3rd Quarter Report
Only one more quarter stands between the Timberwolves and the victory they were favored to collect coming into this evening. They have jumped out to a 83-82 lead against the Mavericks. This match is far closer than the pair’s previous matchup, which was decided by 34 points.
If the Timberwolves keep playing like this, they’ll bump their record up to 5-3 in no time. On the other hand, the Mavericks will have to make due with a 4-3 record unless they turn things around (and fast).
Who’s Playing
Dallas Mavericks @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Regular Season Records: Dallas 50-32, Minnesota 56-26
Current Series Standings: Minnesota 0, Dallas 0
How To Watch
What to Know
On Wednesday, the Minnesota Timberwolves will fight it out against the Dallas Mavericks in a Western Conference playoff contest at 8:30 p.m. ET at Target Center. Coming in fresh off a victory as the underdog, the Timberwolves will stroll into this one as the favorite.
The Timberwolves are headed into this one after the oddsmakers set last week’s over/under low at 201, but even that wound up being too high. They walked away with a 98-90 win over the Nuggets on Sunday. The victory was all the more spectacular given Minnesota was down by 20 with 10:50 left in the third quarter.
The Timberwolves can attribute much of their success to Jaden McDaniels, who scored 23 points along with six rebounds and two steals, and Karl-Anthony Towns, who dropped a double-double on 23 points and 12 rebounds. Less helpful for the Timberwolves was Nickeil Alexander-Walker’s abysmal 0-5 three-point shooting.
Meanwhile, the Mavericks earned some postseason bragging rights after a successful outing on Saturday. They skirted by the Thunder 117-116 thanks to a clutch free throw from PJ Washington with 2 seconds left in the fourth quarter. The win was all the more spectacular given Dallas was down by 17 with 8:57 left in the third quarter.
Luka Doncic continued his habit of posting crazy stat lines, shooting 4-for-6 from deep and dropping a triple-double on 29 points, ten rebounds, and ten assists. He has been hot recently, having posted ten or more rebounds the last five times he’s played.
The Timberwolves and the Mavericks will be playing the first game of their best-of-seven series on Wednesday. Come back here to find out who’s still in it and who will have to wait until next year.
Odds
Minnesota is a 4.5-point favorite against Dallas, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Timberwolves as a 3.5-point favorite.
The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 208 points.
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Series History
Minnesota has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Dallas.
- Jan 31, 2024 – Minnesota 121 vs. Dallas 87
- Jan 07, 2024 – Dallas 115 vs. Minnesota 108
- Dec 28, 2023 – Minnesota 118 vs. Dallas 110
- Dec 14, 2023 – Minnesota 119 vs. Dallas 101
- Feb 13, 2023 – Minnesota 124 vs. Dallas 121
- Dec 21, 2022 – Dallas 104 vs. Minnesota 99
- Dec 19, 2022 – Minnesota 116 vs. Dallas 106
- Mar 25, 2022 – Minnesota 116 vs. Dallas 95
- Mar 21, 2022 – Dallas 110 vs. Minnesota 108
- Dec 21, 2021 – Dallas 114 vs. Minnesota 102
