Mavs Surge Late For Crucial Win Over Timberwolves With Strange Circumstances
Looking for a change in momentum after losing consecutive games for the first time, the Mavericks faced the streaking Minnesota Timberwolves on a stormy Monday night in Dallas.
After 13 lead changes and a series of strange plays at the end, the Mavs prevailed 110-108 over the scrappy Timberwolves.
Dallas (44-28) took the lead for good with a 7-0 run late, and withstood a series of trips to the free throw line by Patrick Beverley sandwiched by a lengthy officials' review. The Mavs now lead the Wolves (42-31) by 2.5 games in the Western Conference standings.
With Dallas up 110-107 with 10 seconds left, Beverley was fouled and missed both free throws. The Mavs issued a coaching challenge with 5.4 seconds left on Doncic being called for a foul Beverley on his intentionally missed second free throw.
The call was overturned, leading to a jump ball. Beverley ended up with the ball after the tip, with Doncic committing a foul with 2.5 seconds left. Beverley made the first free throw, intentionally missed the second and Karl-Anthony Towns grabbed an offensive rebound but couldn't get off a decent shot as the game ended.
The game also featured a 19-minute delay, as the extreme weather in the area led to a water leak in the American Airlines Arena roof in front of the Minnesota bench.
The stoppage appeared to throw a visibly frustrated Luka Doncic off, as the MVP candidate and one of the NBA's best first-quarter players committed four turnovers in the first nine minutes and didn't the second quarter.
The Mavs were able to grab a 60-54 first half lead despite Doncic only scoring seven points with six turnovers. Dwight Powell stepped up with 16 points and Spencer Dinwiddie added 12 off the bench. Powell had his fourth 20-point game of the season, with a game-high-tying 22 points on a perfect 8-8 shooting night with 8 rebounds before fouling out with 3:23 left.
© Brian Westerholt-USA TODAY Sports
© Brian Westerholt-USA TODAY Sports
© Brian Westerholt-USA TODAY Sports
After missing four games due to a personal matter, Reggie Bullock returned to the starting line up. Bullock helped the Mavs go on a 8-0 to start the third quarter to extend their lead. Bullock was one of the six Mavs to score more that 15 points, joining Powell, Dinwiddie, Doncic, Jalen Brunson and Dorian Finney-Smith.
The Timberwolves are the highest-scoring team in the NBA at 115.5 points per game. Anthony-Towns scored 22, with Anthony Edwards added 19 points.
In the fourth quarter, the Mavs struggled from beyond the arc (27 percent). However, clutch shooting from deep by Finney-Smith and Bullock in the final minute gave Dallas a needed cushion.
Dallas is entering a crucial stretch in terms of playoff positioning. With just 10 games remaining, Dallas is in fifth place, but uncomfortably close to the NBA Playoffs Play-In Tournament. After the victory, Dallas' odds to be in the play-in tournament dropped from +1300 to +3000... But with seeds two-through-seven separated by single-digit games in the west, every game is important.
Dallas has Houston at home Wednesday before a Friday rematch at Minnesota. The Mavs return to Dallas for game Sunday against Utah, which is in fourth place.
