Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction and Preview - May 30 | Game 5, 2024 NBA Playoffs

The Minnesota Timberwolves will try to stay alive for another day when they welcome the Dallas Mavericks at the Target Center for Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The Timberwolves forced a Game 5 after staving off elimination by beating the Mavericks in Game 4 on Tuesday 105-100.

Anthony Edwards led the way for the Timberwolves with 29 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists. But it was Karl-Anthony Towns' hot shooting from beyond the arc in the fourth quarter that gave Minnesota momentum to beat Dallas for the first time in the series.

Luka Doncic dropped a triple-double for the Mavs, but it was not enough to get the sweep and an NBA Finals berth. Kyrie Irving struggled to shoot the basketball and finally lost his very first closeout game ever.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves preview, prediction, odds and betting tips

The Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves game is on Thursday at the Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It starts at 8:30 p.m. EST and will be nationally televised on TNT and TruTV.

Moneyline: Mavericks (+175) vs Timberwolves (-190)

Spread: Mavericks +4.5 (-110) vs Timberwolves -4.5 (-110)

Total (O/U): Mavericks o209.5 (-105) vs Timberwolves u209.5 (-110)

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Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves preview

The Dallas Mavericks have not completely dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves despite the 3-1 series lead. The Mavericks have been much better at executing their plays surrounding Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Their defense has also been superb against Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards.

However, Towns getting hot from three is a great sign for Minnesota if they want to force a Game 6. Edwards also needs to clean up his turnovers and start taking over when needed. He did it in the clutch in Game 5, but there's room for improvement.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves starting lineups, subs and rotation

The Dallas Mavericks have three players on their injury report – Luka Doncic, Dereck Lively II and Olivier-Maxence Prosper. Doncic is expected to suit up, while Lively is a game-time decision and Prosper is listed as out.

Here's how Jason Kidd could line up for Game 5:

PG: Luka Doncic | SG: Kyrie Irving | SF: Derrick Jones Jr. | PF: P.J. Washington | C: Daniel Gafford

Kidd uses an eight-man rotation that also features Josh Green, Maxi Kleber and Jaden Hardy. Dereck Lively II will likely replace Kleber if he gets cleared, while Dante Exum could get minutes if needed.

The Minnesota Timberwolves have only one player on their injury report, Mike Conley, who is expected to suit up. Chris Finch is expected to use his usual starting five of:

PG: Mike Conley | SG: Anthony Edwards | SF: Jaden McDaniels | PF: Karl-Anthony Towns | C: Rudy Gobert

Finch's rotation is limited to eight players that also include Kyle Anderson, Naz Reid and Nickeil Alexander-Walker.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves betting tips

Bet on Luka Doncic to beat the odds and go over 30.5 points in Game 5. The same can be said for Kyrie Irving, who has an over/under of 22.5 points. Place your money on Irving to bounce back and score at least 23 points.

Meanwhile, Anthony Edwards is favored to go under 28.5 points. It's not a bad bet to take, but go all in, and bet on him to go over since it's a win-or-go-home game. Karl-Anthony Towns has an over/under of 19.5 points. Bet on KAT to have some momentum on his side and score over 19.5 points.

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Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves prediction

The Minnesota Timberwolves are slightly favored to beat the Dallas Mavericks in Game 5 of the Western Conference finals. The Timberwolves have some momentum and homecourt advantage to force a Game 6 in Dallas.

Oddsmakers predict a win for the Timberwolves and the Mavericks to cover the spread. The total is expected to go over 209.5 points.