NBA

Due to a strained soleus muscle, Conley is playing at less than full strength. However, give the veteran point guard credit for pushing through the injury, as he had another efficient performance in Game 3. The issue is that the Timberwolves don’t have a good matchup for Conley on the defensive end of the floor. The calf injury keeps him from being effective in guarding Luka Doncic or Kyrie Irving, and forwards Derrick Jones Jr. and PJ Washington are too big. Nickeil Alexander-Walker (3/2/3 with one 3-pointer in 20 minutes) and Kyle Anderson (10 points, three assists, and two blocks in 17 minutes) may have to do a little more in Game 4 on Tuesday, but it won’t matter if the Timberwolves don’t get better play from Karl-Anthony Towns.

Towns is mired in a brutal slump at the worst possible time. With Mavericks legend Dirk Nowitzki in attendance, the self-proclaimed “best shooting big man of all time” missed all eight of his 3-point attempts in Game 3. And Towns is just 4-of-32 from beyond the arc over his last five games. Even with Jaden McDaniels (15/1/0/1 with three 3-pointers) and Mike Conley shooting the ball well, Minnesota’s two stars (KAT and Anthony Edwards) have been thoroughly outplayed by Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. As a result, Minnesota heads into Game 4 on Tuesday needing a win to keep its season alive.

Edwards gave Minnesota a much-needed spark during the third quarter, shooting 5-of-10 from the field and scoring ten points. However, he went quiet in the fourth, only attempting three shots (making two) and appearing tired on both ends of the floor. With Karl-Anthony Towns struggling, Edwards shouldered an even heavier workload than usual. With Dallas having Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to call on, that’s a losing proposition for Minnesota. The Timberwolves will look to extend the series with a win on Tuesday night.

Washington hasn’t been as prolific offensively as he was in the first four games of the Western Conference Semifinals, but he has remained a critical supplementary option. After missing all four of his 3-point attempts in Game 2, the former Hornet hit two in Game 3, including a crucial corner three with 3:38 remaining that gave Dallas the lead for good. Both of Dallas’ trade deadline additions have been huge for them, turning the team into a genuine title contender. Daniel Gafford added five points, three rebounds, one assist, and three blocks in 29 minutes. Dallas will look to close out Minnesota on Tuesday.

Dallas has the proven “closers” in this series, while Minnesota doesn’t. Irving scored 14 of his 33 points in the fourth quarter, combining with Luka Doncic to lead the Mavericks to a 3-0 series lead. Teams that have won the first three games of a best-of-7 series are 154-0 all-time, so it may be a matter of “when” the Mavericks reach the finals for the first time since 2011 instead of “if.” Also, Irving is 14-0 in his NBA postseason career in close-out games.

Even with Doncic playing through ankle and knee injuries, the Timberwolves do not have an answer for him defensively. The All-NBA guard shot 50% from the field in Game 3, helping to lead the Mavericks on a 13-3 run in “closing time.” The tandem of Doncic and Kyrie Irving gives Dallas arguably the two best closers in the league, while Minnesota has no such option to rely on. The Mavericks will look to end the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, and doing so would give Doncic (and Dereck Lively II) some much-needed time off before the NBA Finals.

Lively has been out since the second quarter when he took an inadvertent Karl-Anthony Towns knee to the back of the head. The rookie center was initially considered questionable to return, but he has since been downgraded to out. Dwight Powell played a few rotation minutes with Lively sidelined, but starter Daniel Gafford has absorbed most of the available minutes.

Lively was injured during the second quarter when he took an inadvertent Karl-Anthony Towns knee to the back of his head. The rookie, who remained down on the court for several minutes, required assistance during his walk to the locker room. The “positive” news is that Lively’s issue is a sprained neck instead of the NBA’s concussion protocols. Daniel Gafford will play more minutes in the second half but is not as good of a playmaker out of the short roll as Lively.

As expected, Conley will be available for Sunday’s game. He will assume his usual responsibilities as the Timberwolves’ starting point guard. Should Conley have any issues with his injured calf, Nickeil Alexander-Walker will play additional minutes off the bench.

While Doncic remained on the injury report due to two injuries, the knee cast some doubt on his status for Game 3. The All-NBA guard went through his pregame routine without significant issues, so he will play on Sunday night. Jaden Hardy has moved into the rotation for this series and could pick up a few more minutes if Doncic struggles.