Player grades from Minnesota Timberwolves’ loss at the Dallas Mavericks
By Ben Beecken
The Minnesota Timberwolves once again fell behind by more than 20 points early in the game but fought back to make things interesting at the end.
122. 86. 127. 79. Final
The Minnesota Timberwolves have done it again.
The Wolves gave up 43 first-quarter points and trailed by 21 at halftime to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday.
On Monday, the Wolves gave up 43 first-quarter points and trailed by 20 at halftime to the Dallas Mavericks.
This time, the Wolves’ half-court defense was the culprit. Namely, slowing down Kristaps Porzingis was impossible early in teh game, and the offense simply couldn’t hold serve.
Then, D’Angelo Russell went down after only six minutes after apparently reinjuring his quadriceps, and the Wolves were down to just one point guard with Jordan McLaughlin inactive.
The Wolves were down 20 at halftime and only pushed to within 18 at the start of the fourth quarter. There were very few signs of life, until all of a sudden. Malik Beasley went off.
After scoring only three points in the first half and five in the third quarter, Beasley dropped 22 in the fourth quarter, including ripping down an offensive rebound and scoring in the final minute to pull the Wolves within three points.
But the defense couldn’t get a stop, and after a timeout, a contested 3-point attempt from Beasley clanged off the rim and the Wolves ultimately lost by five despite another furious comeback attempt.
Of course, falling behind by 21 after one quarter is not part of a winning recipe, and that’s what the coaching staff has to continue doing their best to eradicate from this team’s nightly agenda.
Minnesota Timberwolves Player Grades at Dallas Mavericks
Malik Beasley had a poor first half, but everything that happened in the fourth quarter made up for it. His final line of 30 points (10-21 FG, 6-12 3P, 4-6 FT), nine rebounds, six assists, a steal, a block, and zero turnovers, was nearly perfect. Beasley was on fire and competed on both ends of the floor, even leading the Wolves in rebounding on yet another night in which they were outmanned both in the paint and in the backcourt.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. MALIK BEASLEY. A
B. This was another weird game from Anthony Edwards. The 22 points and 3-of-8 from 3-point range are nice, but he still took 19 shots from the field and only grabbed two rebounds. Then again, he had four assists, two steals, two blocks, and only one turnover in 31 minutes. There was a stretch in the first half when the Wolves ran Edwards isolations seemingly every time down the floor, and the Mavs eventually decided to collapse the defense as the Wolves’ rookie began his forays to the rim and his shots were blocked repeatedly. Outside of that series of possessions, however, Edwards had a decent all-around game.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. ANTHONY EDWARDS
C-. After a strong weekend on OKC, Naz Reid came back down to earth a bit in this one. He struggled mightily with Porzingis; Kristaps dropped 10 points on Naz before the first quarter was even a few minutes old. Reid shot just 3-of-12, including 0-of-4 beyond the arc, and grabbed only two rebounds in 21 minutes. He was never comfortable, and the Wolves went with the undersized Jarred Vanderbilt at center for much of the fourth-quarter comeback.. Center. Minnesota Timberwolves. NAZ REID
RICKY RUBIO. B+. Ricky Rubio came off the bench but ended up tying a personal season-high with 34 minutes played after Russell went down with injury just six minutes in. After a rocky first quarter, Rubio settled down and had one of his better games. He finished with nine points (3-9 FG, 2-5 3P, 1-2 FT), seven assists, four rebounds and four steals with only one turnover and orchestrated the Wolves’ fourth-quarter comeback. We even were treated to some classic Rubio assists in the paint down the stretch that Wolves fans haven’t seen since Rubio’s first tour with the team.. Point Guard. Minnesota Timberwolves
B. Jarred Vanderbilt had another solid game, putting up a line of five points, four rebounds and three assists in 22 minutes, mostly as the backup to Reid at center. He has solidified a role as an energy/defensive-minded big, and the eventual fit next to Karl-Anthony Towns in stretches remains tantalizing.. Big. Minnesota Timberwolves. JARRED VANDERBILT
A-. Another night, another double-figures scoring performance from Jaylen Nowell. This time, he dropped 18 points in just 21 minutes, shooting 6-of-9 from the field and 5-of-6 from the free throw line. He also pulled down a season-high five rebound and chipped in a steal, a block, and an assist.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. JAYLEN NOWELL
Forward. Minnesota Timberwolves. JADEN MCDANIELS. C+. Jaden McDaniels struggled a bit in this one. The rookie still finished with six points and five rebounds, with all three of his shot attempts coming from beyond the arc. He was a bit out of it defensively at times and didn’t do enough on the glass given the Wolves’ shortcomings in this one, but it isn’t alarming for a 20-year-old to have blips like this.
A-. Josh Okogie was back in the starting lineup after being taken out on Saturday and playing just single-digit minutes in each of the last two games. He was given the main assignment of shadowing Luka Doncic and helped force him into seven turnovers and a 9-for-22 shooting night. Okogie was also perfect shooting the ball, making all three of his field goal attempts, including a three from the wing, and a 4-for-4 night from the free throw line. This was a nice bounce-back from Okogie, who also finished with a team-best +20 in the plus-minus column.. Wing. Minnesota Timberwolves. JOSH OKOGIE
Other Minnesota Timberwolves Players
Russell started but played only six minutes. He drained a pair of 3-point attempts in that time, however, and looked to be on his way to a big offensive performance before his quad injury flared up.
Jake Layman played only 12 minutes after receiving major run on Saturday. He was just 1-of-4 from the floor and grabbed only one rebound.
Ed Davis played five minutes and had two points and two rebounds with his bucket coming on one of patented, wild-looking offensive tip-ins.
Juancho Hernangomez finally got into a game after missing nearly a month following his COVID-19 diagnosis. He played nine fourth-quarter minutes and looked good for the most part, putting up five points and pulling down four rebounds. He hit a transition 3-pointer, too, which was a sight for sore eyes.
Next. Examining key issues with the Wolves' offense. dark
Up next for the Minnesota Timberwolves
The Wolves fly home for a one-game homestand. On Wednesday, they’ll host the LA Clippers before heading back out on the road for another two-game trip.