The Dallas Mavericks avenged their Monday night loss to Minnesota, defeating the Timberwolves 104-99 on Wednesday night to split the two-game set.
Luka Doncic led the Mavericks with 25 points, ten assists, and nine rebounds, one rebound shy of what would have been his seventh triple-double this season.
Tim Hardaway Jr. added 21 points after an illness kept him out of Dallas’ 116-106 loss in Minnesota on Monday, in which Doncic and coach Jason Kidd were ejected.
The Mavericks used a 15-4 run midway through the fourth quarter to take the lead with a few minutes remaining in the game, with all 15 points coming off three-pointers on five consecutive possessions.
Hardaway hit two three-pointers to start the run, while Reggie Bullock added a pair of threes, both off of Doncic assists, during the run, and Dallas as a team finished 13-of-39 from behind the three-point line.
Dallas shot 8-of-16 from the floor, 6-of-10 from three, and 7-of-8 from the foul line in the fourth, reversing what had been an ice-cold shooting night through the first three quarters when the Mavericks were shooting under 25%.
“You could see the improvement for our team coming down the stretch,” said Dallas head coach Jason Kidd, whom the NBA fined $25,000 for his ejection in Monday’s loss to the Timberwolves. “Luka made some big shots, not just threes but being able to play in the midrange. And then being the quarterback, being able to trust his guys to be able to deliver by making shots.”
WHAT TO KNOW
The Mavericks’ win snaps a two-game losing streak and a skid of five defeats in their previous seven games, restoring their record to .500 (16-16).
Spencer Dinwiddie (19), Christian Wood (12), and Dwight Powell (10) joined Doncic and Hardaway in scoring double figures to buoy the Mavericks, who are weathering a spate of injuries to key players.
Despite Powell’s return after missing two games (left thigh strain), Kidd kept Wood in the starting lineup, the first time this season Wood and Doncic have started together when injuries were not a factor in lineup options.
Many Dallas fans have been clamoring for Wood to start alongside Doncic to unlock their full pick-and-roll arsenal, complementary scoring, and offensive versatility.
Still, the absences of Maxi Kleber (torn right hamstring) and Dorian Finney-Smith (right abductor strain) were felt on the defensive end.
Without Finney-Smith, the Mavericks’ best perimeter defender who typically guards the opponent’s best player each night, Minnesota guards Anthony Edwards (23 points) and Austin Rivers (21 points) had impressive offensive nights.
Without Kleber, Dallas’ best paint defender, the Timberwolves racked up 50 points in the paint, led by Rudy Gobert’s 19 points and 15 rebounds. It was the first game back for Gobert after missing three games with a sprained ankle, with Minnesota having won all three of the games.
BY THE NUMBERS
Hardaway may be the key to Dallas having success. When Hardaway shoots 45% or better, the Mavericks are 10-1. When he shoots below 45% or does not play, Dallas is 6-15.
While the Mavericks were 6-of-10 from three-point range in the fourth, the Timberwolves struggled from three all game, finishing 8-of-30 from long range.
Dallas has been steadily improving from the free-throw line since the free-throw debacle against the Milwaukee Bucks, where they shot 41.7% from the foul line in a one-point loss. In the seven games since, the team is shooting 79.3% on free throws, including going 23-of-27 (85.2%) from the foul line in Wednesday’s win.
Inside the final minute of Wednesday’s game, the team shot 5-of-6 from the line, helping to seal the win.
WHO SAID
“Honestly, I think it’s energy and body language,” Doncic said about the difference from Monday’s loss. “Today was unbelievable but that’s how we got to learn. We got to play like this every game. So, we got to learn from that.”
“Luka said it after the game in the locker room — just about our energy,” Kidd said, echoing Doncic’s statement. “We stayed connected. We executed. … The spirit of the guys was positive.”
FREE THROWS
Before the game, the NBA announced the New York Knicks would lose their 2025 second-round pick due to the results of the league’s investigation into their pursuit of Jalen Brunson. The league confirmed the Knicks tampered by beginning to negotiate with Brunson before the free agency period opened.
NEXT UP
Dallas will be in Houston on Friday night to face the Rockets in the last game of a four-game road trip.
