In Thursday night’s 119-101 victory over Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks, the Minnesota Timberwolves rallied from an early 15-point hole. Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 21 points and a career-high 17 rebounds, while Naz Reid scored 19 of his 27 points for the season in the first half.
By the middle of the third period, the Wolves (18-5) had established a commanding advantage, which they would later extend to 22 points. They tied Boston for the best record in the NBA and avoided losing for the first time all season.
On Monday, Minnesota lost 121-107 at New Orleans.
“They refocus fast,” Wolves coach Chris Finch remarked. “They don’t really let one performance bleed into the next.”
The four-time defending champion Mavericks were led by Doncic’s 39 points and 13 boards. Doncic, who had scored 32.0 points to start the game and was second in the NBA in scoring, extended his scoring streak to nine games in a row.After allowing 105.9 points per game, Minnesota limited Dallas to its third-lowest scoring performance of the season and its worst shooting performance from beyond the arc (21.9% on 7 of 32).
Wolves leading scorer Anthony Edwards, who had been sidelined for three of his team’s last five games due to a right hip pointer, was able to go back in the lineup. Prior to the game, he had a point average of 24.4; he scored nine.
Reid tied the franchise record for most 3-pointers made by a reserve with seven, which was a career high. It was Minnesota’s third leading scorer this season who wasn’t Edwards or Towns.
“You love to see all the guys trying to get me the ball,” stated Reid. “I think with the firepower on this team, anybody can have a crazy night like that.”
Due to a foot issue, Mavericks star Kyrie Irving missed his third straight game.
Doncic scored 26 points on 9-of-15 shooting as Dallas took a 60-59 lead into halftime. Halftime: 6 for 18 from beyond the arc for the Mavericks, for a 51.1% shooting percentage. Halftime: 1 of 14 from beyond the arc, for a 42.1% shooting percentage.
Tim Hardaway Jr. went scoreless from beyond the arc, while Doncic went 2 for 7.
“It’s just one of those nights,” commented Dallas coach Jason Kidd. We were well-received. When it comes to the league, Minnesota is unrivaled. We believed we were performing admirably. They deserve praise.
During the first half, Doncic was given a technical foul and claimed that someone told him not to clap. It’s true. My God, it’s insane.
Also, Doncic’s first-half 3-pointer was removed from the board at halftime because he was ruled to have been out of bounds.
“If the refs don’t call it, they can go back and check?” he commented. “That’s the first time I saw that.”
