The Minnesota Timberwolves aim to tie up the series against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. However, the team is facing an injury problem with veteran point guard, Mike Conley. With that said, we dive in to see his updated status for the Game 2 matchup in the Western Conference Finals.
Conley was initially deemed questionable for Friday's game as he's dealing with a right soleus strain, per the NBA Injury Report. It was unclear whether Mike Conley would dress down for the Timberwolves, but luckily, he has since been upgraded to available.
It is worth noting that Conley played through the injury in Game 1 against the Mavericks. However, he was less than efficient after finishing with just six points, three rebounds, and three assists in 31 minutes of playing time.
Conley must produce more on the court if he plays in Game 2 against the Mavericks. The Timberwolves lost Game 1 by just three points. So, it's not like Minnesota has to make any drastic changes to the game plan. But winning this game on Friday will tie the series up before heading to Dallas for the next two games.
Mike Conley has been struggling with this injury for several weeks now and he's likely to continue suffering with it as he continues playing through it. It's the playoffs, so it's not shocking to see Conley dress down and participate in Game 2, especially with the Timberwolves down a game in the series. This is almost a must-win scenario as they don't want to go back to Dallas down 0-2. That would be a worst-case-scenario situation for Minnesota.
Timberwolves chances to win Game 2 over Mavericks
Although the Timberwolves are down in this series they should put up a decent fight to tie it up 1-1. Anthony Edwards must continue playing at a high level as he's become the face of the franchise. Additionally, his supporting cast must step up as well. Karl-Anthony Towns has been lights out while Rudy Gobert needs to improve his aggression on both offense and defense.
If those three can ball out then the job becomes easy for the rest of the team. Mike Conley, Jaden McDaniels, and Naz Reid can play much more loosely and serve as elite compliments to the Timberwolves' stars.
But that's much easier said than done as the Mavericks played well against the Timberwolves in Game 1. Dallas has enough scoring between Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving and their supporting cast has elevated throughout the postseason. No matter how you look at it, Game 2 should be a fun contest.
If the Timberwolves can slow down Doncic or Irving a tad then they'll have a real chance at taking Game 2. Doncic has been playing through injuries throughout the playoffs, so Minnesota likely tries to lock him down defensively. We'll see how it plays out on Friday night, as Game 2 tips off at 8:30 P.M. Eastern.
Follow Us
Subscribe