The Dallas Mavericks got it done defeating the Oklahoma City Thunder in Game 6 with a one-point victory which was down to the wire. Now, the Mavericks get to open things up in the Western Conference Finals with a road matchup against the No. 2-seeded Minnesota Timberwolves who just took out the reigning and defended MVP Nikola Jokic, and the reigning and defending champions the Denver Nuggets. We take a look at this matchup to make a Mavericks-Timberwolves prediction and pick.

(Photo by C. Morgan Engel/Getty Images)

Dallas Mavericks (58-36)?are in a position to make an appearance in the NBA finals when they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in their second Western Conference Finals in the last three seasons.

Luka Doncic took the Mavericks in the 2021-2022 season to the Western Conference Finals where they were eventually beaten by the Golden State Warriors who then went on to defeat the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals that year. Doncic with now Kyrie Irving by his side will be looking to finally get over that hump and get this Mavericks team to the promised land.

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Doncic and Irving have been sensational this playoffs, Doncic is averaging 27.3 ppg while Irving is averaging 21.1 ppg. However, it's been a team effort getting them to this point in the playoffs.

Players like,

• PJ Washington (who was sensational in the closing minutes of Game 6 against the Thunder)
• Derrick Jones Jr. (who had himself a career game against the Thunder in Game 6)
• Derrick Lively II (who recorded back-t0-back double-doubles to close out the Thunder series)
• Daniel Gafford
• Tim Hardaway Jr.

were all godsends for this Mavericks team.

They have a tough matchup ahead of them against this Minnesota Timberwolves defense that has stifled each team they went up against this playoffs including the defending champions the Denver Nuggets.

The Timberwolves have a presence down low that is going to be hard to compete with but having players like Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic who can drive into the paint and draw double-teams will open up the perimeter shooting from PJ Washington, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Derrick Jones Jr.

Also, the Mavericks have been playing the best defense they have played all season during this playoffs run and that will be key going Anthony Edwards who's looking like the bonafide MVP himself on his torrid run during the playoffs.

If the Mavericks can play at the elite level that we know they are capable of they have a legitimate shot at stealing Game 1 in Minnesota putting the pressure on the Timberwolves in Game 2.

Minnesota Timberwolves (64-29)?did the unthinkable downing the reigning and defending NBA champions the Denver Nuggets after trailing by 20 points in the 3rd quarter.

The Timberwolves' defense anchored down on the Nuggets forcing turnovers which led to fast break points. While the Timberwolves weren't efficient from the court, they made up for it with their defensive tenacity to keep them in the game to the very end.

It was the surprising duo of Jaden McDaniels and Karl-Anthony Towns who ultimately got it done for the Timberwolves by putting the team on their backs and combining for 46 of the Timberwolves 98 points.

Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards finished with just 16 points on the night as the Nuggets held him in check for the majority of the game and Rudy Gobert chipped in with 13 points of his own who was just 3-7 from the floor.

Heading into Game 1 at home against the Dallas Mavericks, the Timberwolves are certainly going to need more help from both Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert if they want to come away with a win at home where they have struggled mightily throughout their last series against the Denver Nuggets.

The Timberwolves will certainly have the upper hand in the paint with the like of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns down low and Anthony Edwards driving to the paint. This is ultimately where the Timberwolves should have easy buckets against the undersized Dallas Mavericks.

Even with the additions of Gifford and Washington, they along with Lively II are no matchup for Gobert, Towns, or Edwards in the paint.

However, the Timberwolves will need to play stout defense on the perimeter as that is where the Mavericks must be the most efficient if they want to have success in Game 1.

The Timberwolves held the Nuggets to just 24% (8-33) from 3-point range and that is something they must replicate if they want to come away with the victory in Game 1. If the trio of Edwards, Towns, and Gobert go off as intended and play their usual lockdown defense they could potentially run away with Game 1 and put the pressure on the Mavericks in Game 2.

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DALLAS MAVERICKS VS. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES FANDUEL ODDS FOR MAY 22ND

MONEY LINE

• DALLAS MAVERICKS: +162
• MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: -194

SPREAD

• DALLAS MAVERICKS: +4.5 (-110)
• MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES: -4.5 (-110)

OVER/UNDER (TOTAL)

• OVER 206.5 (-110)
• UNDER 206.5 (-110)

BEST ODDS FOR DALLAS MAVERICKS VS. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES

• The Minnesota Timberwolves are -4.5-point favorites against the Oklahoma City Thunder. DraftKings currently has the best odds at -4.5 (-108)

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• The Dallas Mavericks are the underdogs by 4.5 points to cover the spread. FanDuel currently has the best odds at +4.5 (-110)
• FanDuel currently has the best odds for the total, which is set at 206.5 (-110) for the over, and (-110) for the under

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DALLAS MAVERICKS VS. MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES INJURY REPORT

DALLAS MAVERICKS INJURY REPORT

• OLIVIER MAXENCE PROSPER - OUT - ANKLE
• MAXI KLEBER - OUT - SHOULDER
• GREG BROWN III - OUT - PERSONAL

MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES INJURY REPORT INJURY REPORT

• MIKE CONLEY - QUES WED - ACHILLES
• JAYLEN CLARK - OUT - ACHILLES

FINAL MAVERICKS-TIMBERWOLVES PICK & PREDICTION

The Dallas Mavericks come into this road matchup Game 1 with a ton of momentum after a nail-biting victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder.

However, it's the Minnesota Timberwolves who are riding the biggest momentum after coming back from a 20-point deficit in the third quarter to take down the reigning champions and send them packing in Game 7.

This is going to be a fantastic series between two of the youngest and brightest stars in the NBA Luke Doncic and Anthony Edwards.

Ultimately, in Mavericks fashion they will drop Game 1 as they did against both the Clippers and Thunder on the road, expect the trend to stay true here as Edwards comes out firing on all cylinders and this Timberwolves team locks down Doncic, Irving, and company to take Game 1 while covering the spread.

FINAL THUNDER-MAVERICKS PICK & PREDICTION: MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES -4.5 (-110)

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