The Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Dallas Mavericks in a game two showdown on Friday night, from the Target Center. The Timberwolves were stunned in the opener, as Dallas put forth a rally late to come away with the win. Minnesota dominated the regular season series but considering what Dallas has been able to put together over the last few months, it’s not exactly a shock that they came away with the win. With the series about to shift back to Dallas, it’ll be interesting to see how game two progresses and what fans can expect. Regardless, this is certainly one that sports fans will want to tune in for.

Mavericks Riding Road Momentum
There’s no doubt that the Mavericks have been one of the best teams in the NBA over the last few months and they’ve continued to ride that confidence and momentum into this series. The first two series saw them overcome being the lower seed twice, while a win in game one already have them primed to overcome that again. In the season, they certainly have found success on the road but haven’t been elite, leaving some doubt as to whether they can replicate that performance in game two. With the series ready to shift to Texas, there’s no doubt that a win would be massive towards Dallas finding their way towards the NBA Finals.

Dallas battles a trio of injuries as they head into game two. Without Luka Doncic on the injury report, the Mavericks will be happy to celebrate that news, though he has played regardless of injury designation. Of the three ruled out, Maxi Kleber is the most notable, leaving Dallas without an experienced frontcourt presence.

In game one, it was the frontcourt battle that proved to be the difference for the Mavericks. They outscored the Timberwolves 62-38 in the paint and their ability to also find penetration from their guards, was massive. Doncic started slow but had another 30+ point night, while Kyrie Irving picked the slack early. Those two have formed into a lethal backcourt duo and there remains little doubt that they have the ability to lean on experience and dominate in this one. The three point shooting was off but after still finding the win, they’ll be happy to have faced a massive negative and still grabbed the win. Against Oklahoma City, their success started on the defensive end though, as they lean heavily on that side of the ball again on Friday night.

Timberwolves In Need of Home Mojo
The Timberwolves have leaned heavily on their home court advantage for most of this season but the moment hasn’t been bigger for that than in this one. Minnesota risks going down 0-2, while also going on the road, if they’re unable to grab a win on Friday night. A win would do wonders for momentum and confidence in this series, though a loss could be too much for them to overcome. The good news is that this group has had their back against the wall a few times but continues to find success, which is a trait they’ll need on Friday. A win really puts their backs against the wall but a win shifts this whole series back into their direction.
The Timberwolves have a pair of injuries to worry about as they head into the weekend. Michael Conley Jr. is the most notable name, as the experienced point guard Carrie’s a questionable designation. He played 31 minutes in game one but wasn’t overly effective or impactful. Regardless, his experience would be a nice addition to this one.

Minnesota shot terribly in game one and even a slightly improved three-point outting is likely to change the way this series looks. Anthony Edwards also struggled, which is never a good side of this team, while the frontcourt was demolished too. Too much went wrong for this group as compared to the norms of the season, yet they still only lost by three points. Being at home, there’s little doubt that they’ll be leaning heavily on a return to their standard at home to set the tone in game two.