The Dallas Mavericks will be shooting for a 2-0 series lead when they share the court again this Saturday with the Minnesota Timberwolves. Will the Mavs head to Dallas after Game 2 undefeated in the series? Or, will the Timberwolves come up with a bigger performance than the one they had in Game 1 to level the series at 1-1?

Catch this game live on Saturday, May 25, 2024 at 8:30 AM, Manila time

Away: Dallas Mavericks (1-0)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Luka Doncic
  • Kyrie Irving
  • Derrick Jones Jr.
  • P.J. Washington
  • Daniel Gafford

Anthony Edwards who? The Timberwolves appeared to have poked the bear with an NBA ring before the series opener and that same bear responded with a fiery performance in Dallas’ Game 1 108-105 win, as Kyrie Irving went off for 30 points on 12/23 shooting from the field. He did plenty of damage in the first half where he unloaded 24 of his points. 

In the second half, he let Luka Doncic lead the way, with the MVP finalists scoring 19 of his game-high 33 points in the final two periods of the contest. Speaking of damage, where the Mavs had their most impact was in the paint. They embarrassed Minnesota’s interior defense with 62 points in the paint. Conversely, Dallas’ defense continues to trend up. It has allowed just 103.3 points in the last four Mavs games while also holding opponents to just 42.8 percent shooting from the field. (The Timberwolves shot just 42.7 FG% in Game 1.)

The Mavericks are 5-1 against the spread in their last six games away from Dallas.

Home: Minnesota Timberwolves (0-1)

Projected Starting Five:

  • Mike Conley
  • Anthony Edwards
  • Jaden McDaniels
  • Karl-Anthony Towns
  • Rudy Gobert

Maybe it was fatigue that really killed the momentum of the Timberwolves in Game 1. They simply did not look and play in Game 1 against the Mavericks like the team that just ended the reign of Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets as NBA champs. That is also why much is expected of Minnesota in Game 2. The Timberwolves can’t show up with the same energy it had in Game 1, especially since they’re down 1-0 in the series plus everything shifts to Dallas after Game 2. 

The Timberwolves settled for a bunch of threes in Game 1 that were way more than what they normally take, perhaps because of tired legs. They hit 18 of their threes for a 36.7 percent success rate there but look for Minnesota to make a bigger effort to establish their size advantage in the paint. Edwards, who shot just 6/16 from the field in the loss to Dallas, is bound to have a big game and it would be perfect timing for him to explode in Game 2, with Minnesota looking to avoid falling down a 2-0 series hole.

The Timberwolves are 17-12 ATS this season in games after a loss.

Picks

Spread: Minnesota Timberwolves  (-5.0)

Over/Under: Under (206.5)