The undermanned Dallas Mavericks almost got away with a win against the Minnesota Timberwolves at home behind Kyrie Irving’s stellar performance. However, the Wolves spread scoring and timely defense gave Minnesota their 23rd win of the season.
Irving erupts for 36 points and 9 assists while P.J. Washington got up for 30 points and 7 rebounds. Big man Daniel Gafford was once again useful, putting up 14 points, 12 rebounds, and 3 blocks.
Irving torching his defenders isn’t new, but the All-Star guard’s scoring prowess on Thursday led to another NBA career milestone after Kyrie surpassed 18,000 career points. However, all of that went straight to waste after failing to get the dub via a subpar outing from the Mavs’ supporting cast.
Spencer Dinwiddie, Olivier-Maxence Spencer, and Quentin Grimes each got significant playing time (at least 25 minutes), but all of them only produced single digits. Compared to the Wolves, who had six players recording more than 12 points apiece, it’s obvious that Dallas needs to add more firepower. The impact of Luka Doncic and Dereck Lively II’s absence was also evident during that game. Before going down with injuries, Luka has been in his top shape as one of the best scorers in the league despite sharing the floor with Kyrie. D-Live, on the other hand, has always provided the team with energy, hustle, and the interior defense they badly need.
It also helped for Minnesota that Mike Conley and Jaden McDaniels were playing great basketball. The 37-year-old Conley finished with 18 points, 8 assists, and 5 rebounds while McDaniels, who played 40 minutes, led the Timberwolves with 27 points, including the clutch free throws to ice the game.
Minnesota and Dallas have faced each other in the Western Conference Finals in last year’s playoffs. Surprisingly, despite Dallas’ issues with injuries, they are virtually tied with the Wolves at 23-18.
