Mavericks at Timberwolves Tonight: Two Win Streaks Collide in Minneapolis, and Dallas Has Not Beaten Minnesota Since the Doncic Era
Dallas (7-4) has won three straight. Minnesota (8-3) has won four straight — and five of six without Anthony Edwards, who is out again after knee surgery. Something gives at Target Center tonight (7 p.m. CT, KFAA 29 and NBA TV), where the Mavericks have lost six straight meetings with the Wolves.
MINNEAPOLIS — Someone's streak ends tonight. The Dallas Mavericks open their weekend road trip at Target Center on Thursday night (tip just after 7 p.m. CT) riding three straight wins, capped by Monday's 125-122 finish against Indiana that completed a season-series sweep of the Pacers. The Minnesota Timberwolves, rested since Sunday, have won four in a row and sit at 8-3. Dallas is 7-4, a game back in the loss column, and the recent history is all Minnesota: the Wolves have won the last six meetings, and the Mavericks have not beaten them since the Luka Doncic era — since the franchises met in the 2024 Western Conference Finals, as Mavs Moneyball's preview puts it.
The puzzle for Dallas is that Minnesota keeps winning without its best player. Anthony Edwards, who averaged over 33 points a game this season, has been out since arthroscopic knee surgery on October 29, and the Wolves have won five of six without him, four by double digits — by committee: LaMelo Ball averaging 18 points and six assists, Jaden McDaniels a career-best 17 a night, Ayo Dosunmu 18.1 points on nearly 47% shooting from three, and Rudy Gobert anchoring the middle. Edwards is out again tonight, as is Donte DiVincenzo (Achilles). Dallas's own list is shorter than it was: Dereck Lively II (foot), Tarik Biberovic (heel) and Sergio de Larrea (knee) remain out, with Morez Johnson Jr. (lower leg) a game-time decision.
Dallas's counter is the hottest young player in the league and a veteran in form. Cooper Flagg has gone six for his last eleven from three over the last two games, shooting over 60% from the floor in both — the outside shot, as the previews note, is what opens the floor for everything else he does — and Kyrie Irving poured in 35 in Monday's win. The test is specific: Minnesota's perimeter length and Gobert at the rim are built to make Flagg work for his looks, and the Wolves, 10-1 against the spread on the betting pages' count, have been the league's most reliable cover for a reason.
How to watch: KFAA Channel 29 or the Mavs TV app locally, NBA TV outside Dallas, and KRLD 105.3 The Fan on radio. The swing continues at Cleveland on Saturday — the Cavaliers who beat the Knicks at the Garden on Wednesday — and Boston after that. Tonight's final files within 45 minutes of the buzzer on this desk.
