Wolves host Mavs team led by Doncic, Irving to start series
NBA Western Conference finals
No. 5 Dallas vs. No. 3 Wolves
Game 1: 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Target Center
TV, radio: TNT and truTV; 100.3 FM and iHeart Radio
Stats and analytics: Tap here
Opening bell: The Mavericks ousted the fourth-seeded Los Angeles Clippers and top-seeded Oklahoma City in six games in each series and didn't have the home-court advantage in either. The Wolves swept sixth-seeded Phoenix in four games and beat defending NBA champion Denver, the Western Conference's second seed, in seven games. Against the Nuggets, the Wolves won the first two games on the road, lost the next three consecutively, and then won Game 6 at home and Game 7 on the road.
Watch him: Backcourt mates Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving became the third pair of players in NBA history to finish the regular season each averaging at least 25 points, five rebounds and five assists. Doncic was the first Maverick to win the NBA scoring title, averaging 33.9 points per game. He also averaged 9.8 assists and 9.2 rebounds, while Irving averaged 25.6 points, 5.0 rebounds and 5.2 assists. The only other duos to achieve the feat were Stephen Curry and Kevin Durant in 2018 and 2019 and James Harden and Russell Westbrook in 2020.
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Injuries: The Maverick list Doncic as probable with a right knee sprain and left ankle soreness.
Forecast: The teams are playing in the postseason for only the second time and the first since the No. 4-seeded Mavericks swept the No. 5 Wolves 3-0 in a five-game, first-round playoffs in 2002. The Wolves won the 2023-24 regular-season series 3-1, but Doncic and Irving both played in only one of those games, a 115-108 home victory for Dallas on Jan. 7. Otherwise, the Wolves won 119-101 at Dallas and 118-110 at Target Center in December and 121-87 in January at home. All of the games came before the Mavericks made two trade-deadline deals in February that transformed their frontcourt by adding P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.
