Mavericks favored to win series against Timberwolves after Game 1 win

Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks started their Western Conference Finals matchup with a bang. The Mavericks beat Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves 108-105 in Game 1 of what looks to be an intense series. The Mavs’ victory has landed them some intriguing betting odds to win the entire matchup.

With odds of -164, the Mavericks are favored to win their heated series against the Timberwolves, who have +138 odds to win, per FanDuel.

Naturally, fans and analysts questioned how Dallas would perform against Minnesota’s juggernaut two-way attack. However, the Mavs made a statement in Thursday’s night’s win. After trailing at multiple points, Luka Doncic helped his team regain momentum.

Doncic finished the game with a team-high 33 points to go with eight assists. Doncic’s partner-in-crime, Kyrie Irving, also had a standout performance. The shifty guard amassed 30 points, five rebounds, and four assists. Doncic was grateful for Irving’s early scoring outburst and cited it as the reason Dallas was able to stay in the game.

“We probably would be down 20 (at halftime) if he hadn’t scored that many points,” Doncic said of Irving via NBA on X. “I appreciate him keeping us in the game.”

Furthermore, ClutchPoints’ Mavericks beat reporter Joey Mistretta took note of a key adjustment the Doncic-Irving duo made to counter Minnesota. Doncic joked that he and Irving switched roles when speaking to TNT. Doncic allowed Irving to take the reigns in the first half, while he closed things out down the stretch.

Regardless of who takes over, the Mavericks need Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving to continue their offensive dominance. Dallas had an impressive night, but Anthony Edwards and the Timberwolves will not go down easy.

Timberwolves look to fight back against Mavericks in Game 2

Minnesota is coming off a thrilling seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets. Anthony Edwards and company sent the Nuggets home with a 98-90 win in the final game. The scary part was Edwards was not the leading scorer in the close victory. He amassed just 16 points. Nevertheless, Edwards improved during Game 1 of the Mavericks series with a stat line of 19 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists.

Jaden McDaniels led Minnesota with 24 points, four rebounds, and three assists. The 23-year-old is growing into one of the best two-way players in the league. The Mavericks will need to keep tabs on him if they want to continue their momentum. Yet, McDaniels is not the only one Dallas needs to worry about.

Reigning Defensive Player of the Rudy Gobert will be sure to return strong in Game 2. Gobert totaled 12 points, seven rebounds, and two blocks on Wednesday night. If he deters the Mavericks from entering the paint, the T-Wolves will have a chance to further stand their ground.

Moreover, Karl-Anthony Towns is one of Minnesota’s X factors. He scored 16 points in Game 1 but is an offensive weapon ready to explode. Dallas’ bigs will have to be sure to closely monitor the star center to prevent him from getting hot.

It will be interesting to see how the rest of this exciting Western Conference finale plays out. Can Dallas capitalize on their odds and win the series?