MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA — After a rough start the Dallas Mavericks pulled out another win on the road defeating the Timberwolves 128-108.
It wasn’t the start that was expected after their big time win in Portland and it wasn’t the start the Mavericks expected to have against a team of this caliber. Minnesota has been bad this year but both of their matchups this season have been close.
The offense was completely out of sync and the Mavericks fell asleep before the party even started. Dallas converted on 1 of their 7 shots attempts and fell behind to the Timberwolves by 13 points. While Luka had a hard time getting into rhythm, Kristaps Porzingis kept the team’s head above water. KP scored 12 first quarter points, shot 50% from the field, and grabbed 3 boards in the first quarter. Maxi Kleber did work from beyond the arc knocking down 2 three pointers which were his only shots of the first quarter and Josh Richardson finished the quarter with 5 points as well.
Despite the slow start the Mavericks found themselves back in control at the end of the first quarter only trailing the Timberwolves by 3 points, but regardless of point spread this isn’t anything the Mavericks aren’t familiar with. The Mavericks have led in the first quarter in only 15 out 42 games this season reaching a milestone that isn’t what you would describe as fulfilling, but when trailing at the end of the first quarter it’s been a mix of wins and losses.
What kept the Mavericks at bay entering the second quarter was the amount of shots they missed playing with a ton of effort but struggled to find success from the field. Dallas connected on 1 of their shots from the field in the first 4 minutes of the second quarter. The Mavericks quickly reversed course and started to chip away at the Timberwolves lead with the help of Kristaps Porzingis and Tim Hardaway Jr. Luka Doncic finally got on the board with 3 free throws and made his first shot from the field with less than two minutes remaining in the quarter which helped the Mavericks take their first lead of the game.
Dallas’s performance from the field in the first half wasn’t spectacular by any means but they made up for it on the defensive end which led to them maintaining their lead heading into halftime.
The Mavericks began the third quarter with another drought on the offensive end and went scoreless in the first 4 minutes while the Timberwolves scored 8 straight points to take a 62-56 lead. Dallas responded by knocking down 2 back to back three pointers from Kristaps Porzingis and Dorian Finney-Smith that ignited a 11-0 run leading to a Maverick lead midway through the third quarter. The Mavericks had an offensive explosion at the right time and made it seem like the bad first quarter and the slow start to the same quarter didn’t exist. Luka Doncic, Kristaps Porzingis, Tim Hardaway Jr and Dorian Finney-Smith connected on 55% of their shot attempts combined, setting the tone for the Mavericks on the offensive end.
The Mavericks scored a ton of hustle points in the third quarter moving with intent to gather themselves and were successful. Dallas finished the third quarter with a 86-74 lead and turned this game that was once close into a nearly insurmountable lead.
The fourth quarter Luka Doncic came alive after having a rough performance in the three quarters prior and scored 8 points with two of those shots coming from beyond the arc. Jalen Brunson and Josh Richardson shared the load with Doncic and combined to score 11 of the Mavericks points pushing their double digit lead to 23 points. If there was any hope left for the Timberwolves, Tim Hardaway Jr made sure to erase it. Hardaway Jr had an explosive fourth quarter scoring 8 points and dropped 2 daggers from the three to seal the deal and give the Mavericks their 5th victory in the month of March.
Despite Luka having trouble scoring tonight the Mavericks found ways to take down an opponent that doesn’t live up to the western juggernaut billing. 7 Mavericks finished the night in double figures and two with 20+ points. Kristaps Porzingis led the way with 29 points and Tim Hardaway Jr finished the night with 21 points converting on 5 shots from the perimeter.
It wasn’t an ugly win, but it wasn’t a pretty one either. Regardless, it’s another W in the win column and the Mavericks need a bunch of those to close the gap in the western conference playoff race.
