The Dallas Mavericks traveled north to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second night of a back-to-back. This is the first rematch of last year’s Western Conference Finals, and the Wolves wanted to make up for last season’s disappointment.

Both teams started their usual lineups, Dallas with Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving, Klay Thompson, PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford, and the Timberwolves with Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle and Rudy Gobert. Their addition of Randle came just before the season started, so they are still working out the kinks.

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Anthony Edwards started the game with a stop on Irving, atoning for his call on Irving before last year’s series, then finished with a nifty layup to the basket on the other end. Dallas’ next eight points came in the paint, unafraid of Gobert’s presence. Edwards had 10 of Minnesota’s first 12 points to give them a 12-11 lead, but Dallas responded immediately with a runaway dunk from Gafford.

The next few minutes were back and forth. Randle hit a three to give the TWolves the lead, then Luka Doncic responded with a contact finish (clean) to tie it, Jaden McDaniels responded with an easy two, then Doncic got the makeup and one on the other. end to send the game to its first timeout.

Jason Kidd was forced to take a timeout after Anthony Edwards made his fourth three-pointer of the quarter to give him 17 of Minnesota’s first 27 points. He was already 6/8 off the ground and absolutely feeling it. That heat only continued after the timeout, as he scored a total of 24 points in the first period to give the Wolves a 34-26 lead heading into the second. Dallas hung around for most of the quarter but fell apart in the final minutes.

Minnesota took a 10-point lead to start the second quarter after Daniel Gafford left the game with an apparent lower leg injury (he would later return), and Dallas suffered a rare streak of constant turnovers . However, a PJ Washington transition and Kyrie Irving three would quickly bring the game back to five points. At this point, Minnesota had made ten three-pointers to Dallas’ three, but the game was still within reach.

Dallas would take the lead with just over 4:30 left in the period after a transition three by PJ Washington, then Luka Doncic lobbing to Derek Lively II. A Klay Thompson technical free throw and a three-pointer pushed the Mavs’ lead to five to give them their largest lead to that point. A few baskets later, Randle regained the lead for Minnesota before Washington responded with a three at the other end.

Luka Doncic headed to the locker room a few minutes before halftime after an apparent lower leg injury, but the Mavs managed to maintain a 61-59 lead going into the break. He led the team with 13 points, but Washington, Gafford and Irving were also in double figures. After 24 points in the first quarter, Edwards was held scoreless in the second quarter, attempting only one shot.

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Doncic came out of the locker room to start the second half, but Minnesota scored the first ten points to take a 69-61 lead before coach Kidd called a timeout. But a couple of threes from PJ Washington and Kyrie Irving, then an escape from Irving, cut the lead to two. Irving put them back with a step-in three.

Minnesota was ice cold in the middle of the period, going down 1/8, which put Dallas up by seven points after Quentin Grimes’ second three-pointer of the night. He had hit three more after Minnesota’s free throws to give the Mavs their largest lead of the night – eight. Another three from Kyrie Irving pushed the lead even further to 11. Before the 4th, Dallas had taken a commanding 93-82 lead.

Naz Reid and Luka Doncic traded baskets to start the fourth quarter. Minnesota began to chip away at the lead with Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaden McDaniels hitting threes to bring the lead back to five, but Kyrie Irving was doing a tremendous job of keeping the offense afloat.

With five minutes remaining, Dallas led by five. Alexander-Walker hit a running bank shot to cut the lead to three, but Irving responded with a tough layup at the other end. McDaniels breaking away for a wide-open layup forced a timeout from the Mavs with four minutes remaining. After the timeout, they released Washington for a wide-open lob, and Minnesota took a timeout shortly after to lead in the final three minutes of the game.

Rudy Gobert cut the lead to two with free throws, but Kyrie Irving was feeling it and hit a late three against Randle to cut the lead to five. A few possessions later, the refs missed PJ Washington’s release on an offensive rebound, leading to Luka Doncic hitting a BOMB from ten feet behind the three-point line, bringing the lead back to eight with just over ‘one minute. remaining. It was his first and made only three of the night.

Anthony Edwards hit a big three to cut the lead to four in the final 30 seconds, and Kyrie Irving missed both free throws to make the game interesting, but Naji Marshall picked Edwards’ pocket and made both free throws at the other end to push. the lead is back to six with 12.6 seconds left. That would be enough for Dallas to win 120-114 and move to 3-1 on the season.

Three-point defense and rebounding from the free throw line were Dallas’ biggest concerns in this game. Minnesota was red-hot throughout the game, finishing 19/39 from behind the arc, and the Mavs gave up at least three offensive rebounds on missed free throws, and that almost always leads to points.

The biggest difference in the game was turnovers, as Minnesota turned the ball over 20 times to Dallas’ 9. In the second half alone, it was 10-1, Dallas’ advantage.

Kyrie Irving led the Mavericks with 35 points, and after struggling in the first half, Doncic bounced back a bit to finish with 24 points, adding eight rebounds and nine assists. PJ Washington (17 points, eight rebounds) and Daniel Gafford (14 points) also finished in double figures, with Derek Lively II adding nine rebounds and three steals.

Minnesota was led by 37 points from Anthony Edwards, who calmed down after his torrid first quarter. The Timberwolves also had four other players score in double figures to help: Julius Randle (20 points), Naz Reid (14), Jaden McDaniels (13) and Nickeil Alexander-Walker (11).

The Mavericks return home to face the Rockets on Thursday night.

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