The Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks will meet in the 2024 Western Conference Finals after emerging from close second-round series in the 2024 NBA Playoffs. The Timberwolves took down the defending champions Nuggets with a comeback victory in Game 7 on the road, while the Mavericks edged out the upstart Thunder in six games. The Timberwolves have reached the conference finals for the first time since 2004, while the Mavericks are back after a one-season absence after making the stage in 2022.
Here’s a look at how the teams match up against one another along with our prediction for the series. All odds are courtesy of DraftKings Sportsbook.
Timberwolves vs. Mavericks predictions
Odds to win series: Timberwolves -170, Mavericks +145
Regular season record: Timberwolves 56-26, Mavericks 50-32
Head-to-head record: Timberwolves 3-1
It’s hard to take much from the regular season games between these two teams because the matchups happened in December and January before the Mavericks went on their run. Dallas is a much better squad defensively and has peaked at the right time, while Minnesota’s depth finally won out against a Denver team that seemed to shut things off after gaining a big lead in the first half of Game 7.
It’ll be fun to see the matchup between Anthony Edwards and Luka Doncic, who have emerged as the league’s next superstars. However, the production of secondary stars Karl-Anthony Towns and Kyrie Irving might ultimately make the difference in this series.
Pick: Timberwolves in 6 games (+500)
Minnesota won three road games against the defending champions, while the Mavericks took two road games off the Thunder and Clippers each in these playoffs. In short, it’s hard to say homecourt advantage is going to mean anything in this series.
Both Edwards and Doncic appear to be on a mission. One is trying to establish himself as the next face of the league, while the the other is hoping to get to the Finals after becoming a regular MVP contender over his six seasons. The playoffs are where true legends are made, and these two seem to understand it.
The Timberwolves have more depth than the Mavericks, and they are more balanced offensively. Minnesota’s perimeter shooters are much more efficient, even if Dallas seems to have caught some fire over the last series. Both sides have been stellar defensively, with the Mavericks coming on late on that side of the court. I don’t believe we’ll see many blowouts in this series so it should be entertaining. I’ll take the Timberwolves to close this out on the road and get to the NBA Finals for the first time in franchise history.