Chris Finch ditches crutches ahead of Timberwolves Game 3 Sunday night at Dallas

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - For the first time since having right knee surgery more than three weeks ago, Minnesota Timberwolves coach Chris Finch was walking around Sunday in Dallas without crutches.

Finch came to his pregame news conference without crutches for the first time since having surgery on May 1 for a torn patellar tendon in his right knee. It happened after Devin Booker bumped into Mike Conley Jr. in Game 4 of the Timberwolves’ sweep of the Phoenix Suns.

Finch was able to be on the bench for the Timberwolves’ win in seven games over the Denver Nuggets, but did so from the second row with crutches.

The Timberwolves face the Mavericks in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals Sunday night, needing to climb out of an 0-2 hole after a pair of losses at Target Center by a combined four points. There’s one big theme with both: Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving out-playing Anthony Edwards and Karl-Anthony Towns.

In Game 1, Doncic and Irving combined for 63 points on 24-of-49 shooting. Towns and Edwards combined for 35 on 12-of-36 shooting. In Game 2, Doncic and Irving combined for 52 points. Towns and Edwards had 36 points, and Towns sat much of the fourth quarter with Naz Reid scoring a team-high 23 points. Doncic hit the game-winning 3-pointer over Rudy Gobert with three seconds to play. Reid’s game-winning buzzer-beater rimmed out, and now the Timberwolves have to be the more desperate team in Game 3.

Finch summed it up pregame Sunday.

"It’s pretty simple, Ant's gotta speed it up, Karl's gotta slow it down," Finch said.

Edwards said at pregame shootaround he plans to be ultra-aggressive in Game 3 after taking just 16 shots in Game 2. The Timberwolves need a win Sunday night, or they’ll face elimination in Game 4 on Tuesday. The Wolves are 5-1 on the road in the playoffs this season.