Timberwolves build big lead, hang on vs. Mavericks to end three-game losing streak

Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Dec 25, 2024

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DALLAS – The Timberwolves needed a day like Wednesday. Not just because they didn’t want to lose on Christmas, but after their previous three games, they were a team in need of some cheer.

They got that with a 105-99 victory over the Mavericks, even if they almost made it a bleak holidays. Their much-maligned offense had one of its better performances in weeks as they grabbed ahold of the game in the second quarter, then held on despite a furious Dallas rally in the fourth that cut a 28-point Wolves lead to two.

Possession by possession, Dallas crept back into it as a once-fluid Wolves offense went stagnant and Kyrie Irving took over after Luka Doncic left in the second quarter because of a calf injury. They cut it to two on a Klay Thompson 3-pointer with 1 minute, 5 seconds remaining.

Following a Mavericks timeout, Irving missed a 3, and Anthony Edwards got to the rim for a layup with 18.6 seconds remaining and a four-point Wolves lead. Thompson missed on the other end, and Julius Randle iced it with free throws.

Irving finished with 39 points.

Randle, who got to celebrate Christmas in his hometown, played like the team and fans would like to see moving forward. He had 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Rudy Gobert was effective on the offensive end, and Randle hit him for multiple easy buckets at the rim for 14 points. Gobert also added 10 rebounds. Edwards finished with 26 points on 11-for-24 shooting.

How it happened

The Wolves offense had a decent start before coming to a standstill halfway through the first quarter. Over a period of 5 minutes, 13 seconds, the Wolves had just one field goal and fell behind 24-19. But they closed the quarter strong with a 7-0 run to take a 26-24 lead through one. The Wolves held Dallas to just 39% shooting in the quarter.

The second quarter belonged to the Wolves as Doncic came up injured late in the quarter with a left calf strain and exited the game. Before his exit, the Wolves did their damage. On defense, they limited Dallas to just 16 points and 5-for-20 shooting from the floor. On offense, they got on a run thanks to three first-half 3s from Donte DiVincenzo. Edwards had 13 points and four assists in the first half, and the Wolves did a good job finding Gobert, who had 10 points and eight rebounds in the first half. Randle had 11 points and seven assists as the Wolves led 57-40 at the break.

Irving tried to shoot the Mavericks back into it during the third quarter — he had 11 points — but the Wolves offense was humming at a level it hasn’t experienced in recent weeks. The Wolves hung 33 points in the quarter and increased their lead to 22 entering the fourth.

Then the Wolves tried to hang on for dear life.

That’s ironic

The Wolves lost a challenge late in the game in the worst way they could. Not only was their challenge of a Dallas out-of-bounds ruling off Irving unsuccessful, officials said Jaden McDaniels fouled Irving on the play. This result was only made possible after the NBA changed the rule in the offseason to allow officials to call a foul if they determine that caused the ball to go out. The impetus for the rule change? An apparent Irving foul on McDaniels in a Western Conference playoff game that wasn’t overturned in the Wolves’ favor.

Player of the game

In his return to his hometown, Randle played one of his better games of the season. He filled up the stat sheet and helped facilitate good offense most of the night.