Minnesota Timberwolves: Player grades from win over Mavericks
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves dodged a bullet late and held on to beat the Dallas Mavericks on the road on Wednesday night.
Final. 108. 79. 110. 86
The Minnesota Timberwolves had lost two straight after the emotional win over the Golden State Warriors last Friday night, but they managed to turn things back around in Dallas on Wednesday.
After a few poor showings in a row, Karl-Anthony Towns showed up in this one, scoring 28 points on a pristine 12-of-15 shooting and pulling down 13 rebounds, dishing out three assists and swatting away three shots. He out-dueled Dallas rookie Luka Doncic, who finished with 27 points, 12 rebounds, and six assists but took 21 shots to get to his final scoring total.
The Wolves built a 10-point lead in the first quarter but were ultimately tied at the end of the frame and tied again at halftime. Then, they took control in the third quarter and had a 10-point lead again headed into the fourth.
The fourth quarter featured plenty of ties and lead changed as the Mavericks fought back and suddenly began clicking on offense. The Wolves’ defense faltered a bit as Dallas finally began knocking their open 3-point attempts, and the game became a back-and-forth affair down the stretch.
Towns and Doncic traded buckets for a few possessions and Andrew Wiggins completed a key 3-point play to tie the game up with 2:01 remaining on the clock. Then, with the game tied and 19 seconds left, Wiggins scored at the rim to give the Wolves a two-point lead.
After a timeout, Doncic had Josh Okogie in isolation and could have shot an open jumper for the tie or the lead after Okogie slipped to the floor. But he kicked it to a wide-open Jalen Brunson, who missed the potential game-winning 3-pointer at the buzzer.
Overall, it was a solid performance by the Wolves despite their defensive struggles in the fourth quarter, and it was good to see both Towns and Wiggins turn in solid performances on the same night.
A. After three-straight down games, Towns came to play in this one. KAT finished with a game-high 28 points on a sparkling 12-of-15 from the floor. Strangely, he didn’t attempt a 3-pointer — the first time that’s happened since the regular season finale against Denver last year, 357 days ago. Towns also pulled down 13 rebounds and had three assists and three blocks in a fantastic all-around performance.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. KARL-ANTHONY TOWNS
B+. Wiggins was decent once again, supporting Towns with 19 points (6-15 FG, 1-5 3P, 6-6 FT). He also dished out seven assists, his highest single-game total since he handed out seven against New Orleans back on Feb. 8. He also had three rebounds and two steals.. Guard/Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANDREW WIGGINS
B-. Saric was active but inefficient, finishing with 14 points on 5-of-14 shooting, making only two of his eight attempts from beyond the arc. He also pitched in five rebounds, three assists, and a steal. He’ll need to become more consistent from 3-point range to truly be a perfect complement to Towns in the frontcourt, but this was generally a decent game from Dario.. Power Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. DARIO SARIC
Minnesota Timberwolves. JOSH OKOGIE. B+. Okogie did a good job sticking to Doncic throughout the game and wasn’t able to provide much of his own offense. He finished with nine points, three rebounds, and assist and a steal and had a couple of nice drives to the basket. The key to this game for Okogie, however, was his stellar defense.. Guard/Forward
A. Jones was fantastic for a second consecutive game. His 15 points came on 6-of-9 shooting including a perfect 3-for-3 from behind the 3-point line. Jones also distributed six assists and committed zero turnovers in 30 minutes of play.. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. TYUS JONES
D. Another poor game for Tolliver, going scoreless in 12 minutes and missing all three of his 3-point attempts. He also had two rebounds and two turnovers.. Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY TOLLIVER
Minnesota Timberwolves. GORGUI DIENG. A-. <a rel=. Center
B. Bayless played a much smaller role in this one due to strong play from <a rel=. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves. JERRYD BAYLESS
The rest of the players
Keita Bates-Diop had another mini stuff-the-stat-sheet game, putting up five points, two rebounds, two steals, and an assist in 20 minutes. Cameron Reynolds had seven point and four rebounds in 15 minutes and continues to impress.
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What’s Next?
The Timberwolves have Friday off before hosting the Miami Heat on Saturday night at 7 p.m. CT at Target Center.