• Poor shooting in Game 1
    Towns racked up 16 points (6-20 FG, 2-9 3Pt, 2-2 FT), seven rebounds, two assists and one steal across 34 minutes during Wednesday's 108-105 loss to Dallas in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

    Advice: The Timberwolves need Towns to be consistent as an offensive threat, and while the numbers have been there most of the time, the efficiency has been lacking. Towns has scored at least 20 points in four of his last eight appearances since the start of the series against the Nuggets while shooting 47.4 percent from the field in that span, so he seems to be getting the job done even when he has an off night from time to time. Given he only made 30 percent of his shots in Game 1 on Wednesday, Towns will aim to bounce back in Game 2 on Friday. Rotowire.com 38 minutes ago
  • Leads Minnesota in Game 1 loss
    McDaniels finished Wednesday's 108-105 loss to the Mavericks in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals with 24 points (9-15 FG, 6-9 3Pt), four rebounds, three assists and one steal in 39 minutes.

    Advice: McDaniels carried the Timberwolves in scoring and delivered another impressive outing, as he seems to have carried the momentum of the series against the Nuggets into this matchup. McDaniels has now scored at least 20 points in three straight games -- a personal-best mark -- while shooting 68.6 percent from the field, so it wouldn't be shocking if he has a more prominent role as a scoring weapon in Game 2 on Friday. Rotowire.com 41 minutes ago
  • Close to double-double in win
    Gafford accumulated 10 points (5-9 FG), nine rebounds and one block across 21 minutes during Wednesday's 108-105 win over Minnesota in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals.

    Advice: Gafford has been rotating at center with Dereck Lively, but the former Wizards big man continues to deliver every time he's called upon duty. He's scored in double digits in six of his last eight playoff contests, a span in which he's averaging 11.1 points and 7.5 rebounds per contest. It's only one game, but he looked quite good despite dealing with the presence and threat of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns throughout the contest. Rotowire.com 44 minutes ago
  • Naz Reid tallies 15 points, full line in Game 1
    Naz Reid shot 5-of-9 from the field and 2-of-4 from the foul line in Wednesday’s loss to the Mavericks, finishing with 15 points, five rebounds, two assists, one steal, one block, and three 3-pointers in 24 minutes.

    Advice: As has been the case throughout this season, Reid gave the Timberwolves solid production off the bench in Wednesday’s Game 1. Unfortunately for the Timberwolves, their bench outscoring the Mavericks reserves by a 28-14 margin didn’t mean much. Kyle Anderson added 11 points, two rebounds, two assists, and one 3-pointer in 17 minutes, shooting 5-of-8 from the field. While Reid and Rudy Gobert (12/7/1/1/2 in 38 minutes) recorded full stat lines, the struggles of Karl-Anthony Towns and Anthony Edwards were too much to overcome. Minnesota will look to tie the series in Game 2 on Friday night. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:58 pm
  • Karl-Anthony Towns scores 16 points in Game 1 loss
    Karl-Anthony Towns finished Wednesday’s 108-105 loss to the Mavericks with 16 points (6-of-20 FGs, 2-of-2 FTs), seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and two 3-pointers in 34 minutes.

    Advice: Minnesota’s top two offensive weapons struggled on Wednesday, with Towns shooting 6-of-20 from the field and Anthony Edwards slightly better at 6-of-16. KAT shot 51% from the field in the second-round series against Denver, and he was a 52.6% shooter in four regular-season meetings with the Mavericks. However, each meeting with Dallas was played before the trade deadline, so Wednesday was KAT’s first look at a Mavericks lineup that included PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford. If the Timberwolves are to win this series, Towns has to be more efficient than he was in Game 1. Game 2 is on Friday night. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:53 pm
  • Jaden McDaniels scores team-high 24 points Weds.
    Jaden McDaniels shot 9-of-15 from the field in Wednesday’s Game 1 loss to Dallas, tallying 24 points, four rebounds, three assists, one steal, and six 3-pointers in 39 minutes.

    Advice: After shooting 6-of-9 from three in the final two games of Minnesota’s second-round series win over Denver, McDaniels stayed hot in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals. He made six of his nine attempts from deep against the Mavericks while also leading the Timberwolves in scoring. On a night when Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns combined to score 35 points on 12-of-36 shooting, McDaniels’ performance kept Minnesota within striking distance. He and the Timberwolves will look to even the series at one-all on Friday. Rotoworld Yesterday, 8:44 pm
  • Xavier Tillman (personal) questionable for Game 2
    Xavier Tillman (personal reasons) is questionable for Thursday’s game against the Pacers.

    Advice: Tillman was not with the Celtics for Tuesday’s overtime victory. His absence did not impact the Celtics’ rotation, as he’s no higher than third in the pecking order behind Al Horford and Luke Kornet. Rotoworld Yesterday, 2:44 pm
  • Questionable for Game 2
    Tillman (personal) is questionable for Game 2 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Pacers on Thursday, Taylor Snow of the Celtics' official site reports.

    Advice: Tillman missed the Celtics' 133-128 overtime win in Game 1 due to the personal matter. While he could rejoin the Celtics in advance of Thursday's contest, his presence -- or lack thereof -- shouldn't have a major impact on head coach Joe Mazzulla's rotation. Tillman has appeared in just three games all postseason -- all in blowouts -- as Al Horford and Luke Kornet have covered most of the minutes at center while Kristaps Porzingis (calf) has been sidelined for each of the Celtics' last seven contests. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 2:06 pm
  • Drops 36 points in Game 1 win
    Tatum amassed 36 points (12-26 FG, 2-8 3Pt, 10-12 FT), 12 rebounds, four assists and three steals in 46 minutes during Tuesday's 133-128 overtime win over Indiana in Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals.

    Advice: Everyone knows what Tatum can do offensively, and he's now scored at least 33 points in three of his last four games. However, it was his defense on Tyrese Haliburton that was ultimately the difference in this game. Tatum was clutch in overtime, and Boston will now head into Game 2 with a ton of momentum. Rotowire.com Yesterday, 8:34 am