D’Angelo Russell has never been afraid to take control of a possession, but his latest moment went viral for all the wrong reasons. Late in the Mavericks’ 120-96 loss to the Timberwolves, he brought the ball up the floor, called for several picks, tried a few actions, but failed to create any meaningful movement.
With the shot clock expiring, he then passed the ball to Naji Marshall with just three seconds left. Marshall tried to create something, got some separation from Naz Reid, but was forced into a long jumper. It never had a chance.
Nah man D’Angelo Russell really dribbled the ball for 21 seconds and passed somebody a grenade with 3 seconds left on the shot clock 😂😂
— Hater Report (@HaterReport_) November 18, 2025
That clip spread fast because it captured exactly how easy Dallas made life for Minnesota. The Wolves barely had to think. They switched a couple of screens, stayed in front, and never had to scramble or rotate. The play didn’t break down. It never even started. The issue wasn’t the miss. The issue was how predictable and stagnant the possession looked from the jump.
And the truth is, this wasn’t new. Dallas has spent the last couple of weeks stuck in similar stretches where the offense slows to a crawl. When his rhythm isn’t there, the team’s entire structure wobbles.
That’s a problem because Dallas is sinking fast. They are near the bottom of the league in almost everything tied to offensive success. They rank 29th in offensive rating, 28th in scoring, 25th in field goal percentage, 29th in three pointers, 29th at the free throw line, 27th in assists, and dead last in turnovers. Their defense has been sharp enough to keep them in games, sitting fourth in the NBA. The offense has wiped out the benefit.
This is part of why the organization is drifting toward a full reset. At 4-11, the Anthony Davis rumors grow by the day. Several teams want him, though many want him to shed weight before they get serious. The Mavericks’ roster feels unstable and directionless. Russell’s struggles aren’t the cause of the collapse, but they illustrate it better than anything else.
Minnesota showed the gap between these teams the moment the game tipped. Naz Reid caught fire and dropped 22 points. Six Wolves scored in double figures. They moved the ball, defended with intention, and looked like a team playing inside a clear identity. They’ve won five of six, and even on a quiet night from Anthony Edwards, they controlled every important stretch.
Dallas didn’t have Daniel Gafford, Dereck Lively II, or Davis, which didn’t help. Cooper Flagg and Brandon Williams were bright spots with fifteen each, but the Mavericks fell behind early and never found a real foothold. The Wolves pushed the lead to thirty by the third quarter, and the rest was formality.
Dallas needed a steady hand at point guard. Someone to settle the pace, get them into sets, and calm the game before it unraveled. Instead, the moment that defined the night was Russell dribbling 21 seconds into a possession that never developed.
One play doesn’t tell the whole story of a season. But in this case, it comes pretty close.
