Timberwolves had solid defensive performance against Mavs

While he showed up for the first time in this series on Tuesday, Minnesota forward Karl-Anthony Towns decided to pause to pay homage to the Timberwolves’ defense for their sterling performance against the Dallas Mavericks.

It was that stern defense which was the backdrop to the Timberwolves’ stunning 105-100 victory over the Mavs in Game 4 of this best-of-seven Western Conference Finals.

“I just love the aggression we played with,” Towns said. “You could tell we had that desperation. That makes us special.

“(We were) playing with so much energy on defense, making those rotations, and (making) the plays needed to win.”

One game after the Mavs shot a sizzling 55.9 percent from the floor on Sunday to take a commanding 3-0 lead in this series, the Timberwolves held them to just 42 percent shooting in Game 4. And after the Mavs converted half of their three-pointers (14-of-28 for 50 percent) in Game 3, they were only 14-of-40 on shots from downtown for 35 percent in Game 4.

“The numbers speak for themselves,” Towns said. “We showed up defensively (Tuesday) against a really great team and did the things we needed to do to win the game.”

Towns personally broke out of his collective shell and collected 25 points. And he was really cooking as he made 9-of-13 shots, including 4-of-5 three-pointers after converted only 3-of-22 from downtown in the previous three games in this series.

Meanwhile, Mavs guard Luka Dončić and Kyrie Irving took turns blaming themselves for a game the Mavs – if successful – would have closed out the series with a four-game sweep and given them more ample time to rest before they battle the Boston Celtics in the NBA Finals.

“I think that game is on me,” said Dončić, who was just 7-of-21 from the field. “Just didn’t give enough energy, kind of. So, we got to do better.”

Several minutes later in the postgame press conference, Irving said of Dončić: “He’s not alone in this. I expect him to say something like that, especially knowing how much he cares and how much he wants to win and how much he wants to lead our group.

“So, I expect nothing less. I think you heard me, too, just say that it’s on me. That’s what you’re supposed to hear from your leaders of your team.”

Dončić collected his ninth career playoff triple-double while finishing with 28 points, 15 rebounds and 10 assists, while Irving was just 6-of-18 from the field and scored 16 points. Either way, the Mavs still hold a 3-1 lead in this series, which heads back to Minnesota for Game 5 on Thursday at 7:30 p.m.

Here are the three takeaways from the Timberwolves’ five-point win over the Mavs.

EDWARDS ALL BUSINESS: Following three so-so games to open this series, Timberwolves All-Star guard Anthony Edwards looked like he was all business in Game 4. Edwards exploded for 14 of the 27 points the Timberwolves scored in the first quarter and just kept on ticking while narrowly missing a triple-double. Edwards scored a game-high 29 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and distributed nine assists. He also was 11-of-25 from the field — including 2-of-5 from three-point range — and buried the dagger three-pointer which gave the Timberwolves a 103-97 lead with only 38.8 seconds remaining in the game.

HARDY PARTY: Mavs second-year guard Jaden Hardy had his own coming-out party in Game 4. After putting the Timberwolves on a platter, Hardy finished the night with 13 points in just 12 workmanlike minutes. Of the combined eight reserves from both teams that played Tuesday, Hardy had more points than any of them. He was an efficient 5-of-8 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the three-point stripe. And just to showcase how high he can fly, one time in the second half Hardy drove through traffic and finished with a powerful dunk. Indeed, he was the most consistent player off the bench in Game 4.

MAVS MISSED LIVELY: The absence of Mavs backup center Dereck Lively II was noticeable in Game 4. The rookie from Duke is one of the Mavs’ energy players who scores, rebounds and blocks shots with the best of them. Lively, however, sat out Game 4 after suffering a neck sprain in Game 3 when — while falling to the court — the back of his head made contact with Karl-Anthony Towns’ right knee. In Game 3, the Mavs outscored the Timberwolves in the paint, 50-40. In Game 4, the Timberwolves outscored the Mavs in the paint, 46-36. The presence of Lively likely would have altered those numbers.

X: @DwainPrice