout.
The Minnesota Timberwolves defense bared its teeth in the second frame to take away the Dallas Mavericks' rhythm. Rudy Gobert's free throws with 3:26 remaining made it 58-40 and had the Target Center crowd in a frenzy.
Two dunks by Dereck Lively II and 2-point shots by Luka Doncic and Josh Green, which were sandwiched by a Mike Conley layup, capped off the period. Dallas' late flurry cut the Timberwolves' lead to 60-48 heading into the halftime break.
The Dallas Mavericks steadily cut the Minnesota Timberwolves' advantage as soon as the second half started. Minnesota's edge even reached 65-50 after two Karl-Anthony Towns free throws. The two teams exchanged mini-runs until the visitors had an 8-0 surge starting the five-minute mark to make the score 77-75.
The Mavericks trailed 83-79 with 12.1 seconds to go before Naz Reid's 28-footer padded the Timberwolves' lead to 86-79. Reid's trifecta took some of the momentum of Dallas' strong end to the third period.
The Dallas Mavericks unleashed an 8-0 run to open the final frame to take the driver's seat 87-86. From there, it was another slugfest on both ends of the court. Minnesota seemed to have taken control of the game after Kyrie Irving missed two free throws before Anthony Edwards made both of his.
"Uncle Drew," however, redeemed himself with a 3-pointer to cut the deficit to 108-106. Anthony Edwards' turnover with 12.1 seconds remaining gave the Mavericks some hope. Following Jason Kidd's timeout, Luka Doncic drained a 24-foot stepback jumper over Rudy Gobert to push Dallas back in front 109-108.
Naz Reid missed a 26-footer as the Minnesota Timberwolves players' shoulders sagged in defeat. Dallas did what it came to do by taking a stranglehold of the series.
Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns' 3-pointers tonight
Luka Doncic went 3-for-6 from deep in the first half, while Kyrie Irving missed both of his attempts from the same range.
Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns put up almost the same line as the Mavericks superstars. "KAT" also couldn't connect out of two attempts, while "Ant-Man" finished 2-for-6 during the same stretch.
"Uncle Drew" and the Slovenian maestro combined to make 9-of-18 shots from behind the arc. Doncic's deep 3 in Dallas' last possession gave the Mavericks the win.
Meanwhile, Towns and Edwards tallied 3-for-7 from the same distance in Game 2.