The Dallas Mavericks went down 95:116 against strong Minnesota Timberwolves, Luka Doncic hardly got any support. Minnesota was led by Karl-Anthony Towns.
Minnesota Timberwolves (43-32) – Dallas Mavericks (45-29) 116:95 (BOXSCORE)
After a slow start, Doncic made a decent game with 24 points (5/11 threes), 10 rebounds and 8 assists with 8 turnovers, but at -22 he had the second-worst plus/minus of the game. His highlight of the game was a Pass through an opponent’s legs.
The few free throws his teammates got didn’t find their target, with Reggie Bullock (2, 0/6 3P), Dorian Finney-Smith (7, 1/8), Jalen Brunson (11, 1/6), Spencer Dinwiddie ( 11, 1/5) and Maxi Kleber (9, 1/6), all Mavs shooters except Doncic were completely cold. Dallas took 43 shots from Downtown but only hit 10 for an odds of 23.3 percent.
Minnesota showed good team defense and also spread the load offensively over many shoulders. Towns scored 13 of his 20 points (7/10 FG) in the first quarter, his early fourth foul after the break being ignored by the course of play. Minnesota hit 51.2 percent from the field and made 21 hits to the free-throw line in the first half alone.
At the break, the Wolves were already leading 61:50, then Dallas also played their worst quarter (17:28), so the game was over. Jordan McLaughlin (16, 3/5 3P) and Taurean Prince (14) led a strong second unit for the Wolves, Prince also stood out again and again with successful defense against Doncic.
Playoff atmosphere in Minnesota
Patrick Beverley (10) didn’t miss the chance, even after the win go to Twitter for some trash talk. In response to a post citing his own statement that Doncic was his toughest opponent ever, Beverley replied: “Not this year, I hit back.”
The game definitely had a playoff atmosphere in the noisy Target Center as long as the score was reasonably tight, in the second period three Wolves got light contacts in the face from the Mavs. Naz Reid and Malik Beasley also went down there with ankle injuries and then went into the dressing room, only Reid returned to the game.
Anthony Edwards (12, 0/4 3s) and D’Angelo Russell (15, 1/6, 8 assists) both had to do without shots, Wolves coach Chris Finch used all of his 14 available players for at least 3 minutes. Davis Bertans was absent from the Mavericks.
With the win, the Mavericks reduced the gap to the Denver Nuggets to half a game again, Dallas is two and a half games away from the Wolves and seventh place in the Western Conference.
Towns starts hot against Dallas
In the first ten minutes of the game, both teams exchanged baskets without any major runs from either side, then the first quarter became free-throw shooting for the Wolves. Minnesota sank 7 of their 8 freebies to go into the next period with a 26-22.
There, the Wolves reserves, led by Prince, kept their offense going until the starters returned to the floor. Midway through the quarter, the Mavericks went without points for almost four minutes before Doncic found the game better with a quick eight points. Minnesota ended the first half with their 21st free throw and a lead of 61:50.
Dallas didn’t get back into the improved rhythm after the break, but Edwards now also made his jump shots on the other side. The Wolves ended their strong third quarter (28-17) with a 12-3 run, leaving the Mavs frustrated.
Before both teams went to their benches, Doncic and Prince exchanged a few probably less friendly words, and Beverley also got involved. Prince and Doncic were each cautioned for a technical foul, making Doncic No. 15 of the season. If he commits another technical foul, he will have to sit out the next game.
In the final section, Dallas couldn’t start a run either, after two quick hits from McLaughlin to make it 102:78 with 6 minutes to play, Jason Kidd took a timeout and all his starters down, the game was over. The highlight of the final quarter: the influencer Jidion had his hair cut on the touchline during the game, which amazed Edwards.
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