Dallas was unable to complete the sweep on Tuesday as they had their worst offensive game of the series, resulting in a 105-100 loss. They now head to Minnesota still leading 3-1 and looking to close out the Timberwolves, but the oddsmakers have them as 5-point dogs in Game 5. The absence of Dereck Lively II was felt in Game 4, Dallas lacked interior defense and rim protection without him, his status is still up in the air for Thursday’s game. After opening the series with a 114.9 offensive rating through the first 3 games, that number dropped to just 105.4 which is well below what we’re accustomed to seeing. Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic both struggled with efficiency, they’ll look to make amends tonight at Target Center. Teams leading 3-0 in a series are 155-0 in NBA history, so the Mavs still have that working for them here.
The comeback is on. Or is it? Timberwolves fans are sure hoping it is. Their two main stars Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns finally broke out of their shooting slumps as Minnesota recorded its highest eFG% of this series at 60.1% from the field and 45.8% from three. Edwards also recorded 9 assists in the win, mainly due to Lively’s absence on the interior, which allowed him to penetrate and kick the ball out for open shooters. One of those open shooters was KAT, who nailed 3 really important threes in the 2nd half to keep Minnesota in front. Despite winning in Game 4, the Timberwolves still haven’t done anything in this series, they are a long way from making history, but if anyone can do it it’ll be a team in their situation – with 2 of the next 3 games being played in Minnesota.
