Mavericks vs Wolves Final Score: Dallas loses to Minnesota, 115-114

The Dallas Mavericks fell at home on Wednesday night Minnesota Timberwolves115-114. Jaden McDaniels led a balanced Wolves effort with a career-high 27 points. Kyrie Irving poured it on for Dallas, scoring 36 in defeat.

Down to just eight NBA players and three two-way players, the Dallas Mavericks faced an uphill battle against the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Wolves got into early foul trouble, but Dallas couldn’t score or commit additional fouls to take advantage. Despite horrendous shooting from three and the Wolves’ own march to the line, Dallas surged forward in the final minutes to take a 22-17 lead after one period.

The Timberwolves’ offense was alive in the second quarter or the Dallas defense was dead, depending on how you chose to look at it. Resistance from the Mavericks felt close to non-existent for much of the period. However, Dallas also managed to find the bottom of the net often enough, and despite what felt like a terrible quarter, they scored 31 and trailed the Wolves 55-53 at the half.

Both Anthony Edwards and Kyrie Irving ignited the offense for the third quarter. The teams traded blows for the first part of the frame, but near the four-minute mark, the Wolves were ahead by eight on a Julius Randle bucket and free throw. It felt like Minnesota might finally overpower the diminished Mavericks, but the Wolves resumed their offensive ineptitude just long enough for Dallas to work their way back into it with a paid basket count. The four point margin would continue into the fourth quarter with the Mavericks down 86-82.

Minnesota opened the fourth connecting on a pair of threes to establish the first double-digit lead for either team. The Mavericks rallied back with five straight points, but sloppy execution on offense from Dallas resulted in Minnesota extending the lead to 12 points. A driving dunk by Maxi Kleber forced the Wolves to call a timeout in an attempt to prevent another Dallas run. A four point play by Dallas after a Washington bucket, foul and Reid technical made it a four point Wolves lead after six minutes. Irving buried a huge three to close the lead to one on the ensuing offensive possession. Minnesota answered the run with five straight, forcing a Dallas timeout.

The Mavericks couldn’t knock down a shot in the final five minutes, but got to the line and ate into a nine-point Wolves lead. Washington connected on a tip shot with 40 seconds left, bringing Dallas within three. Edwards connected on one of two from the line the next possession down. Irving hit a three off an offensive rebound from Washington and again trimmed the lead to one point. Minnesota hit a pair of free throws to pull back by three. Kyrie missed a three with a few seconds left, effectively ending the game. Jaden McDaniels hit one of two to push the lead back to four, then Irving got another three down, but it wasn’t enough. Dallas loses to Minnesota, 115-114.

At least this loss was entertaining

The Mavericks have only won four times since Luka Doncic went down, but one thing I’m willing to give the team is that they’ve played some pretty entertaining games. Yes, they’ve sold double-digit leads repeatedly, and a few of them were horrendous losses, but if I’m going to line up on an injury-plagued team, one of the few things we’re allowed to hope for. a good game. At least this was a fun game.

The free throw line made the big difference

The Wolves forced their way to the free throw line, especially in the second quarter, and that ended up being a key reason Dallas couldn’t outscore the Wolves. Minnesota earned 15 more tries, and with a one-point loss, that margin stands out. Dallas faltered defensively for large chunks of the second and third quarters, with sloppy choices on defense. It’s a little crazy in retrospect.

Dallas simply didn’t have enough

This is a fairly obvious point, but it bears repeating. That Spencer Dinwiddie, the last man signed to this roster and a minimum contract player, needs to play and play really well for Dallas to win is an encapsulation of the injury issues facing these Mavericks. The starting lineup for Dallas ranged from very good to okay, with Quentin Grimes being the ‘worst’ performer, and even he wasn’t disastrous. The other guys on the bench who played minutes all did well, with Kleber looking like an NBA player, Kessler Edwards not looking terrible, and Brandon Williams making an impact. Spencer was once again pretty messy, but asking him to play 32 minutes, score the basketball and run the offense in spurts is just too much to ask of him.

Dallas still has some life, but given this group (even including the guys who are sick or with injuries), it could get worse before it gets better.