Minnesota’s stars finally shined in Game 4 in Dallas, but the Mavericks were down one of their key role players rookie Dereck Lively II.
MINNEAPOLIS — Alas, there was no sweep in the NBA Western Conference Finals after the Minnesota Timberwolves eked out a 105-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night at the American Airlines Center.
And so the series heads back to the Twin Cities for Game 5 with the Mavs leading the series 3-1.
Minnesota’s stars finally shined in Game 4 in Dallas, but the Mavericks were down one of their key role players rookie Dereck Lively II.
Going into Game 5 at the Target Center, here are three things to look for:
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Lively return?
After sitting out Game 4 to recover from the head/neck injury he sustained in Game 3, Lively has been upgraded to questionable for Game 5.
We covered this in the Game 4 preview but it bears repeating: the Mavs are a far superior team when Lively plays.
During the regular season, the Mavericks went 35-20 with Lively in the lineup and averaged 119 points per game.
Without him, they went 15-12 and averaged 115 ppg.
From his iso defense and rim protection to rebounding and receiving alley-oops, Lively is a seven-foot one-inch sparkplug and his presence is critical to the Mavericks success.
Whether he plays in Game 5 or not, it’s good to see he’s been elevated to questionable which means a return is near.
In Game 3, Wolves big man Karl Anthony-Towns could not hit the side of a barn – shooting 5-of-18 from the field and 0-8 from beyond the arc.
In Game 4, KAT responded with 25 points including some incredibly timely three-pointers in the fourth quarter to keep the Mavs at bay.
If Towns continues to stay hot, this series may continue until he goes cold again.
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LuKai bounce back?
Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving both had off-nights in Game 4.
Despite finishing with a 28-point triple-double, Doncic made just 33% of his shots from the field (7-of-21).
Irving, who was previously 14-0 in closeout games during his 13-year NBA career, finished with 16 points on 33% shooting as well (6-of-18).
If either one of them has a more efficient performance, the Mavs likely win the game and sweep the series.
While it’s tough to imagine the T-Wolves losing a third home game in the West Finals, it’s harder to imagine the LuKai duo puts up another stinker with a chance to put the series to bed.
WCF Game 5 is set for Thursday at 7:30 p.m. from the Target Center in Minneapolis.
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