Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic. Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports

Minnesota's physical defense actually benefits Luka Doncic

By Sai Mohan | Last updated 5/23/24

"Luka Doncic can't be sped up like Nuggets players, he loves physicality," Tim Legler said on the ESPN airwaves earlier this week while previewing the Western Conference Finals series.

Legler's words rang true during Wednesday's Game 1 as Doncic literally used Minnesota's physicality for his own benefit. Below is an example of the Slovenian intentionally making contact with Jaden McDaniels' hips to get separation from his defender to get to his spot on the floor.

Timberwolves drop coverage in the PnR, and Luka Doncic using his frame to shield off McDaniels with his hip:

This is going to be a recurring theme in this series, Jaden (as great as he is defensively) is going to struggle with Luka's frame and physicality.

Here's Luka just… pic.twitter.com/cHRxLeOYWw
— Jerico (@kyriemavs) May 23, 2024

In this instance, Doncic leaned into Anthony Edwards — a move reminiscent of prime James Harden — before getting a shot off in the post.

Luka Doncic muscles his way into the and-1 finish

2Q of Game 1 of the West Finals is UNDERWAY on TNT pic.twitter.com/cSHVp3AutS
— NBA (@NBA) May 23, 2024

If the trend continues, the Timberwolves could have their work cut out in trying to stop Doncic. They could resort to blitzing Doncic on every possession — a strategy both the Clippers and Thunder tried — but the issue there is the Mavs star's ability to make passes out of crowded situations.

On "Hoops Tonight" after Wednesday's game, analyst Jason Timpf broke down the various challenges Dallas' offense presents to Minnesota compared to Denver's.

"The difference is Jamal Murray is not very big, so Jaden McDaniels and Anthony Edwards could trap Murray on his backside, and Jamal would [get funneled] into their rim protection," Timpf explained. "But Luka? He loves working with a player trapped on his backside because he's just a lot bigger than Murray and bigger than McDaniels and Edwards."

The Timberwolves will try to level up the series during Friday's Game 2. The series will shift to Dallas for Game 3 on Sunday.

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