Weary Wolves don't look like themselves in Game 1 loss to Mavericks (2024)

Even when the 3-pointers were dropping for the Minnesota Timberwolves in Game 1 of their series against the Dallas Mavericks, it may not have been the best thing for a team making its first Western Conference finals appearance in 20 years.

The shots were open. They were good looks. And they were falling early on, including a pair for Anthony Edwards that helped the Wolves jump out to a nine-point lead in the opening quarter. But that early success may have lulled them into a less-aggressive offensive approach, taking away the most dangerous part of their offensive game plan: Edwards going downhill to the basket.

The Wolves ended up attempting 49 3s in the 108-105 loss to the Mavericks on Wednesday, a stark departure from the offensive identity that got them this far. The Wolves never attempted more than 40 3s in the regular season and averaged 32.7, ranking 23rd in the league. They have followed the same pattern in the playoffs; they took 40 in Game 6 against Denver but otherwise have hovered in the low 30s for most of their 11 games leading into the conference finals.

So to see 49 attempts Wednesday night, including 14 in the second quarter, was glaring. It seemed indicative of two things: First, the Timberwolves didn’t quite have their legs underneath them for the third-round opener after an exhausting, emotional, record-setting comeback win over the Denver Nuggets in Game 7 Sunday night.

They also needed to get used to playing a team with legitimate rim protection on the back line after not having any concerns in that area in their first-round sweep of the Phoenix Suns and the semifinal dethroning of the champions in Denver.

“I think we’ve done a great job of adjusting all year, so we just didn’t do enough (Wednesday),” said Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 16 points on 6-of-20 shooting. “We didn’t make shots, they did. It’s frustrating when you feel that you could’ve given yourself a better chance to win.”

Towns, Edwards (6 of 16), Mike Conley (2 of 7) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (1 of 6) combined to shoot 30.6 percent from the field. Edwards went 5 of 12 from deep, but the other three key players went 3 of 21. Edwards settling for 3s — he only took four shots that were not beyond the arc — was uncharacteristic.

The success the team had early in that department may have played a role in the shot selection as the game wore on. The Wolves went 6 of 11 on 3s in the first quarter and 11 of 25 in the first half, riding hot starts from Jaden McDaniels (5 of 6 on 3s) and Edwards (1 of 3 in the first half) and even getting one from non-shooter Kyle Anderson to start building a lead.

Coach Chris Finch had zero qualms with the shot distribution because it was clear the Mavericks were ceding open 3s to make sure they weren’t hammered in the paint by a bigger team.

“I thought most of them were good shots, to be honest,” Finch said. “We were driving, making the right play, kicking out. I thought there were even more 3s to be had.”

The only problem was that it appeared to give the Wolves a reason to keep firing away instead of taking the ball to the basket. Towns made only 2 of 9, Alexander-Walker missed all four of his treys and Conley missed 5 of 6. It was a startling number of misses from a group of players who all have proven to be reliable 3-point shooters in their careers. Edwards is the only one of the four who shot below 39 percent during the regular season.

But too often in Game 1, the Wolves looked to be having a hard time mustering the energy to go to the basket. If they are going to drive against the Mavericks, they have to be decisive and quick to beat the shot blockers to their spots. But they struggled to find driving lanes in Game 1, and they reverted to shooting from outside.

McDaniels made six 3s and scored 24 points to lead the Wolves. Edwards shot only 2 of 7 in the second half as the offense sputtered. They managed just 43 points over the final two quarters. It usually is Minnesota making life miserable for opponents from a scoring standpoint, but the Mavericks have become one of the best defenses in the league since acquiring Washington and Gafford in trades just before the February deadline.

The Wolves and Mavericks played all four of their games against each other before Dallas made their big trades, rendering Minnesota’s 3-1 record largely moot. What the Wolves saw on Wednesday was a completely different animal, an aggressive, swarming team that can get any shot it wants late thanks to Luka Dončić’s patience and Kyrie Irving’s incredible finishing package.

