- Dallas Mavericks. Dereck Lively dedicates Mavericks' victory over Thunder to his recently deceased mother with heartfelt message
- Minnesota Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards' response to Charles Barkley after Denver win goes viral: Bring ya ass
The Western Conference Finals may not feature the favorite teams to make it to this round, but fans are in for a heck of a showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
The series will feature a head-to-head showdown between quality defenses and most notably, a direct battle between two of the NBA's biggest stars: Anthony Edwards vs Luka Doncic.
While Doncic is a proven scoring machine, Edwards has taken the league by storm during the playoffs.
Doncic and Edwards have faced eachother a total of 10 times in regular season games with a tie record of 5 wins each.
The last time these two squads met in the playoffs was in the opening round of the 2002 postseason.
Dallas ended up winning the series with a 3-0 record, however, they went on to lose in the next round to the Sacramento Kings.
If you want to catch the first game of the Western Conference Finals you can do so live on TNT and True TV.
When is Game 1 between the Mavs & the Timberwolves?
The first game of the Western Conference Finals will take place on Wednesday, May 22.
Where is Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals taking place?
The first team to host a game in the NBA semifinals will be the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Target Center is expected to hold another sellout game with 20,000 fans cheering on the 'wolves.
What is the tipoff time of the Mavericks vs Timberwolves Game 1?
The game is slated for an 8:30 pm ET tipoff time.
Statistical Preview
As the game progresses, the box score will offer a detailed breakdown of each player's performance. Here's a projection based on recent form and past performances:
Dallas Mavericks:
- Luka Doni: 32 points, 10 rebounds, 8 assists
- Kyrie Irving: 25 points, 7 assists, 4 rebounds
- Christian Wood: 18 points, 11 rebounds
- Tim Hardaway Jr.: 15 points, 3 rebounds
- Maxi Kleber: 10 points, 7 rebounds
Minnesota Timberwolves:
- Karl-Anthony Towns: 28 points, 12 rebounds, 4 assists
- Anthony Edwards: 30 points, 5 rebounds, 4 assists
- Rudy Gobert: 14 points, 15 rebounds, 3 blocks
- Mike Conley: 12 points, 8 assists
- Jaden McDaniels: 10 points, 6 rebounds
Full schedule for the Western Conference Finals:
- Game 1: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Wednesday, May 22 (8:30 ET, TNT)
- Game 2: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Friday, May 24 (8:30 ET, TNT)
- Game 3: Timberwolves vs. Mavericks, Sunday, May 26 (8:00 ET, TNT)
- Game 4: Timberwolves vs. Mavericks, Tuesday, May 28 (8:30 ET, TNT)
- Game 5: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Thursday, May 30 (8:30 ET, TNT)
- Game 6: Timberwolves vs. Mavericks, Saturday, June 1 (8:30 ET, TNT)
- Game 7: Mavericks vs. Timberwolves, Monday, June 3 (8:30 ET, TNT)