Timberwolves-Mavericks 5

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Dallas - As he walked towards the post-game interview room, Anthony Edwards spotted Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons wearing a pair of Edwards' AE1 signature Adidas sneakers in the hallway.

"I told him I'd bring him some nice shoes for Game 6," he said. We'll see.

After leading Minnesota to a 105-100 victory over the Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, Edwards anticipates kicking things up a notch in Dallas later this week. To ensure their return trip to the Lone Star State, the Timberwolves need to win Game 5 at Target Center on Thursday.

Minnesota trails the series 3-1.

"What should I say?" he asked. "[Should] I say we're going to lose Game 5? No, I would never say that."

Five Takeaways from Game 4

1. Edwards and Towns Perform Like Stars

   We've been waiting for a performance like this since the start of the series. Edwards scored a game-high 29 points and grabbed 10 rebounds, just one assist short of his first career triple-double. Despite shooting 28% from the field in the first three games of the series, Towns scored a strong 25 points on 9-of-13 shooting.

   Minnesota is 7-1 in the playoffs when Towns scores 18 points or more and 2-5 when he scores less than 18.

   "I just told him that the past has no bearing on the future. Trust your talent. Be confident. The shots will fall. Shooting is like that. We just have to wait until the cards fall in our favor."

   And they certainly turned around in a big way.

   Feasting on a more sensible shot diet that included more attempts at the rim, Towns went 2-for-3 in the first half and 7-for-10 in the third and fourth quarters. Towns' varied attack helped him secure some big threes late in the game.

   When discussing Edwards' responsibilities for Game 4, Finch used a football analogy. He compared Edwards to a tailback needing to explode through holes to reach the second level of Dallas' defense.

   "Once you get to the second line of defense, they're at your mercy," Finch told Edwards.

   The 22-year-old attacked the paint like former Minnesota Viking Adrian Peterson, and the Timberwolves reaped the benefits.

2. Timberwolves Cool Down Doncic and Irving

   Credit Minnesota for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's struggles.

   The Timberwolves assigned Edwards to defend Doncic, while defensive stalwart Jaden McDaniels took on Irving.

   The Mavericks' superstar duo scored 44 points on 13-of-39 shooting. The Slovenian notched his ninth playoff triple-double (28 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists), moving past Wilt Chamberlain to ninth all-time.

   Edwards and Towns outscored Doncic and Irving 54-44. In the series' first three games, the Dallas duo averaged 60.3 points compared to Edwards and Towns' 37.

   "Edwards and McDaniels did a great job of being physical, understanding tendencies, and keeping them off the free-throw line," said Minnesota point guard Mike Conley. "Those two guys were huge for us in that matchup switch."

3. Minnesota Finally Closes Out

   The Timberwolves entered the fourth quarter of each game in this series either tied or leading by five points. They entered the fourth quarter of Game 4 with a 78-73 lead and finally found a way to close it out.
   

   In the series' first three games, Minnesota had an offensive rating of 114.3. However, in the fourth quarters of those games, the Wolves' offensive rating dropped to 95.5.

   The visitors scored 22, 22, and 20 points in the fourth quarters of those games. In Game 4, Minnesota, led by Towns, scored 27 points, with Towns contributing 10 points and hitting 3-of-4 from deep in the final quarter.

   "It all came together for him," Edwards said. "He was overly confident. He wasn't worried about any shot before the ones he made tonight. He played exceptionally well and came up big. He was the reason we won."

Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards stepped up in Game 4, the Mavs' star duo remained quiet, and now, Game 5 awaits.

Dallas - As Anthony Edwards made his way to the interview room after the game, he spotted Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons in the hallway wearing a pair of Edwards' AE1 signature Adidas sneakers.

Just as the door closed behind him, Edwards promised to return soon. "I told him I'd bring back some nice shoes for him for Game 6," he said. We'll see.

Following Minnesota's 105-100 victory over the Mavericks in Game 4 of the Western Conference Finals on Tuesday, Edwards anticipates kicking it in Dallas by the end of the week. For a return trip to the Lone Star State, the Timberwolves need a win in Game 5 at Target Center on Thursday.

Minnesota is trailing 3-1 in the series.

"What should I say?" he asked. "[Should] I say we're going to lose Game 5? No, I'd never say that."

Five Takeaways from Game 4:

1. Edwards, Towns Perform Like Stars

We've been waiting for this kind of performance since the start of the series. Edwards scored a game-high 29 points with 10 rebounds, just one assist shy of his first career triple-double. Despite shooting 28% from the field in the first three games of the series, Towns had a phenomenal 9-of-13 for 25 points.

Minnesota is 7-1 in the playoffs when Towns scores 18 or more points and 2-5 when he scores less than 18.

"We had a conversation yesterday," said Timberwolves coach Chris Finch. "I just told them that the past has no bearing on the future. Trust your talent. Be confident. The shots will fall. That's how shooting goes. We just have to wait until the cards fall in our favor."

They certainly turned in a big way.

Feasting on a more sensible shot diet that included more attempts at the rim, Towns went 2-for-3 in the first half and finished 7-of-10 in the third and fourth quarters. Towns' varied attack helped him secure some big threes late in the game.

Talking about Edwards' responsibilities for Game 4, Finch used a football analogy. He compared Edwards to a tailback who needed to burst through holes quickly to get to the second level of Dallas' defense.

"Once you get to the second line of defense, they’re at your mercy," Finch told Edwards.

The 22-year-old attacked the paint like former Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson, and the Timberwolves benefited.

2. Timberwolves Cool Down Doncic and Irving

Credit to Minnesota for Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving's struggles.

The Timberwolves assigned Edwards to guard Doncic, while defensive stalwart Jaden McDaniels took on Irving.

The Mavericks' superstar duo combined for 44 points on 13-of-39 shooting. The Slovenian notched his ninth triple-double of the postseason (28 points, 15 rebounds, 10 assists), tying Wilt Chamberlain for ninth all-time. Irving finished with 16 points on 6-for-18 shooting.

Edwards and Towns outscored Doncic and Irving 54-44. In the first three games of the series, the Dallas duo averaged 60.3 points compared to Edwards and Towns' 37.

"[Edwards and McDaniels] did a great job being physical, understanding tendencies, and not putting them on the free-throw line," said Minnesota point guard Mike Conley. "Those two were big for us in that matchup switch."

3. Minnesota Finally Closes Out

The Timberwolves entered or were within five points in the fourth quarter of each game in this series. They led 78-73 entering the fourth quarter of Game 4 and finally found a way to close it out.

In the first three games of this series, Minnesota had an offensive rating of 114.3. However, in the fourth quarters of those games, the Wolves' offensive rating dropped to 95.5.

The visitors scored 22, 22, and 20 points in the fourth quarters of those games. In Game 4, led by Towns, Minnesota scored 27 points, with Towns contributing 10 points and hitting 3-of-4 from deep in the final quarter.

"It came together for him," said Edwards. "He was extremely confident. He wasn't worried about any shot before the ones he hit tonight. He played exceptionally well and came up big. He was the reason we won."

4. Kleber Returns; Lively II Sits Out

The Mavericks sat out Derek Lively II for Game 4 due to a neck strain from Game 3. The rookie could barely turn his head while walking at the American Airlines Center before the game.

Lively's absence opened more minutes for Dwight Powell and Maxi Kleber, who returned Tuesday for the first time since separating his right shoulder in the first half of Dallas' Game 6 win in the first round against the LA Clippers.

Finch anticipated Kleber's return would provide Dallas with an unfamiliar look. "It gives them a wide lineup we haven’t seen all series," he said.