The Minnesota Timberwolves picked up a close 115-114 win against the Dallas Mavericks in the American Airlines Center in Dallas. This was an uncomfortable win for the Timberwolves, as the Mavericks suited up with seven players on the injury list. But a win is a win, and the Wolves picked this one up to improve to the West’s No. 8 seed.
Jaden McDaniels had a terrific night with 27 points (10-18 FG), eight rebounds, four steals, and three blocks, leading the Timberwolves. Anthony Edwards chipped in with 21 points (6-19 FG), five rebounds, and seven assists while Mike Conley had 18 points, (6-9 FG) five rebounds, eight assists, and two steals. Julius Randle (16 PTS, 4-13 FG), Rudy Gobert (12 PTS, 3-4 FG), and Naz Reid (12 PTS, 5-9 FG) all contributed as well.
The Mavericks were led by a two-headed monster. Kyrie Irving scored 36 points (12-21 FG) with nine assists while P.J. Washington had 30 points (12-22 FG) and seven rebounds. Daniel Gafford had 14 points (6-11 FG), 12 rebounds, and three blocks while Maxi Kleber came off the bench for 10 points (4-5 FG). No other Maverick scored in double-digits
Let’s take a deeper look at this game and analyze its major takeaways.
Too Close For Comfort
The Mavericks came into this game with a 3-10 record in their last 13 games, completely falling off the wagon since Luka Doncic’s Christmas Day injury against the Timberwolves. The Mavericks made a 28-point comeback and barely lost that game, with this contest also being too close for a Wolves team that should be dominating the short-handed Mavericks.
The Timberwolves performed at an average level, shooting 37-81 from the field (45.7 FG%) and 11-29 from three (37.9 3P%). They maximized getting to the free throw line, going 30-34 (88.2 FT%) and essentially winning the game at the line compared to the Mavs going 16-19 in their attempts.
The Mavericks were overall outplayed across the board, getting out-rebounded 39-38, out-assisted 26-24, out-stolen 10-5, and out-blocked 8-4. What kept this game close was Dallas’ scoring success on two-pointers, going 37-51 on two-pointers (45-90 from the field).
The Wolves would’ve wanted a more convincing win tonight, but they won’t be beaten up over it because the outcome went their way despite the Mavs’ best efforts.
Mavericks Injuries Have Decimated Them
There is a small chance the Mavericks are forced to abandon their hopes of contention this season after a flurry of injuries that has decimated the team. They have been struggling with minor injuries from the start of the season, but their woes have gotten worse over the last month ever since Luka Doncic went out with his calf injury.
The Mavericks were without Dereck Lively (right ankle stress fracture), Klay Thompson (left ankle sprain), Naji Marshall (illness), Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain), Dwight Powell (right hip strain), and Dante Exum (right wrist surgery). Outside Powell, each player is a proper rotational contributor for the Mavericks and their absence reduced the Mavs’ playable rotation to just eight players tonight.
Quentin Grimes rushed back from an injury after missing the last game to be available tonight and Kyrie Irving has also been playing through a back injury. Add to that, PJ Washington had to return early from a knee injury as well. This roster is in complete disarray with these injuries and has fallen from the No. 3 seed to the No. 9 seed in the last month.
This injury-ridden stretch has seen some bad losses, including tanking teams such as the Portland Trail Blazers, New Orleans Pelicans, and Charlotte Hornets. They’re 23-21 right now and if they can’t stay above .500 by the time Doncic returns, their season might as well be over.
Wolves Rotation Is Uninspiring
The Timberwolves starting five all had solid games tonight, showing an ideal version of the five all performing at a high level. With Naz Reid (12 PTS, 6 REB) also having a decent game, the Timberwolves can safely say the top six players in their rotation showed up tonight. But these six don’t always have such games at the same time, usually putting additional pressure on Anthony Edwards.
The bigger problem is that their overall rotation doesn’t have much quality depth. Nickeil Alexander-Walker is a strong defensive option while Rob Dillingham is a promising rookie. Donte DiVincenzo is currently injured but he’s having a bad season in his own regard as well. They don’t have the depth beyond Edwards, Randle, Gobert, McDaniels, Conley, and Reid to consistently rely on, which explains why the team has regressed this season.
Even when they had rotational concerns last season, they had the top-end talent of Karl-Anthony Towns alongside Edwards. They don’t have that luxury at the top of the rotation but still have a rudimentary rotation without much dynamic play.
This is the second time they’ve barely escaped with a win over the injured Mavericks. While wins are wins, a contending team shouldn’t be pleased to have performed like this against a team with only eight playable options.
Thank you for being a valued reader of Fadeaway World. If you liked this article, please consider following us on Google News. We appreciate your support.
