Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for Game 2 (May 24) | 2024 NBA Playoffs

The Dallas Mavericks and Minnesota Timberwolves square off in Game 2 of the 2024 NBA Western Conference Finals on Friday at Target Center. The Mavericks took a 1-0 lead, stealing homecourt advantage with a 108-105 win in Game 1. It was a close battle that ultimately went in Dallas' favor behind Luka Doncic's clutch outing and Kyrie Irving's first-half blitz.

The former finished with 33 points on 12 of 26 shots, including 15 in the final frame, while the latter had 24 of his 30 points in the first half. Irving shot 52.2%. The rest of the Mavs' struggled but remained consistent on defense to keep the game close in the early stage as Minnesota dominated.

The Timberwolves didn't play to their potential in that contest, with only Jaden McDaniels showing signs of life behind a 24-point outing on 60.0% shooting, including 6 of 9 from 3. Anthony Edwards, Karl-Anthony Towns and Mike Conley were big letdowns after failing to shoot over 38%.

Minnesota looked a step slower, with their fatigue from the seven-game series against the Denver Nuggets. Edwards and Co. will look to bounce back and avoid a 0-2 hole before traveling to Dallas.

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Injury Reports for Game 2

Dallas Mavericks injury report

The Mavericks' injury report remains the same as Game 1, with Luka Doncic (ankle, knee) probable, Oliver-Maxence Prosper (ankle) out and Maxi Kleber (shoulder) out.

Minnesota Timberwolves injury report

The Timberwolves only have Mike Conley on their injury report, who is questionable with a right soleus strain.

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Starting Lineups and Depth Charts for Game 2

Dallas Mavericks starting lineup and depth chart

The Mavericks will start Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Derrick Jones Jr., P.J. Washington and Daniel Gafford.

Point guards	Luka Doncic	Jaden Hardy	Brandon Williams
Shooting guards	Kyrie Irving	Dante Exum
Small forwards	Derrick Jones Jr.	Josh Green	Tim Hardway Jr.
Power forwards	P.J. Washington
Centers	Daniel Gafford	Dereck Lively II	Dwight Powell

Minnesota Timberwolves starting lineup and depth chart

The Timberwolves will start Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert. Nickeil Walker-Alexander should replace Conley if the latter is ruled out.

Point guards	Mike Conley	Monte Morris	Jordan McLaughlin
Shooting guards	Anthony Edwards	Nickeil Walker-Alexander	Wendell Moore Jr.
Small forwards	Jaden McDaniels	Kyle Anderson	TJ Warren
Power forwards	Karl-Anthony Towns	Naz Reid	Leonard Miller
Centers	Rudy Gobert	Luka Garza

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Dallas Mavericks vs. Minnesota Timberwolves Key Matchups

The Mavericks and Timberwolves series will be decided by certain player matchups. A couple of those stand out the most. The first is between Luka Doncic and Jaden McDaniels. As the primary defenders on each other, both have to ensure their counterpart has a subpar game as it severely swings the game in their respective team's favor.

Another matchup is between Anthony Edwards and Kyrie Irving. Edwards announced he would take that challenge but didn't live up to it in Game 1. Irving bagged 24 points in one-half, which was critical to the Mavs' success. Edwards must disrupt Irving's flow as much as possible since Dallas is top-heavy, and a streaky night from the former champ could cost it dearly.