The Dallas Mavericks traveled north to play the Minnesota Timberwolves on the second night of a back-to-back. It’s 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 with their usual lineups, with Dallas going 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 right before the season started, so they’re still working out the kinks there.

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Anthony Edwards started the game with a stop on Irving, atoning for his callout of Irving before last year’s series, and then closed with a smart layup at the basket on the other end. Dallas’ next eight points came in the paint, as it was unafraid of Gobert’s presence. Edwards had 10 of Minnesota’s first 12 points, giving them a 12-11 lead, but Dallas responded immediately with a leaky dunk from Gafford.

The next few minutes went back and forth. Randle hit a three to give the TWolves the lead, then Luka Doncic responded with a touch finish (no foul) to tie the score, Jaden McDaniels responded with an easy two, then Doncic got the makeup and the one to the other. end to send the game to the first timeout.

Jason Kidd had to take a timeout after Anthony Edwards hit his fourth 3-pointer of the quarter, giving him 17 of Minnesota’s first 27 points. He was already 6/8 off the floor and definitely feeling it. That heating didn’t continue until after the timeout, as he scored a total of 24 points in the opening frame, giving the Wolves a 34-26 lead heading into the second. Dallas hung around for most of the quarter, but collapsed in the final few minutes.

Minnesota would break open 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 string of consistent turnovers. However, a transition finish from PJ Washington and a third from Kyrie Irving would quickly bring the game back to five points. At that point, Minnesota had made ten three-pointers to Dallas’ three, but the game was still within striking distance.

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

Luka Doncic would head to the locker room a few minutes before halftime after an apparent lower leg injury, but the Mavs managed to hold on to a 61-59 lead at halftime. He led the team with 13 points, but Washington, Gafford and Irving also all scored in double figures. After 24 points in the first quarter, Edwards was held scoreless in the second quarter, with just one shot attempted.

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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 pair of threes from PJ Washington and Kyrie Irving, followed by an Irving leak, cut the lead to two. Irving pushed them forward again with a step-in three.

Minnesota was ice cold in the middle of the period, with an 1/8 stretch allowing Dallas to go up seven points after Quentin Grimes’ second three-pointer of the night. He had hit another three after Minnesota’s free throws, giving the Mavs their biggest lead of night eight. Another three from Kyrie Irving pushed the lead even further to 11. Heading into the 4th, Dallas had taken a commanding 93-82 lead.

Naz Reid and Luka Doncic swapped stocks to start the fourth quarter. Minnesota started to chip away at the lead when Nickeil Alexander-Walker and Jaden McDaniels hit threes to cut the lead to five, but Kyrie Irving did a great job keeping the offense afloat.

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

Rudy Gobert cut the lead to two with free throws, but Kyrie Irving felt it and hit a late three on Randle to push the lead back to five. A few possessions later, the officials missed PJ Washington stepping out of bounds on an offensive rebound, which led to Luka Doncic hitting a BOMB from three yards behind the three-point line, pushing the lead back to eight with just over a minute left. other. That was his first and only made 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 hit both free throws on the other side to push. the lead 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 the biggest concerns for Dallas in this game. Minnesota was red-hot all 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’ lead.

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

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

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

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