An artist in the paint 🎨 pic.twitter.com/0iBXawIe4f

— Dallas Mavericks (@dallasmavs) May 23, 2024

Dončić had 33 points on 12-of-26 shooting with eight assists and six rebounds. Irving scored 24 of his 30 points in the first half, looking every bit the experienced playoff performer that he is.

Their ability to score at the rim and in the paint was a personal affront to the proud Minnesota defense, but there is no disputing the numbers. Dallas outscored Minnesota 62-38 in the paint, a shocking number for a Wolves team with so much size.

“I got to do a better job on the rebounds,” said Rudy Gobert, who finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and two blocks. “I can’t let these guys just get offensive rebounds. I’ll be better.”

The Mavericks outrebounded the Wolves 48-40, grabbed 11 offensive rebounds and shot 63 percent in the paint. Their activity seemed to bother the Wolves the entire night.

Edwards was tasked with guarding Irving, and he did an admirable job. Irving scored just six points on 1-of-9 shooting in the second half. While he may not have been making shots at the rate he was in the first half, his presence was still valuable.

Every minute Edwards spent guarding Irving was another minute of soaking his weary legs of all of his athleticism. He turned the ball over three times and made only one shot in the paint.

“Y’all can see it, we were a step behind everybody, especially myself,” Edwards said. “Kyrie got a transition layup from when I think we scored, and he just outran me. I was just exhausted. So yeah, for sure … but we’ll be all right.”

Edwards finished with 11 rebounds and eight assists, so he was doing other things to keep the Wolves in it. Naz Reid had 15 points off the bench. Anderson also had a solid game with 11 points on 5-of-8 shooting, but the Wolves let a 102-98 lead with 3 minutes, 15 seconds remaining go when they went scoreless for the next three minutes of game action. They were 0 of 2 with three turnovers in that span, allowing Dončić and the Mavericks to take back control.

A frustrated Finch said his team had “no composure” during that stint.

“It cost us a game in the Denver series. It certainly had an impact on this game, too,” Finch said. “We’ve got to be better in clutch moments.”

That likely means getting more from Conley, who has been playing with a lower leg injury. He didn’t appear to be struggling with movement at all, but his difficulty making shots hampered the Wolves offense. They also need more from Towns, who had a rare inefficient night, and Edwards has to find a way to get to the rim, where he does his best work.

“We would like to get him downhill a little bit more,” Finch said. “We’ll look at the tape and see ways to do that. But I thought there were opportunities to go downhill, particularly in the first half.”

This was just Game 1. The Timberwolves knew they were in for a long series with Dallas, so they just have to figure out how to increase their offensive punch. They were down 3-2 against Denver and trailed by 20 points early in the third quarter of Game 7 before coming back, so they have shown an ability to rally from tough defeats.

It is reasonable to assume that they can get better shooting from Towns, Edwards, Conley and Alexander-Walker, but can they rely on McDaniels to keep shooting the lights out and Anderson to be as efficient as he was?

It also is reasonable to assume that they can shoot better than 11 of 18 at the free-throw line. But can they count on the Mavericks making just 6 of 25 3s again?

This is familiar territory for the Wolves this season. After getting a game under their belts, they should have a better idea about how to attack Dallas on both ends. Game 2 is Friday night at Target Center, so the Wolves don’t have much time to waste.

“No matter what call we made or set we tried to get into, there was not a lot of energy put into it,” Conley said. “And you can’t effectively run anything without having that energy. We have to find that.”

(Photo of Karl Anthony-Towns and P.J. Washington: David Berding / Getty Images)

Jon Krawczynski is a senior writer for The Athletic covering the Minnesota Timberwolves, the NBA and the Minnesota Vikings. Jon joined The Athletic after 16 years at The Associated Press, where he covered three Olympics, three NBA Finals, two Ryder Cups and the 2009 NFC Championship Game. Follow Jon on Twitter @JonKrawczynski