The Dallas Mavericks faced a familiar opponent in their fourth game of the season: Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves. Tonight was their first matchup since the Western Conference Finals, which saw the Mavericks defeat the Timberwolves in a five-game series. The result was the same tonight, with the Mavericks getting the win (120-114) in hostile territory.
The Timberwolves had a chance down the stretch after Kyrie Irving missed two free throws but a late turnover (one of 20 in the game) sealed the result for Edwards and company, who shot 48.7% from three in the loss.
“Wolves got blessed with Kyrie missing BOTH free throws in the clutch and they immediately turn the ball over,” wrote a fan on X. “How the hell are they this sloppy with the ball??”
Fresh off an appearance in the NBA Finals, the Mavericks came into this season with big ambitions and tonight’s win is evidence that they are finally ready to take another step up in the NBA hierarchy.
“Mavs still the team to beat in the West,” wrote one X user. “With the best player in the league.”
The final score was based on a number of factors, but hot shooting from Kyrie Irving was no doubt part of the recipe for success. He finished with 35 points in the game, 5 rebounds, and 5 assists on 56.5% shooting. Mavericks fans were raving about his performance online and giving him credit for his successful Mavericks tenure so far:
“Kyrie Irving is a god-tier basketball player.”
Anthony Edwards (37 points, 6 rebounds, 12-20 FG) tried his best to drown out the Dallas Mavericks‘ scoring, but he just couldn’t keep up when his team struggled to get it going with horrible turnovers and anemic defense all night long. Rudy Gobert was a liability on offense, with just 7 points in 31 minutes, while Mike Conley scored just 9 points on 33.3% shooting. Regardless of the box score, it didn’t take the fans long to find something to blame.
“Guess KAT wasn’t the problem, huh,” said one fan in a message to the Wolves front office.
For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic was off by his standards with (24 points, 9 assists, and 8 rebounds on 10-27 FG) but it was still enough for his team to win the game and now they stand at 3-1 on the season with a potential MVP in Luka’s grasp.
“Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving just showed why they’re the best backcourt in the NBA,” posted a Mavericks loyalist.
It remains to be seen if the Mavericks can sustain this play through the season and into the playoffs but fans are convinced that they will be one of the last teams standing in the spring, just like how it was last year when they made it to the NBA Finals.
“What a win,” one Mavericks fan responded. “On the road vs a contending team on the 2nd night of a back to back, 5-game home stand coming up! Let’s go!”
As the season progresses, we’ll get a clearer picture as to which items are the biggest threat to winning the West, but the Mavericks have to be near the top right now given their sheer star power and experience with Klay Thompon added to the fold, they have another reliable shooter/teammate who can set the tone and stretch the floor with his skills.
This season, with so much at stake, the Mavericks are going to do whatever it takes to bring a title to Dallas. With one of the best rosters in basketball, the job now lies on the players and head coach Jason Kidd to put the talent together and make it all work.
After beating one of the best young teams in the league, the Mavericks showed they haven’t lost a beat from last season and the road through the West goes through them. Now if they can just stay healthy and get better on defense, the Mavericks could become the borderline favorites to win it all.
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