MINNEAPOLIS — Coming off a Game 1 victory, the Dallas Mavericks achieved another victory at Target Center to begin the Western Conference finals with a 2-0 series lead. It came down to the final possession for the Mavs, with Luka Doncic’s game-winning step-back 3-pointer with Rudy Gobert on an island pushing them to a 109-108 win in Game 2.

Minnesota featured Towns early in the post to attack the smaller matchup in P.J. Washington. While he initially shot 1-5 from the floor, he could draw fouls and had five early points. Minnesota pushed the pace after the Mavericks’ turnovers, but began playing out of side ball screens with Mike Conley attacking Doncic trying to deny use of the screen with ICE coverage by attacking space baseline.

It was a tightly contested game early, with the Timberwolves going up 21-17 midway through the first period after Derrick Jones Jr. was blocked in transition, leading to a catch and finish for Gobert. The early momentum continued to be in Minnesota’s favor, with Dallas to turn positive plays into lengthy runs.

Naz Reid heated up with a made 3-pointer both to end the first quarter and to begin the second. With Towns taking advantage of the mismatch against Washington, he extended Minnesota’s advantage to double figures (11) for the first time in the game. Dallas responded by getting Lively to the free throw line, but Conley fired back with a 3-pointer to extend the Timberwolves’ edge to 12.

Doncic responded by snaking a ball screen to get a step-back 3-pointer. However, Minnesota continued to answer back Dallas, with Towns being featured inside as the offense’s focal point. He scored against Washington in the post, then found Reid in the corner to put the Timberwolves up by a 15-point margin, prompting the Mavericks to call a timeout. The lead grew as large as 17.

Dallas began tightening up defensively but came up empty in opportune situations offensively, including Lively mishandling a catch on an open alley-oop. Minnesota held a 60-48 advantage entering the break, with double figure scoring performances already from Edwards with 13 points while Conley and Reid each had 12 points. Towns and Gobert both added nine points and five rebounds at this point as well.

Doncic recorded 16 points, six rebounds, and five assists playing 21 of 24 first half minutes, but had a difficult time getting to his spots in the first half. He shot 5-14 from the floor and 2-8 from inside the arc. He was the team’s only double figure scorer to this point, with Lively’s eight points being closest. Dallas shot 18-46 (39.1%) overall and 4-14 (28.6%) from deep through two quarters.

Early in the second half, the Mavericks made it a six-point game after Doncic continued to guide the offense with his scoring and playmaking. A turnover prevented them from progressing after reaching that point, but Dallas stuck with it and eventually overtook the lead. Doncic was having an easier time attacking downhill than earlier in the game while hitting a 3-pointer.

Without Doncic on the court, Jaden Hardy made impressive plays to pull the Mavericks within two points multiple times. The first was a 3-pointer followed by a closeout attack that led to a lob pass for Gafford. Irving also made a series of plays attacking downhill, but Minnesota closed the period with an 86-79 lead after Reid hit a quick trigger 3-pointer out of a Horns flare set.

Doncic returned to the court for the fourth quarter with Irving also on the floor. Dallas used an 8-0 run to quckly overtake an 87-86 advantage with Irving scoring or assisting on all of these points. He used a pair of 3-pointers and assisted Washington during this stretch.

With the Mavericks focused on collapsing the paint when Edwards attacked downhill, Minnesota had a five-out offense out to begin the period. This helped create a spray-out pass that led to a 3-pointer for Reid to retake the lead. Irving responded with a deep make from beyond the arc of his own. The game was set up to be tight, with every possession being crucial.

Dallas continued to leave Reid open and were made to pay for doing so. His seventh made 3-pointer put Minnesota ahead 94-92 with 6:36 remaining in regulation. It was a struggle for the Mavericks to find the proper balance with handling double screener actions along with gnerall collapsing the paint while being able to get out on Reid with many of his shots being wide open.

Gafford finished a series of paint touches, including a throw-ahead transition pass where he bodied Conley to secure the catch and threw up the scoop finish on his way to the ground. Reid again responded by attacking off the catch for a dunk to tie it up again. Dallas became more focused on switching these actions down the stretch.

