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The Timberwolves and Mavericks met Wednesday night in Game 1 of the NBA Western Conference Finals at Target Center. Editor Chris Hine received live updates from Target Center:
10:01 p.m.: Luka Doncic leads the way as Dallas wins
For most of the night, the Timberwolves’ leading scorers, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards, struggled to score. Their teammates picked them up for much of the game, but it wasn’t enough as Dallas’ two stars led the Mavericks to a 108-105 victory in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.
Anthony Edwards had 19 points and Karl-Anthony Towns had 16 as they combined to shoot 12 of 36 for the Wolves.
Luka Doncic had 33 and Kyrie Irving had 30 for Dallas. They were 24 for 49.
The Wolves defense had its best quarter against Dallas in the fourth, but it couldn’t provide enough firepower, especially down the stretch, to defeat Dallas. Doncic made a key elbow jumper to make it 106-102 with 49.2 seconds left. Irving iced the game with two free throws with seven seconds remaining.
Mike Conley drove to the line for three free throws with 1.8 seconds left, but Conley missed the second, ending any chance the Wolves had to tie the game on a tipping bucket.
The Wolves had a 102-98 lead with 3 minutes, 37 seconds left, but didn’t score again until 9.9 seconds left as their late offense couldn’t convert . A turnover by Jaden McDaniels, who led the Wolves with 24 points, led to a three by PJ Washington that gave Dallas the lead for good with 1:56 to play. Officials ruled out a potential game-tying basket by Towns with 1:41 left after ruling that Towns turned the ball over for a dunk while it was still in the cylinder.
The Wolves led 89-84 after three shots from Reid and McDaniels to open the fourth. But the momentum shifted when the Wolves lost a challenge on a potential Mike Conley offensive rebound after officials deemed Conley pushed “subtly but effectively” on Tim Hardaway Jr. while trying to gain the board. The crowd didn’t like the call.
After that, Doncic scored seven straight points and Dallas took a 91-89 lead, forcing a Wolves timeout with 9:07 left, and Edwards returned to the game.
But Towns had a fly ball and the Wolves made two straight turnovers that led to six more Dallas points and a 97-89 Mavericks lead.
The Wolves had an answer in the form of a 10-1 run featuring a three from Towns, which gave the Wolves a 99-98 lead with 4:39 to play. After a Dallas timeout, Edwards buried a three, but those would be the last points the Wolves scored before it was too late.
Game 2 will take place Friday at Target Center.
Edwards had 11 rebounds and eight assists while Kyle Anderson had 11 points coming off the bench. The Mavericks outshot the Wolves 48-40 and had 62 paint points to the Wolves’ 38.
9:20 p.m.: The teams exchange blows, but neither manages to take control in the third
The Wolves’ defense struggled to combat the Dallas offense for most of the night, but the Wolves clung to an 83-82 lead early in the fourth quarter despite allowing 32 points to the Mavericks in the third .
The Wolves opened the third with extra eyes and defenders on Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic, which led to a few easy buckets at the rim from Mavericks center Daniel Gafford, who scored Dallas’ first six points of the quarter. The Wolves’ three-point shooting, which was 44 percent in the first half, cooled in the third. They only shot 2 of 12.
The only saving grace for the Wolves defense is that Dallas is just 3 of 19 from three-point range for the game. The Mavericks are 32 for 48 inside the arc. Irving only had two points in the quarter while Doncic had 18.
Anthony Edwards couldn’t get going offensively for the Wolves as he had 13 points on 4-of-12 shooting. Eight of his shot attempts came from three-point range (he made three). Neither team pulled away from the other throughout the quarter, as the lead changed hands a few teams were still within a few possessions. The Wolves led 77-73 with 5:45 left in the quarter. After that, the game was down to one possession anyway.
8:32 p.m.: Irving has 24 points as the Mavericks trail by three at halftime
Behind Jaden McDaniels’ 19 points, the Wolves led the Mavericks 62-59 at halftime. But they can’t slow down Kyrie Irving, who scored 24 points in the first half on 11-of-14 shooting.
