The Western Conference Finals between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves got underway on Wednesday night. Game 1 certainly lived up to the billing, as these are two hard-nosed, defense-first teams with plenty of star power.
The first half of the game was an offensive affair, as the Timberwolves took a 62-59 lead into halftime. In the second half, the script was flipped, as it turned into the kind of defensive-minded game everyone expected.
The Dallas Mavericks were able to win that portion of the game, winning 49-43 in the second half and stealing Game 1 on the road. When looking at some of the stats from the game, it is hard to fathom how Dallas came away with a victory.
The Mavericks were 6-of-25 from 3-point land. That is the fewest 3-point makes they have in a game this postseason and less than half of what they average per game. They committed 13 turnovers to the Timberwolves’ 10, yet found a way to be victorious.
A major reason was the closing of Luka Doncic. The Mavericks’ star scored 15 out of his 33 points in the fourth quarter to carry the team offensively. But, his work defensively helped his team get a Game 1 win.
In the fourth quarter, he made two huge plays on that end of the court which helped seal the win. Little things like that are what will be the difference between the Dallas Mavericks winning a championship or not.
While Doncic was the closer, Kyrie Irving was the starter for the Mavericks. He was excellent at setting the tone early, scoring 13 points in the first quarter. Irving would score another 11 in the second quarter, keeping Dallas in the game.
When the Dallas Mavericks’ superstar backcourt is playing at that level, they are going to be difficult to beat. It will be interesting to see what adjustments the Timberwolves make in Game 2, as they will be looking to even up the series on Friday night.
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