‘I Didn’t Want to Go Home’

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves walked into American Airlines Center on Tuesday night with one goal in mind: do not get swept. Down three games to none in the series, the Timberwolves did just that, by notching a close 105-100 win over the Dallas Mavericks to extend the series at least one more game.

Despite relinquishing home court advantage in the series by dropping the first two games of the series, and then subsequently Game 3 in Dallas, the Timberwolves kept their composure.

They are now 3-0 in elimination games this postseason, but if they seek to overthrow the Mavericks, they are in for a tall order: no NBA team has ever come back from an 0-3 deficit in a series (a record of 0-154).

Edwards and Towns Clutch

Edwards and KAT combined for 49 points, most of which came late

Edwards came up clutch in the game, nearly notching a triple-double. He recorded 29 points, 10 rebounds, and nine assists in the win, but it was Karl-Anthony Towns who gave the Timberwolves a chance late: he finished with 25 points, but 20 of those came in the second half. He also went 4 for 5 from the three point range.

The Timberwolves have led in the final minutes of the fourth quarter in all four games of this series thus far. It was only in Game 4 that they were able to close it out. Edwards spoke about how he did not want to get swept.

Four-Point Play Failed

Mavericks almost notched a comeback thanks to a crucial Luka Dončić play

It appeared late in the game that the Timberwolves would relinquish their lead late yet again, when Luka Dončić nailed a four point play which saw him get fouled on a three point attempt, of which the shot went in. However, he failed to nail the free throw, keeping the score at 103-100, and the T’Wolves would tack on two more insurance points to ensure a Game 5.

The Boston Celtics swept the Indiana Pacers in the Eastern Conference Finals, marking their second trip to the NBA Finals in three years. The Timberwolves did not want to go out in the same fashion that the Pacers did, and the efforts of Edwards and Towns prevented that from happening.

Whichever team comes out of this series will have the tall order of facing the Celtics in the aforementioned NBA Finals. The series will shift back to Minneapolis, where Game 5 will commence on Thursday night.

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