Vincent Frank
The NBA Playoffs continued on Tuesday with Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals between the Minnesota Timberwolves and Dallas Mavericks.
Dallas held a 3-0 series lead heading into its home matchup against Minnesota. The hope for Luka Doncic and Co. was that they could close out this series and set up an NBA Finals matchup with the Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics.
That did not come to fruition. Instead, Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards came up huge down the stretch. Minnesota forced Game 5 with a 105-100 victory. Here are 10 winners and losers from Tuesday’s action in the NBA Playoffs.
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Winner: Daniel Gafford, Dallas Mavericks
Gafford entered Game 4 having recorded eight blocks in the previous two games. He had done well going up against the likes of Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. That was once again the case on Tuesday with the veteran recording four big blocks. Gafford added 12 points and eight rebounds while hitting on all six of his attempts from the field. He’s been a godsend for the Mavericks. That’s for sure.
Loser: Naz Reid, Minnesota Timberwolves
Reid is yet another player who has played a huge role thus far in the NBA Playoffs. Unfortunately, that was not the case for Minnesota on Tuesday. The reigning NBA Sixth Man of the Year connected on just 3-of-6 from the field, scoring six points in the process. Minnesota was also minus-10 in his 20 minutes of action.
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Winner: Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves
Big three after big three. KAT came up absolutely huge in the fourth quarter Tuesday night as Minnesota extended its run in the NBA Playoffs. That included hitting consecutive treys roughly midway through the fourth quarter as Minnesota opened up a five-point lead. Towns was awesome from the field, hitting on nine of his 13 shots. He also connected on 4-of-5 from distance. After being on the receiving end of a ton of criticism over the past few days, KAT stepped up when it counted the most.
Loser: P.J. Washington, Dallas Mavericks
After showing out earlier in the NBA Playoffs, Washington just has not had the stroke in recent outings. He entered Tuesday night’s game having shot 4-of-18 from distance over the past three contests. The struggles continued with the forward hitting on just 3-of-13 from the field. That included missing on 7-of-9 from three-point range. Washington’s struggles played a major role in this series extending to at least five.
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Winner: Rudy Gobert, Minnesota Timberwolves
Much to the chagrin of his skeptics, Gobert came to play with Minnesota’s season on the line in Big D Tuesday night. The four-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year winner hit on 4-of-5 from the field, scoring 13 big points. He was also able to play through foul trouble, recording 10 rebounds in the process. A series that has seen Dallas dominate in the low-post continued Tuesday with Gobert joining Towns in performing at an incredibly high level for the Wolves.
Loser: Kyrie Irving, Dallas Mavericks
Fresh off scoring 33 points in a big Game 3 win, Irving just did not have it Tuesday night. The NBA champion hit on a mere 6-of-18 from the field for 16 points. He also turned the ball over four times while dishing out a mere four assists. Like we’ve said throughout the NBA Playoffs, Dallas needs Irving to act the part of a No. 2-scoring option behind Luka Doncic. He did not provide that as the Mavericks failed to close out the Western Conference Finals.
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Winner: Anthony Edwards, Minnesota Timberwolves
Edwards still isn’t shooting the ball at the best of clips. But his overall game continues to flash in the NBA Playoffs. That was the case Tuesday night as Edwards dropped 29 points with 10 rebounds and nine assists in a brilliant all-around performance. He also came up clutch down the stretch as the Wolves overcame a fourth quarter deficit. That included a dagger shot late in the final stanza to pretty much put this one away.
Loser: Luka Doncic, Dallas Mavericks
Doncic did put up a triple-double with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists in Game 4. Unfortunately, his shot just wasn’t there. The guard it on a mere 7-of-21 from the field, including 4-of-11 from three-point range. Dallas also finished minus-13 in his 41 minutes of action. Doncic will simply have to shoot better if the Mavs are going to close this out Thursday night in Minneapolis.
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Winner: Mike Conley, Minnesota Timberwolves
There is something to be said about veteran experience at the point guard position. From pretty much out of the gate, Conley provided that as Minnesota was able to overcome a hostile environment in Big D. The veteran shot a solid 5-of-9 from the field in putting up 14 points. He added seven assists and four steals without turning the ball over. That a tremendous performance from the savvy vet.
Loser: Maxi Kleber, Dallas Mavericks
Making his return to action for the first time since the initial round of the NBA Playoffs, Kleber looked a bit rusty on Tuesday. It was not great timing for that with star Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively sidelined to injury. Kleber shot just 1-of-3 from the field, adding two points in 13 minutes of action. He simply did not provide what we needed behind Daniel Gafford in the low-post as Dallas failed to close out Minnesota.
