Timberwolves vs. Mavericks: What to know about in the NBA Western Conference finals

The Timberwolves are into the Western Conference finals for the first time in 20 years. Here’s the schedule and what to know about the Wolves and Mavs head-to-head matchup.

The Minnesota Star Tribune
May 20, 2024 at 5:32PM
Minnesota Timberwolves fans celebrate at the end of Game 7 of the NBA Western Conference semifinals at Ball Arena in Denver on May 19. (Carlos Gonzalez/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Timberwolves are into the Western Conference finals for the second time in franchise history after their 98-90 win over the Nuggets on Sunday night in Denver.

They’ll have homecourt advantage in the best-of-seven series with the fifth-seeded Dallas Mavericks. All games will be televised on TNT; KFAN (100.3 FM) has the radio broadcast that will also be streamed via the iHeartRadio app.

Schedule

Game 1: Wednesday, May 22 at Target Center, 7:30 p.m.

Game 2: Friday, May 24 at Target Center, 7:30 p.m.

Game 3: Sunday, May 26 at Dallas, 7 p.m.

Game 4: Tuesday, May 28 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

If necessary

Game 5: Thursday, May 30 at Target Center, 7:30 p.m.

Game 6: Saturday, June 1 at Dallas, 7:30 p.m.

Game 7: Monday, June 3 at Target Center, 7:30 p.m.

Computer image for Timberwolves tickets.
Fans who went to buy tickets for Game 1 of the playoffs shortly after noon were greeted by this image.

Tickets

Tickets for Games 1, 2 and 5 of the series went on sale at noon and were purchased within 30 minutes.

Tickets are available on resale markets here: Ticketmaster | Ticket King | Seat Geek | StubHub

About the Mavericks

During the regular season, Dallas’ Luka Doncic was the NBA’s leading scorer at 33.9 points per game. He has been a Swiss army knife in the playoffs, leading the Mavericks in scoring (27.3), assists (9.1) and rebounds (9.7).

The Mavericks also have veteran point guard and former NBA champion Kyrie Irving, who is averaging 21.1 points in the playoffs.

They were 50-32 and finished fifth in the Western Conference, but have upset the No. 4 Los Angeles Clippers and No. 1 Oklahoma City Thunder in the playoffs.

Season series

The Timberwolves won the season series with Dallas 3-1 and dominated all three wins. The Mavs’ one win came when the Wolves fumbled a late lead. The two teams haven’t faced each other since Jan. 31.

NBA Finals

The Wolves-Mavericks winner will advance to the NBA Finals. They’ll face the Eastern Conference champion, which will be either Boston or Indiana. The Celtics-Pacers series starts Tuesday.

The team with the best regular-season record gets home-court advantage in the NBA Finals. Boston had the best record, so if the Celtics advance they’ll be at home in Game 1 of the NBA Finals. The Pacers had the fewest regular-season wins of the four remaining teams, meaning the Pacers would travel to either Dallas or Minnesota for the first game of the finals.

The NBA Finals start Thursday, June 6.

about the writer

about the writer

Jeff Day

Reporter

Jeff Day is a Hennepin County courts reporter. He previously worked as a sports reporter and editor.

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