2 Mavericks Weaknesses That the Timberwolves Exploited

The Dallas Mavericks lost an ugly one to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, 133-94. It started fine. The Timberwolves took a 10-point lead early in the second quarter, the Mavericks cut it to one, and then it was an onslaught from there.

While the Mavericks had been one of the better feel-good stories in the NBA, this was a horrific loss. The Timberwolves are a good team, but they're without Anthony Edwards, so to lose by nearly 40 to them is borderline embarrassing.

This would typically be a "burn the tape" kind of game, but head coach Dusty May wants to hold them accountable for it and make sure they learn from it.

At the same time, the Timberwolves did a great job of exposing two big weaknesses of the Mavericks. Let's take a look at those weaknesses.

Nov 12, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jaden McDaniels (3) dribbles the ball past Dallas Mavericks guard Kyrie Irving (11) in the second half at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Mavericks Lack a Third Scorer

The Timberwolves had the length and physicality to bother Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving, as the pair combined for 22 points on 9/23 shooting and three turnovers. They did a great job of putting bigger defenders on Irving, while Flagg saw multiple defenders on any drive.

The two stars were also being a little more passive than normal, which didn't help matters, but the Mavericks don't have anyone else who can consistently make a defense pay. Zaccharie Risacher led the team in scoring with 22 points, but 15 of those came in the second half when the game was well out of hand.

While Risacher has been a solid role player for the Mavs, any team is going to be more than happy letting him take 14 shots in a game, especially when he's attempting more shots than Flagg and Irving.

Naji Marshall wasn't that effective in this game, Max Christie is now out of the main rotation entirely, and Walter Clayton Jr. really struggled in this game. The point is that the Mavericks don't have a pure third scorer. I would really like them to explore add another scorer, whether it's in a trade or in the buyout market.

Point-of-Attack Defense Still an Issue

Caleb Martin has been admirable on the perimeter, but they're probably overextending his usefulness by having him in the starting lineup. Naji Marshall and Cooper Flagg haven't been as good as on-ball defenders this year (especially Marshall), and they don't trust anyone else for major minutes.

The Mavericks gave up 74 points in the paint. Some of that comes from not having the shot-blocking Dereck Lively II healthy, but it would be great if the ball-handlers couldn't get into the paint to begin with.

While it would be great to add a guard who is a great scorer and defender, the Mavericks may not have the assets to make that happen. Either way, if the Mavericks want to contend with the pairing of Flagg and Irving, they'll need to address these two issues.

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