NBA Finals Minnesota Timberwolves beat Dallas Mavericks in Game 4
Al Jazeera
29/05/2024
If Minnesota win the playoff series, they will become the first team in NBA history to advance after trailing 3-0.
The Minnesota Timberwolves stay alive in the NBA Western Conference finals, thanks to Anthony Edwards’ game-high 29 points as well as Karl-Anthony Towns’s long-range shooting skills to win an 105-100 win over the hosts Dallas Mavericks in Game 4.
The Timberwolves scored their first victory in this best-of-7 series, on the night of Tuesday The Timberwolves won the right to play Game 5 at home on Thursday night. They hope to open the way for the very first time to ever in NBA history to win and move on after being 3-0 down in a playoff game.
It wasn’t an option for the team during the fourth game of 4, Edwards insisted afterwards.
“We just wanted to get one game and extend the series,” said the player.
“I’ve not been swept in my professional career. I don’t want to be cleaned. This is not their home court, listening to their fans discuss trash all day long.”
Luka Doncic posted a 28-point triple-double of 15 rebound, 10 assists in the game for the five-seeded Mavericks which won the opening two games of the series on an earlier trip to Minneapolis.
After Minnesota was ahead by 12 in the first quarter The teams fought at a level tempo for the first 18 minute second period the final quarter, and Towns’s three-pointer at 5:41 left gave the Timberwolves the lead of 92-90.
The hosts never lost a game again and that was due in the main to Towns who’s 3 pointer in Minnesota’s subsequent possession turned it into five-point games.
Doncic is the one to take the responsibility
The best chance for Dallas to draw even came when Doncic erred on a 3-pointer while the hosts down 95-92 with 3:08 remaining.
When Towns hit his second shot from outside the arc at 2:54 to play and Edwards was next with a banker shot in the lane just 67 seconds later The Timberwolves had blown the game open with a score of 100-92.
“That was on me,” Doncic told reporters. “[I] didn’t give enough energy.”
A desperate 3-pointer made by Doncic while he was taken off at 13.2 seconds remaining kept the Mavericks alive at 103-100. However, Doncic was unable to make the following free throw.
After a timeout Naz Reid slid into the Dallas defense for a game-winning shot with 11.3 seconds left.
“We’d niet lost three games in three games in a row prior to the playoffs. Never have we lost more than four times in the same row,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch declared.
“The team members responded. It’s a fun team to coach since they are always confident that they can beat anyone regardless of what.”
The Timberwolves were outscored 10-3 at 6-0, 10-3 and 14-3 in turn, by the close of the three first games en the way to threeone-, threeand nine-point losses.
They are currently 3-0 possible elimination games for this postseason.
The score was even at 49 before the half The score was tied at 49, the two players Edwards as well as Doncic each having a lead of 17 points. Minnesota were leading 78-73 going in the final quarter.
“They won one game,” Doncic told reporters. “We’ve got to focus on the next one.”
