The Minnesota Timberwolves have the tall task of trying to get back on track against Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks on Wednesday in the first leg of a four-city road trip.
The Minnesota Timberwolves are about to put their sparkling road record to the test.
Somehow, the Wolves are 7-2 away from Target Center this season and just 3-7 at home. Of course, their only road wins against likely playoff teams came against the Nets on opening night and the Jazz, who the Wolves turned around and lost to at home a mere 48 hours later.
The Wolves’ other road wins came against the likes of Charlotte, Washington, Detroit, Atlanta, and San Antonio.
You have to play the schedule you’re given, of course, but that schedule is about to get a whole lot tougher for Ryan Saunders’ crew.
Wednesday night finds the Wolves in Dallas to take on the 14-6 Mavericks, who halted the Los Angeles’ Lakers 10-game winning streak over the weekend and dismantled the Pelicans in New Orleans on Tuesday night.
The two things the Wolves have going for them are that the Mavs are playing their second game in 24 hours, and that they’ve been great on the road so far this season. Beyond that, all signs point to a difficult hill for the Wolves to climb at American Airlines Center.
Timberwolves odds against the Mavericks
- Favorite: Mavericks (-4)
- Over/under: 230
- Moneyline: -180 Dallas/+150 Minnesota
- Odds courtesy of The Action Network. Displayed odds current as of Wednesday at 11:30 a.m. CT.
Tickets, TV and streaming info for Timberwolves at Mavericks
Television: Fox Sports North
Radio: 830 WCCO
Stream: Fubo.tv offers streaming options
Tickets: StubHub offers ticketing options
What to watch for in Wolves at Mavericks
The Mavericks are basically Luka Doncic plus a cadre of above-average shooters. This side of Seth Curry, there’s hardly a sharpshooter among them, but they combine to shoot 36.4 percent from 3-point range as a team, which is good enough to do damage alongside Doncic’s forays to the rim.
The Wolves will need to try and speed up the pace of the game. Doncic is going to get his, but the Wolves must do what they can to keep the Mavs to one shot on the offensive end of the floor instead of endless looks at the rim from beyond the arc.
Look for Minnesota to stick Josh Okogie on Doncic and see if he can check him one-on-one, allowing the rest of the Wolves’ defenders to stay home.
Injury Report
The Wolves will be without Jake Layman (toe). Everyone else should be available, which feels like some kind of trap.
The Mavericks are completely healthy, which is unfair.
Check back after the game for player grades. Enjoy it!