The Dallas Mavericks dropped Game 4 against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night at home, their chance to close out a series at the American Airlines Center for the third straight round, in a sweep that would have sent them to the NBA Finals. It was another close one in the final minutes, but where the first three games saw the Timberwolves making mistakes or missing shots late it was the Mavericks’ turn to disappear. For most of this series Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, and the rest of the team have shown a steely calm through the intensity, a sureness that allowed them to thrive and execute. But that calm veered into relaxation on Tuesday.
“What stands out is our competitive spirit, especially throughout the game,” Irving said postgame, in which he had just four assists to go with four turnovers, while shooting 6-of-18 from the floor. “How I started off in particular [in] the game, with a few turnovers, and you know, if I’m setting the example like that, other guys are going to follow suit unfortunately at times. It just leads to that lackadaisical play. That’s on me, [I’m] taking the accountability. I have to start off the game a lot better and just get a shot up at the rim instead of turning the ball over.”
And Irving is right. The Mavericks were not the aggressors. That came from the other side, Anthony Edwards in particular. Before the game the Timberwolves’ star said he told head coach Chris Finch that he wanted the Luka defensive assignment. Doncic didn’t seem initially bothered by the adjustment, but he still went just 3-of-8 from the floor in the first quarter — Irving was 1-of-5 in the frame. The rest of the Timberwolves followed Ant’s lead, looking to muck the game up early, get underneath Dallas’ skin and force them to respond.
The Mavericks were also adjusting to life without their rookie center Dereck Lively II, who has been an anchor for them on both ends of the floor but exited Game 3 after a nasty hit to the back of the head that has left him with a neck sprain. The team also saw the return of Maxi Kleber, who hadn’t played since the first round and was easing back into action after injury. That meant greater responsibility for starting center Daniel Gafford.
“I know for a fact that I didn’t come out ready to play at all. My energy was low, and I just had to dig deep and pull some type of energy out to be ready to come out and play basketball at the end of the day,” Gafford admitted Tuesday night. “Those guys aren’t gonna go down easy. They came out tonight and they hit us in the mouth and we had to adjust to it.”
For his part Gafford did post 12 points, eight rebounds, and three blocks. But 10 of those points came in the second half, most early in the third quarter in quick succession. While Gafford’s candidness and accountability is refreshing, that admission is a little alarming. The team had a chance to close the door for good at home and set their sights on a new opponent and an NBA title, but now they’ll need to rediscover that energy in Minneapolis on Thursday.The Mavericks were cold shooting the ball, hitting just 42-percent from the floor as a team, their lowest mark in the series by a full seven percent. Even as Minnesota tried a variety of coverages to disrupt Dallas’ flow the Mavericks were able to generate looks that simply weren’t going in. And that lack of rhythm permeated elsewhere. Coach Jason Kidd tried a few different wrinkles defensively, and in that the Mavericks were not as aggressive in closing out on shooters or lost their man entirely. Karl-Anthony Towns did a full 180 in Game 4, with an efficient 25 points while going 4-of-5 from deep including two threes late in a tight game. And as Irving mentioned after, the failing focus and intensity led to careless lost possessions. Doncic and Irving combined for seven of the team’s 13 turnovers.