Minnesota made a series of clutch plays in the paint to maintain a three-point lead while Irving split a pair of free throws and turned it over trying to attack Edwards. Irving did manage to recover the ball before lobbing it to Lively for a dunk, but Conley made a floater on the other end. Dallas came within one point numerous times in this stint.

Dallas turned to Stack pick-and-roll for Doncic to find Lively behind Gobert for a catch and finish to pull ahead, but Conley responded with a made floater. Irving had a second-chance 3-point attempt to give the Mavericks momentum but missed after Jones’ initial offline attempt. Edwards attacked the rack to get to the line and made both free throws, putting Minnesota up by three with under two minutes remaining the game clock.

Irving used a double drag action to get deep on a drive before using contact to draw a foul, but he missed both free throw attempts. Dallas then fouled Edwards while in the bonus as he was trying to pass, resultign in falling down by five after he made both. Irving hit a corner 3-pointer late in the shot clock to make it 108-106 with about a minute left.

Edwards drew two on a ball screen and passed it to McDaniels on the baseline, who immediately was trapped and ended up turning it over after a successful challenge by the Mavericks. Dallas gained possession with 47.3 seconds to play while facing a two-point deficit. Doncic orchestrated a possession out of Horns that got Gobert switched onto him but he missed a step-back in short-range. Edwards then turned it over after getting stuck near the nail making a series of pivots.

The Mavericks once again had possession with a chance to tie or take the lead. This time, 12.8 seconds were remaining in the fourth quarter. Doncic seized the moment by getting Gobert switched onto him again and breaking him down off the dribble to create what proved to be the game-winning shot since Reid went on to miss at the buzzer.

Looking ahead, the series will continue on Sunday when Game 3 is played at American Airlines Center for the first of two games.

Stick with MavericksGameday for more coverage of the Dallas Mavericks throughout the NBA Playoffs.

Follow Grant Afseth on Twitter, YouTube, and Facebook.

Who’s Playing

Dallas Mavericks @ Minnesota Timberwolves

Regular Season Records: Dallas 50-32, Minnesota 56-26

Current Series Standings: Dallas 1, Minnesota 0

How To Watch

What to Know

On Friday, the Dallas Mavericks will face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Western Conference playoff match at 8:30 p.m. ET at Target Center. The Mavericks pulled off an upset win in their last outing, and are hoping to pull that off once more against the 5.5-point favorite Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves are hoping to do on Friday what they couldn’t on Wednesday: put an end to the Mavericks’ winning streak, which now stands at three games. The Mavericks sure made it a nail-biter, but they managed to escape with a 108-105 win over the Timberwolves. For those keeping track at home, that’s the closest victory Dallas has posted since April 5th.

Multiple players turned in solid performances to lead the Mavericks to victory, but perhaps none more so than Luka Doncic, who scored 33 points along with eight assists and six rebounds. Doncic’s evening made it three games in a row in which he has scored at least 30 points. The team also got some help courtesy of Kyrie Irving, who scored 30 points along with five rebounds.

The Mavericks are winning the series right now, leading the Timberwolves 1-0. Come back here after the game to see if the Mavericks can scoop up another win or if the Timberwolves can turn things around.

Odds

Minnesota is a solid 5.5-point favorite against Dallas, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Timberwolves as a 4.5-point favorite.

The oddsmakers are predicting a defensive showdown and set the over/under low at 207.5 points.

See NBA picks for every single game, including this one, from SportsLine’s advanced computer model. Get picks now.

Series History

Minnesota has won 6 out of their last 10 games against Dallas.

• May 22, 2024 – Dallas 108 vs. Minnesota 105
• Jan 31, 2024 – Minnesota 121 vs. Dallas 87
• Jan 07, 2024 – Dallas 115 vs. Minnesota 108
• Dec 28, 2023 – Minnesota 118 vs. Dallas 110
• Dec 14, 2023 – Minnesota 119 vs. Dallas 101
• Feb 13, 2023 – Minnesota 124 vs. Dallas 121
• Dec 21, 2022 – Dallas 104 vs. Minnesota 99
• Dec 19, 2022 – Minnesota 116 vs. Dallas 106
• Mar 25, 2022 – Minnesota 116 vs. Dallas 95
• Mar 21, 2022 – Dallas 110 vs. Minnesota 108

There’s some players that are just simply more important to a team’s success than others. Would the Kansas City Chiefs be as successful without Patrick Mahomes or the San Francisco 49ers without Christian McCaffrey? To put it simply, no.

