Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 5/22/2024 Preview and Pick

Game: Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Wednesday, May 22, 2024

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: TNT

Odds/Point Spread: Dallas (+4)

Target Center is the location where the Minnesota Timberwolves (56-26) will play the Dallas Mavericks (50-32) on Wednesday in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. Dallas opens this matchup as 4-point underdogs from oddsmakers. The over/under is set at 206.

The Mavericks closed out their series against the Thunder and earned the victory with a final of 117-116 in their last contest. Dallas ended with a 51.2% field goal percentage (42 of 82) and knocked down 16 of their 34 three-point attempts. At the charity stripe, the Mavericks converted 17 of their 24 shots for a percentage of 70.8%. When talking about rebounding, they collected 47 with 14 of them being of the offensive variety. They also distributed 25 assists for the game in addition to forcing the opposition into 8 turnovers and earning 5 steals. In the matter of defense, Dallas let their opponent shoot 47.8% from the floor on 44 out of 92 shooting. Oklahoma City distributed 25 assists and had 10 steals for the game. Additionally, Oklahoma City totaled 31 rebounds (7 offensive, 24 defensive) and added 4 blocks. Oklahoma City finished 76.5% at the charity stripe by knocking down 13 of their 17 attempts. They made 15 of 41 shots from 3-point range. When talking about fouls, the Mavericks walked away with 23 and the Thunder recorded 20 fouls.

Luka Doncic is one player who was important for the matchup. He was able to score 29 points on 9 out of 15 shooting. He was on the court for 45 minutes and also totaled 10 rebounds. Doncic finished the game at 60.0% from the floor and also totaled 10 assists.

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Dallas comes into this one with a win-loss mark of 50-32 this year. They turn it over 12.5 times per contest and as a group they commit 18.3 fouls every game. As a team, Dallas is pulling down 42.9 rebounds per contest and has 2,106 dimes so far this season, which is 19th in basketball in terms of passing the ball. The Mavericks are shooting 36.9% on shots from downtown (1,197 of 3,242) and 75.8% from the free throw line. They currently have an average of 117.9 pts per game (7th in the NBA) while going 48.1% from the field.

On defense, the Mavericks are able to force 13.7 turnovers per game and they draw 20.3 personal fouls. They give up 36.8% from 3-point land and they rank 20th in basketball in points per game allowed (115.6). The Mavericks defensively are giving up a FG percentage of 47.5% (3,522 of 7,413) and they surrender 45.1 rebounds per contest as a basketball team. They currently rank 22nd in the NBA in allowing assists to the opposition with 2,258 conceded so far this year.

In Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals, the Timberwolves walked away with a victory by a final of 98-90 when they faced the Nuggets. The Timberwolves were able to corral 36 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards for a total of 47 in the game. They also turned it over 7 times, while earning 9 steals for the game. The Nuggets earned 23 fouls for the game which got the Timberwolves to the free throw line for a total of 30 tries. They were able to bury 26 of the free throws for a rate of 86.7%. Regarding 3-pointers, Minnesota made 10 of their 34 attempts (29.4%). When the game finished, the Timberwolves finished the game shooting 31 for 79 from the floor which gave them a rate of 39.2%. The Timberwolves allowed the Nuggets to make 34 out of 83 tries from the field which had them shooting 41.0% for this game. They finished 24.2% from beyond the perimeter by shooting 8 out of 33 and ended up going 14 of 16 at the charity stripe (87.5%). With respect to rebounding, Minnesota permitted Denver to grab 44 in all (11 offensive).

Jaden McDaniels pitched in for the Timberwolves in this matchup. He knocked down 7 out of 10 for this game for a field goal percentage of 70.0%, and had 6 rebounds. McDaniels earned 23 points in his 40 minutes of playing time and earned 1 assist in this contest.

Minnesota has a win-loss mark of 56-26 on the year. The Timberwolves are committing 18.8 personal fouls per game and they hit 77.7% from the free throw line. Their rate of earning assists is at 26.6 times per contest (15th in the NBA) and they are giving up possession 14.2 times per contest. Minnesota has scored 9,264 pts for the campaign (113.0 per game) and they snag 43.6 rebounds per game. When it comes to offense, the Timberwolves are connecting on 48.5% from the field, which is ranked 10th in the league.

The Minnesota defense allows 35.4% on three-point shots (937 of 2,645) and opponents are knocking down 78.1% of their shots from the free throw line. They allow 24.5 dimes and 41.4 total rebounds per game, which has them ranked 3rd and 4th in the league. The Timberwolves on the defensive end are ranked 1st in the league in points per game surrendered with 106.5. They have forced 14.2 TO's per game and allow teams to shoot 45.0% from the field (1st in the league).

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Guy Bruhn's Pick: Take Minnesota (-4)

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