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.

Verno and KOC discuss the absolute stomping of the Pacers by the Celtics as Boston takes a 2-0 series lead (01:00). They debate whether the Pacers stand any chance of coming back without Tyrese Haliburton, who left Game 2 with an injury, and discuss Jaylen Brown’s performance after he was snubbed for an All-NBA team. Moving on, they discuss how the Mavs defense was able to restrain Anthony Edwards to take Game 1 (23:48). They discuss the Timberwolves’ defensive strategies and whether Chris Finch needs to make some adjustments, as well as Rudy Gobert’s overall impact. Also, the guys share their reaction to the All-NBA teams, J. B. Bickerstaff’s firing, and whether Trajan Langdon can bring some much-needed stability to the Pistons’ front office (48:26).

Got a question for Verno and KOC? Send them an email at nbamailbag@gmail.com!

Or you can send the guys a tweet @ChrisVernonShow and @KevinOConnorNBA!

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Hosts: Chris Vernon and Kevin O’Connor
Producer: Jessie Lopez
Social: Keith Fujimoto

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