The Dallas Cowboys may or may not have those caliber of players currently on the roster, but they do have some who are instrumental to their success in 2024. Today, we are going to identify their Top 5 most important players and rank them accordingly.

#5 – QB Dak Prescott

Love him or hate him, Dak Prescott is one of the best and most consistent quarterbacks in the entire league. As such, the 2023 MVP runner-up should probably rank much higher on this list. Considering the fact the Cowboys seem willing to let him play out his current contract, and have a capable backup in Cooper Rush and possibly Trey Lance, he may not be as indispensable as he was in years past.

While it’s true Prescott is still one of the best and most important players currently on the Cowboys roster, it’s also true there a few even more important who should be ranked higher. With a proven backup QB capable of coming in and winning games in Cooper Rush, and the intrigue surrounding Trey Lance, it would look as if Dallas is pretty well set up to survive and stay afloat is something unforeseen happened to No. 4.

#4 – OL Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe

Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe come in a tie as the fourth most important players the Cowboys currently have on the roster. It may sound a bit odd to consider two rookies who haven’t played a single meaningful down in the NFL yet as carrying such a distinction, but how they play this season could very well determine how successful, or not, the Cowboys are in 2024 given the positions they play.

Offensive line play this season, more than in the past, will be instrumental to whether the Cowboys sink or swim this year and the two rookies are at the forefront of all of that. Whether it’s creating holes in the running game or keeping Dak Prescott up right in pass protection, Guyton and Beebe are the key to success as the projected new starting blindside protector and center. That’s a heavy weight to carry for both rookies.

#3 – DE Micah Parsons

Micah Parsons is one of the best, if not the best, and most talented players in the entire league, and not just at his given position. As a pass rusher though, he pretty much stands alone with just a few others like Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt. It’s one of the reasons why he’s in contention every season for Defensive Player of the Year. He’s also one of the best players on the Cowboys roster, especially in the defensive side of the ball.

Being the best and most talented though doesn’t necessarily make him the most important. Micah Parsons may be one of the most feared pass rushers in the league, but he can be game-planned for by opposing offenses to lessen how impactful he is. Even if he were to miss some time due to injury Dallas could probably survive his absence. While the depth behind him isn’t great, there are options capable of stepping in if/when needed.

#2 -CB Trevon Diggs

Narrowly missing out on the No. 1 spot, Trevon Diggs is the second most important player for the Cowboys in 2024. The Cowboys have a lot riding on Diggs’ ability to return to the player he was prior to his season-ending knee injury last season. They were fortunate last year to have Stephon Gilmore and DaRon Bland as insurance policies when he went down, but that’s not the case any longer.

If No. 7 has any setbacks or takes a while to get back up to speed, the Cowboys secondary could be in bind. They may have a solid trio in Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis if all are healthy, but have a significant lack of proven depth behind them with the way the roster is currently constructed. Because of that, Diggs’ health and availability for them this year could mean the difference between success or failure.

#1 – WR CeeDee Lamb

Make no mistake, CeeDee Lamb comes in at #1 on this list because he is the most important player the Cowboys currently have on the roster. The offense will once again run through him, much like it did last season, and potentially even more so due to the absence of Tony Pollard. There’s not another player on the entire offensive side of the ball capable of coming anywhere near being as productive or striking fear in opposing defenses as No. 88.

As CeeDee Lamb goes, so goes the Cowboys 2024 season. Losing him for any length of time would all but doom the Cowboys season. They simply don’t have anyone who can step into his shoes to do what he does. He is going to be the focal point of the entire offense this year in not only their aerial attack, but will likely be a significant factor as an extension of the running game as well.