The Minnesota Timberwolves turn back one last push from Dallas

DALLAS – If there was ever a time for the Timberwolves to face Dallas on the road, it was Wednesday. Luka Doncic was still out with a calf injury he suffered when the teams last met on Christmas Day. Center Dereck Lively is also out for several months with a foot injury. Klay Thompson also watched from the bench because of a sprained ankle.

The Wolves were down Donte DiVincenzo (toe sprain) but had the rest of their roster available to stop a two-game skid.

The Wolves blew a 115-114 victory after building a double-digit lead in the fourth quarter and hanging on down the stretch. The Wolves couldn’t secure rebounds in the final minutes, allowing Dallas to cut their lead to 112-111 with 22.3 seconds left.

The Wolves opened the fourth by extending their four-point lead to 12 on a 13-5 run that featured a pair of three-pointers from Naz Reid and another from Nickeil Alexander-Walker. But after some frustrations with the officiating — Reid drew a technical in the fourth quarter — Dallas cut the lead to 101-100 before a 5-0 Wolves run. The Wolves got a pair of offensive rebounds on one possession before Edwards finished it off with a layup.

On a night when Edwards was ineffective (6-for-19, 21 points), the Wolves got a much-needed boost from Jaden McDaniels and Mike Conley. McDaniels filled the stat sheet with 26 points, eight rebounds, four steals and three blocks. Conley had one of his best games of the season with 18 points, eight assists, five rebounds.

The Wolves’ starting lineup again got off to a rough start offensively as it opened 1-for-6. The Wolves’ saving grace was an 8-for-9 start from the free throw line in the first. But the quick whistle from the referees had a downside – the referees called fouls early and often on Wolves. Dallas was in penalty kicks less than six minutes into the first and McDaniels was on the bench in foul trouble.

The shorthanded Mavericks couldn’t score either, and a sleepy first quarter ended with the Wolves trailing 22-17. They were 4-for-16 in the quarter.

After Dallas went on an 11-0 run toward the end of the first quarter, a mixed Wolves lineup finally got some offense going in the second quarter. McDaniels got out in transition several times for 11 first-half points, while Reid had six off the bench in a 12-4 Wolves spurt that gave them a 40-38 lead and forced a Dallas timeout with 5:23 to play . The Wolves were 13-for-21 in the second quarter after shaking off the rust from the first quarter, but Dallas picked it up offensively in the second behind 16 points from PJ Washington. The Mavericks shot 50% in the first half. Finch had said that with DiVincenzo out, they would likely have to expand the rotation to nine players, but he ended up playing just eight in the first half, and the eighth, Rob Dillingham, played just seven minutes. Edwards was 1-for-6 in the first half.