McDaniels is 7 of 10 from the field and hit 5 of 6 from three-point range, while the Wolves also got a boost from Kyle Anderson, who had 11 points in the first half. This is the most points Anderson has scored in the postseason.
Anthony Edwards had 13 points, eight rebounds and five assists. But Irving spoiled the fun for the Wolves, who led by nine at a few points in the half. Irving closed the quarter with five straight points, three of them after Edwards spoiled the Wolves’ chance to have the last shot of the half with six points. It was just one of four turnovers the Wolves made.
Luka Doncic had 14 points for the Mavericks in the first half. McDaniels and Anderson were a combined 12 of 17; the rest of the Wolves were 10-for-28.
The Wolves rebuilt a nine-point lead at 41-32, but like the first quarter, Dallas responded once it was down by nine points. Doncic attacked Edwards for a pair of buckets down the stretch, and Derek Lively broke loose for a dunk. The Wolves called a timeout after a 9-2 run against the Mavericks. The Wolves maintained a small lead throughout the quarter. Dallas doubled the Wolves in points in the paint (44-22).
8 p.m.: The wolves take the advantage 33-27 after one quarter
The Wolves got scores from their players as they led 33-27 after one quarter.
Anthony Edwards had eight points for the Wolves, but they received key contributions from Jaden McDaniels and Kyle Anderson.
McDaniels got them going early after having back-to-back 20+ point games to close out the series against Denver. McDaniels, who was guarding Luke Doncic at the other end of the court, hit three early 3-pointers to give the Wolves a 15-8 lead. The Mavericks opened the game 0 of 4 from three-point range, and no one besides Doncic and Kyrie Irving scored a bucket in the first 7 minutes and 24 seconds of the game.
The Wolves led 21-12 after a three by Anthony Edwards, but Dallas answered from there with an 11-0 run. Irving was difficult to contain for the Wolves and he scored 13 in the quarter. The run started with a four-point possession for the Mavericks when PJ Washington hit a three and Rudy Gobert fouled Derek Lively while fighting for position inside. Lively hit the free throw.
But Kyle Anderson, who hasn’t scored much in the postseason, scored seven straight points for the Wolves, who responded with a 10-2 burst to close the quarter after falling behind 25-23. Anderson’s seven points included a three-pointer, his first of the playoffs.
7 p.m.: Edwards makes the All-NBA team
Wolves guard Anthony Edwards was chosen for the All-NBA second team following his second All-Star berth. It’s his first honor in the entire league. Here’s a look at the teams and the effect Edwards’ selection will have on his contract and the team’s salary cap.
Shootaround: McDaniels congratulated, but who will guard Kyrie?
On Tuesday, Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels earned his first All-Defensive Team honor by being voted to the league’s Second Team.
McDaniels’ tough perimeter defense was the perfect complement to Rudy Gobert inside and is a big reason why the Wolves had the NBA’s No. 1 defense this season.
McDaniels is no stranger to guarding some of the league’s best players, and that includes Dallas guard Luka Doncic, who will likely be his training partner for much of the Western Conference Finals.
During the first shootaround game, Doncic was asked to name his three best perimeter defenders in the league, and he named Oklahoma City’s Lu Dort, Boston’s Jrue Holiday and Dallas teammate Derrick Jones.
Then he quickly issued an addendum to his statement to include McDaniels.
“He can guard one through five, for sure, he’s a great defender,” Doncic said. “When you asked about the top three, I forgot about McDaniels. Some people will be (angry) if I don’t include him. He’s definitely in the top three. He’s been incredible, he’s got a long run hands, he’s locked in and it’s going to be difficult to face.”
Wolves guard Anthony Edwards said after the Game 7 win over Denver that he would keep Kyrie Irving, but the reality is the Wolves will likely use a rotating case of Edwards, McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Kyle Anderson ( on Doncic) sometimes in the series.
Edwards, who played among the best ball defenders of his career throughout the playoffs, received four second-team votes for the all-defensive team, 62 votes behind McDaniels. When asked what he thought about getting those four votes, he replied: “Only four?