The Dallas Mavericks come away with the win against a hot Minnesota Timberwolves team. The game had playoff implications for both teams – more so the Timberwolves than the Mavericks. The game was extremely physical and a lot of contacts was allowed by the referees. The Mavericks eventually won because they had a better team contribution compared to the Timberwolves.
The Dallas Mavericks were led in scoring by Dwight Powell who had 22 points. There were 6 Mavericks players in double digits and all of them scored 15 or more points in the game. Luka Doncic had 15 points and 10 assists, Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith had 15 points as well. The other players with double-digit scoring were Reggie Bullock (18 points) and Spencer Dinwiddie (20 points and 8 rebounds).
The Timberwolves on the other hand had great scoring but only 4 players in double digits. Karl Anthony Towns led the team with 22 points and 8 rebounds. The other players that scored in double digits against the Mavericks were Anthony Edwards (19 points), D’Angelo Russell (18 points), and Taurean Prince (17 points). Ultimately the lack of production from the other players hurt the team.
The loss hurts the Timberwolves more than the win helps the Mavericks. While the Mavericks are in the Playoffs the Timberwolves are currently in the Play-in spot. With the win, the Timberwolves would have become the 6 seed over the Denver Nuggets. The loss brings them further away from the Denver Nuggets at 0.5 games. While the gap isn’t huge the win would have definitely helped them gain momentum moving forward.
The Mavericks are in the Playoffs as the 5 seed right now. They are competing with the Utah Jazz for the 4 seed. Getting the 4 seed would get the Mavericks home-court advantage in the first round of the Playoffs. With the Jazz losing today, the Mavericks inch closer to getting that 4-seed in the West.
