Mavericks-Timberwolves: 5 takeaways as Dallas wins West Finals rematch

On October 30, 2024By Littum

Kyrie Irving scores 16 of his 35 points in the 3rd quarter and knocks down six of his eight 3-point attempts.

MINNEAPOLIS — Both sides set up this game as something clinical rather than emotional, despite the obvious recent high-stakes history between the Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves.

It was only five months ago that the two met in the Western Conference Finals, a bloodbath that the Mavericks won in five games. They were back at the Target Center, where Dallas won three times in that series, including a 124-103 rout that propelled the winners to the championship round. Minnesota got busy working on getting better for this season, and after its own five-game elimination from the Finals, so did Dallas.

“That was last year. This is a new year,” Mavs coach Jason Kidd said before Tuesday’s nationally televised showdown. “This is a different team. They’re a different team.”

Wolves coach Chris Finch didn’t erase the backstory quite like Kidd, but he came close.

“We didn’t put a roster together to beat Dallas,” Finch said. “Right now we’re trying to figure out who we are on a nightly basis.

“We don’t look at it as a rematch, or a rivalry either. They’re a great team, they deserved to win that series, I’m sure guys will remember that. … But it’s so early in the season, that I’m sure they’re trying to figure out who they are.

“But it’s fun playing these teams early because you learn a lot about yourself.”

Hey, this is our department, with five takeaways from the Mavericks’ 120-114 win:

1. 2 creators, 2 closers, 2 QBs

Imagine having Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes as your starting quarterback and Baltimore’s Lamar Jackson as his backup. Now imagine being able to play them together. That can lead defense to distraction, don’t you think?

That’s how NBA defenses feel about Dallas deploying Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving in their backfield, er, backcourt. This no longer qualifies as news. More so, it’s an understanding of how scary they can be with the teammates the Mavs have got swirling around them.

Irving scored 35 points, 25 of them after halftime and 16 in the third quarter. These were especially important because it was not clear how long or well Dončić would play after tweaking his right knee in the second quarter. The veteran point guard hit six of his 10 3-point attempts and 13 of 23 shots overall, playing 39 minutes after logging nearly 36 Monday vs. Utah.

“It’s a matter of his feeling,” Kidd said. “It’s about energy for him. And whatever the team needs at that moment.”

Dončić worked for most of the game, sparring verbally with some fans on the court who mocked some truth on Tuesday. He missed his first seven 3-point shots — but with 1:04 left and the Wolves closing in, he hit his eighth from 33 feet to make it 117-109.

“Someone just said, ‘We’ve seen this movie before,'” Kidd said. “Luka loves the opportunity to win the game.”

Dončić said: “I don’t know how to make those shots and not normal shots. … just have to get the rust out.”

Boo-blee-hay. Finch spoke on behalf of many NBA coaches and the annoyances they have against Dallas when he said earlier tonight, “They have an unbelievable pick-and-roll game, of course they have a Kyrie-iso game and now ( with Klay Thompson) they have an off-ball game. They’ve become multi-faceted. They can shift gears to do different things.”

2. Early statement game for Mavs

While Minnesota had been off since Saturday, Dallas had to hold on against Utah on Monday night. Irving collected the aforementioned 75 minutes in back-to-backs, while Dončić collected 40 on top of the 33:12 he got against the Jazz.

Yet here was Dallas, riding a 9-0 edge on the fast break in the third quarter. The Mavericks outscored the Wolves 67-48 combined in the second and third. And while the Mavs had nearly as many turnovers as Minnesota in the first half, 10-9, the visitors cleaned up just one over the final 24 minutes.

Clearly, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, so valuable as midseason acquisitions last season, are more familiar and embedded now. Young center Dereck Lively II is no longer a rookie. And freshman Naji Marshall, while known for offense, had an impact Tuesday defensively with three rebounds and two steals.

3. Edwards attacks from afar

One of the saddest days in recent NBA history came when Vince Carter, the league’s best dunker in his prime, chose to change his game to reduce the wear and tear of invading the paint. He was still a young player, transitioning like he was Michael Jordan at 38.

Hopefully Anthony Edwards at 23 isn’t going to rob the NBA of his many highlights on the rim. But he’s also switched to more of a floor game so far this season, happily playing with his 3-point shot like it’s a new toy.

In his first four seasons in Minnesota, Edwards averaged 7.4 attempts from the arc and made 2.6 for 35.3% success. Through four games this season, he has nearly doubled with 13.3 attempts, 5.5 makes and 41.5% accuracy.

Edwards was on fire at the start Tuesday. He hit six 3-pointers in the first 12 minutes and scored 24, his most in a single quarter — and a scoring center record for any quarter. Dallas paid extra attention to him from there, and Edwards scored just 13 more in the final three quarters, going 1-of-5 from the arc.

Still, it’s clear he’s about to write a new chapter in his burgeoning career.

“Have we replaced his midrange with threes or (is he) just taking more threes and keeping the same midrange?” Finch joked before the game.

“He’s at a point where he’s really trusting his shot. We’ve been telling him for years, you’re an excellent 3-point shooter. But he has a lot of game and likes to dribble the ball …”

4. Dallas crashed the glass late

The Mavericks had just one more offensive rebound, 12, than Minnesota. In the fourth quarter, each team had five. But Dallas’ came at critical moments and frustrated the Wolves. Striving to come back from what had been a 13-point deficit becomes awfully difficult when the other team seems to be playing teams away.

“The dagger shots at the end when you’re trying to come back are super painful,” Finch said, “but their offensive rebounds, there were a lot of transitions that weren’t matched up quick enough, and Kyrie’s going wild on us.”

Lively (2), Gafford, Washington and Dončić all chipped in to create second and even third chances for Dallas’ offense – and clock kills.

“It’s up to us, especially myself,” Edwards said, “I’m big as hell. I’ve got to be able to box the big ones out.”

5. Randle that fits in

Julius Randle, the newly acquired power forward, brought something of a retro style of play when he was traded by New York for Donte DiVincenzo to the Wolves for Karl-Anthony Towns. It’s fun to see old-school possessions started in the low post, but it can be a challenge in today’s trip with threes.

So far, so good. Randle had 20 points with seven boards, seven assists and 3-for-3 shooting from the arc. He played in flow, forcing nothing, seizing opportunities when his teammates looked for him.

In four games, Randle is averaging 23.3 points, 7.5 rebounds, 5.0 assists and is shooting 62.5% on threes (10 of 16).

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Steve Aschburner has been writing about the NBA since 1980. You can email him herefind his archive here and follow him on X.

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