The Dallas Mavericks dropped 95:116 against the mighty Minnesota Timberwolves, and Luka Doncic got no boost. Karl Anthony Towns was led by Minnesota.
Minnesota Timberwolves (43-32) – Dallas Mavericks (45-29) 116: 95 (BOXSCORE)
After a slow start, Doncic made a good game with 24 points (5/11 three), 10 rebounds and 8 assists with 8 turns, but at -22 he had the second worst plus/minus in the game. The highlight of the match was a Pass through the 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 Bronson (11, 1/6), Spencer Dinwiddy (11 , 1/5) and Maxi Kleber (9, 1/6), all Mavs shooters except Doncic were totally cool. Dallas took 43 shots from downtown but hit only 10 with odds of 23.3 percent.
Minnesota showed good defense to the team and also spread the load offensively on many shoulders. Towns scored 13 out of 20 points (7/10 FG) in the first quarter, and the playing track ignored his early fourth foul after the break. Minnesota reached 51.2 percent of the field and delivered 21 hits to the free-throw line in the first half alone.
At the break, Wolves were already leading by 61:50, then Dallas also played their worst quarter (17:28), so game over. Jordan McLaughlin (16, 3/5 3 points) and Turian Prince (14) led a strong second unit for Wolves, Prince also repeatedly with a successful defense against Doncic.
The atmosphere of the playoff game in Minnesota
Patrick Beverly (10) didn’t miss the chance even after winning Take to Twitter for some gossip. In response to a post citing his statement that Doncic was his strongest opponent ever, Beverly replied, “Not this year, I responded.”
The game definitely had a watershed atmosphere in the center of the bustling goal As long as the score was reasonably tight, in the second period, three wolves got light facial contacts from the Mavs. Nas Red and Malik Paisley also came down with ankle injuries and then entered the locker room, only Reed back in the game.
Anthony Edwards (12, 0/4 three) and D’Angelo Russell (15, 1/6, 8 assists) had to lay down shots, Wolverhampton coach Chris Finch used all 14 of his available players for at least 3 minutes. Davis Bertans was absent from the Mavericks.
With this win, the Mavericks cut the difference against the Denver Nuggets to half a game again, and Dallas became two and a half games away from Wolverhampton and seventh in the Western Conference.
Hot Cities start against Dallas
In the first ten minutes of the match, both teams exchanged baskets without any big shots from either side, then the first quarter became a free-throw shot for Wolves. Minnesota sank 7 of the 8 freebies to go into the next period by 26-22.
There, the Wolves team, led by Prince, kept their attack going until the Beginners returned to Earth. In the middle of the quarter, the Mavericks went without points for nearly four minutes before Doncic found the match better with an eight-point fast. Minnesota finished the first half with a free throw 21 with a lead of 61:50.
Dallas didn’t return to the improved tempo after the break, but Edwards now also made his shots on the other side. Wolverhampton finished a strong third quarter (28-17) with a 12-3 lead, leaving the MAF team frustrated.
Before both teams went to their seats, Doncik and Prince exchanged some perhaps less friendly words, and Beverly was involved as well. Prince and Doncic were both cautioned for a technical foul, making Doncic #15 this season. If he makes another technical foul, he will have to exit the next match.
In the final division, Dallas couldn’t start the run either, after two quick hits from McLaughlin to make 102:78 with 6 minutes to play, Jason Kidd took a timeout and all his starts, game over. Highlights of the last quarter: Influencer Gideon cut his hair on the touchline during the match, who stunned Edwards.
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