Mavs expect to receive Timberwolves’ best punch in Game 2

MINNEAPOLIS – After the Dallas Mavericks went into the Minnesota Timberwolves’ backyard and immediately captured Game 1 of this best-of-seven Western Conference Finals playoff series, 108-105, on Wednesday, Mavs center Daniel Gafford already knows what to anticipate in Game 2 on Friday.

“We know we’re going to get their best game in Game 2,” Gafford said before Thursday’s practice. “I’m pretty sure for a fact that they felt they should have won Game 1.

“But we stuck with it, so we’re going to get their best punch in Game 2. They’re going to come out live and they’re going to come out a lot more physical, and we just have to be ready for that and be prepared to take that first blow.”

The Timberwolves landed the first blow in Game 1 when they scored 62 points in the first half. But the Mavs turned their defense up a notch in the second half when they limited them to just 43 points.

Gafford credits the Mavs’ overall effort on the defensive end for slamming the door on Minnesota in the second half.

“Our defense fuels our offense,” he said. “There were a lot of shots that weren’t falling for us, so in order for us to be able to kind of get in our groove, we’ve got to get stops down the stretch. That was kind of one thing that we had focused on going into halftime.

“We had to make sure we kept rebounding. I was protecting the paint and just making them take the shots that we wanted them to.”

Meanwhile, the Mavs held Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards to a pedestrian 19 points. Edwards was just 6-of-16 from the floor, including 5-of-12 from behind the three-point line, as the Mavs limited him to just four points in the paint, which is where he’s extremely dangerous with his electrifying skills.

“For us it’s a matter of showing as many bodies (around Edwards) and making it tough,” coach Jason Kidd said. “He’s one of the best players in the world. You’re not going to stop him. You can just make it tough on him and hope that he misses.

“We expect him in Game 2 to attack early and often. We going to try to protect the paint.”

The Mavs outscored Minnesota in the paint by a wide 62-38 margin in Game 1. But the fact that the Timberwolves held a 33-27 lead after the first quarter didn’t sit well with Kidd.

“Our effort wasn’t up to par there early,” he said. “They got off to a really good start with the three. Some of the threes we got to live with because they made some great plays, but we got to be better at chasing them off the three-point line.”

What the Mavs were better at was winning Game 1 of a playoff series. They were 0-5 in the previous playoff series since Kidd became the Mavs’ coach in time for the 2021-22 season.

“It’s new to everyone,” Kidd said, referring to winning a series opener. “But again, this time of the year it’s about winning, so we found a way to win on the road and now we got to figure out how to win tomorrow night.”

From the Mavs’ perspective, they know they didn’t play one of their best games, but still clawed and scratched and found a way to win. The Mavs were particularly irked with their 6-of-25 showing – for 24 percent from beyond the three-point arc.

“I think it was a big road win for us,” forward P.J. Washington said. “Obviously, playing here is tough. They’re a great team defensively and we felt like we could win, and it felt good.

“We love playing on the road. Obviously, the crowd is always into it and they’re always against us, so it’s fun coming in here and obviously getting a win. We felt good last night and hopefully we’ll do the same thing tomorrow.”

Game 2 is Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Target Center before the series moves to Dallas for Game 3 on Sunday at 7 p.m. and Game 4 on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. The Mavs are hoping to win Friday so they can take a commanding 2-0 lead back home and have complete control of this series.

The Mavs know they have the formula to accomplish that feat, and they’re just hoping to comes to fruition.

In winning Game 2, Washington said the Mavs have to “I think just take care of the ball, take the easy shots and make the open shots obviously, and just be ourselves. (We have to) play good defense and not let those guys get going, and just try to stick together for 48 minutes.”

Washington likes the way the Mavs zeroed in on the defensive end of the floor in the second half and stymied just about anything the Timberwolves were trying to achieve on the offensive end of the court.

“I feel like our pressure on both ends of the floor was good,” Washington said. “I feel like we got out in transition and made easy plays.

“We were just better (in the second half) in every aspect. We were more aggressive just putting pressure on them and forcing them to take contested shots, and we didn’t give up as much threes.”

In essence, the Mavs did to the Timberwolves what they’ve done to most teams since they acquired Gafford and Washington on Feb. 8. They’ve become a much more effective defensive team.

“I feel like we’re very physical on the defensive end, and defense wins us games,” Washington said. “Obviously, we can score with the best of them, but our defense is the reason we’re here.”

X: @DwainPrice