The Dallas Mavericks looked every bit like a team that emptied the tank the night before, and the Minnesota Timberwolves took full advantage.
Naz Reid scored a season-high 22 points and grabbed 12 rebounds off the bench, leading Minnesota to a 120-96 win over Dallas on Monday night at Target Center. The Wolves controlled the glass, pushed the pace and turned a competitive start into a blowout before halftime.
The Mavericks, coming off an overtime win over Portland on Sunday, were missing almost their entire frontcourt. Dereck Lively II rested on the second night of the back-to-back, Daniel Gafford sat with an ankle injury and Anthony Davis remained out with a calf strain. Rookie Moussa Cisse made his first career start, with Dwight Powell backing him up, but both bigs ran into early foul trouble and exposed an already thin rotation.
From there, Minnesota simply leaned on its depth and size.
Minnesota sets the tone early
Reid wasted no time attacking Dallas’ smaller lineups. He scored 10 points in the first quarter, carving out space inside and stretching the floor from beyond the arc. Minnesota led 34-21 after one and never let the lead dip back into single digits.
Jaden McDaniels finished with 15 points and knocked down three key three-pointers that pushed the margin into blowout territory in the third quarter. Rudy Gobert added 15 points and nine rebounds, while Anthony Edwards had a quieter night with 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting as the Wolves spread the scoring around.
Minnesota dominated most of the numbers that matter: a 59-43 edge in rebounds, 27-13 in assists and 16-7 in steals. The Wolves also forced 20 Dallas turnovers and turned those mistakes into easy points.
Dallas runs out of gas
For Dallas, the loss looked like a mixture of tired legs, missing pieces and familiar offensive issues. The Mavericks fell to 4-11 and dropped to 1-2 in the second game of back-to-backs this season.
Cooper Flagg and Brandon Williams each scored 15 points. P.J. Washington added 13 points and seven rebounds, and Jaden Hardy came off the bench to score 17, most of it with the game out of reach.
Flagg, coming off a standout performance against the Trail Blazers, again did most of his work after halftime. The No. 1 pick had just four points in the first half as Dallas struggled to get him involved. He opened the third quarter with a finger roll and a pair of jumpers to reach double figures for the 11th straight game, but by then Minnesota’s lead was already hovering around 20.
Flagg finished 6-for-10 from the field and 2-for-3 from three-point range. It was his fifth straight game with at least 15 points, one of the few positives on a rough night for Dallas.
Turnovers, fouls and mismatches tell the story
The same problems that have haunted the Mavericks all season showed up again. Dallas turned the ball over seven times in the first quarter and 20 times total, often gifting Minnesota transition opportunities. With Cisse and Powell each picking up three fouls before halftime, Jason Kidd was forced into small-ball looks with Washington, Flagg and Caleb Martin trying to hold up inside.
That experiment never really worked. Minnesota repeatedly attacked the paint, finished through contact and pounded the offensive glass. Dallas also missed 12 free throws, going 19-for-31, continuing a recent trend that has cost them chances to stay competitive in games.
By halftime, the Wolves led 61-44. The third quarter turned it into a blowout.
Wolves cruise through the second half
Minnesota opened the third on a surge fueled by McDaniels, Donte DiVincenzo and Gobert. The lead ballooned to 30 on Gobert’s putback dunk and then on a fading three from Reid at the end of the quarter that pushed the score to 98-66.
From there, the Wolves were able to empty the bench and enjoy a comfortable finish. Dallas trimmed the deficit slightly in the fourth, but never made a serious push.
The Mavericks shot 40 percent from the field and 9-for-30 from three, failing to reach 100 points for the fifth time this season.
Up next
Dallas returns home to face the New York Knicks on Wednesday, hoping rest and a friendlier schedule can help stabilize a rocky start.
Minnesota continues its homestand on Wednesday against the Washington Wizards, looking for a fifth win in six games.
More NBA news:
- Ace Bailey put up the wildest foul out stats for Jazz
- Cooper Flagg finished with stats never done in NBA history even by LeBron
- The guy Draymond Green argued with courtside was really tall