The Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t just win on Thursday night, they absolutely annihilated the Dallas Mavericks, cruising to a stunning 133-94 blowout victory at the Target Center. Seriously, a 39-point thrashing is something else, especially when the Wolves were only 5.5-point favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook. LaMelo Ball led the charge, putting on a stellar performance that Dallas simply had no answer for from the jump.
Minnesota Just Kept Punching
You wouldn’t have believed this score just looking at the first quarter. Dallas actually had a 24-19 lead late in the period! But then, Minnesota flipped a switch. They ripped off an insane 15-2 run, capped by a buzzer-beating triple from Jaylen Clark, and the momentum was theirs. The Mavs tried to fight back, cutting the deficit to just one point midway through the second quarter, but they couldn’t get back in front. Minnesota started building that double-digit lead again and never looked back, heading into halftime up 67-52. The third quarter was just brutal. Minnesota outscored Dallas 36-17, extending their lead to as many as 44 points in the second half. It was a clinic, and Dallas was just trying to survive.
The Numbers Don’t Lie
This wasn’t just a scoring outburst, it was total domination across the board. The Timberwolves absolutely feasted in the paint, scoring a ridiculous 74 points there compared to just 42 for Dallas. They also owned the glass, pulling down 50 rebounds to the Mavericks’ 38. Talk about being physical! LaMelo Ball was the architect of all this, dishing out 9 assists to go with his 22 points and 3 boards. But he wasn’t alone. Bones Hyland was electric off the bench, dropping 24 points and 8 assists, plus 3 rebounds. Ayo Dosunmu added 18 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block, and 1 steal. Jaden McDaniels contributed 16 points and an impressive 9 rebounds, along with 3 assists and a block. For Dallas, Zaccharie Risacher had a solid 22 points, 6 rebounds, 3 assists, a block, and 2 steals, and Cooper Flagg put up 12 points, 7 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. But even those performances couldn’t hide the struggles, especially when Kyrie Irving could only manage 10 points, 3 rebounds, 4 assists, and a block.
The Timberwolves now boast a strong 9-3 record, looking like a real force early in the season. For the Mavericks, this kind of loss is a wake-up call, dropping them to 7-5. They’ve got to figure out how to stop the bleeding, especially down low, if they want to get back on track.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Bleacher Report.
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