Minnesota Timberwolves 133, Dallas Mavericks 94: 74 points in the paint
Minnesota scored 74 in the paint and won the third quarter 36-17 to beat Dallas by 39 for a fifth straight win.
The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 133-94 at Target Center on Thursday night, and they did most of it at the rim. Minnesota scored 74 points in the paint to Dallas's 42 and shot 58 percent from the field. Dallas never found an answer.
The win is Minnesota's fifth in a row and moves the Wolves to 9-3. Dallas falls to 7-5.
How it was won
Dallas held a lead early, but its largest was five points. Minnesota won the first quarter 34-26 and the second 33-26 to take a 67-52 lead into halftime.
The third quarter settled it. Minnesota outscored Dallas 36-17, extending the lead to 103-69 with 12 minutes left. The Wolves' largest lead was 44. The fourth quarter, won 30-25 by Minnesota, was a formality.
The box score tells the same story from every angle:
- Shooting: Minnesota went 52-90 (58 percent). Dallas went 35-94 (37 percent).
- Threes: Minnesota made 15 of 32. Dallas made 13 but needed 48 attempts to get there.
- Rebounds: Minnesota 50, Dallas 38.
- Assists: Minnesota 33, Dallas 26.
- Turnovers: Dallas 19, Minnesota 17. Neither side was tidy, but Minnesota's shooting made its giveaways cheap.
Bones Hyland led Minnesota with 24 points and eight assists, going 5-6 from three. LaMelo Ball added 22 points and nine assists on 6-10 shooting from deep. Between them, the two guards made 11 of 16 threes and set up 17 baskets. Ayo Dosunmu scored 18 on 2-4 from three.
For Dallas, Zaccharie Risacher scored 22 with six rebounds and went 4-8 from three. Naji Marshall had 13 points and four assists. Cooper Flagg finished with 12 points, seven rebounds and three assists. Outside Risacher, the Mavericks went 9-40 from three, and that was the margin for error they did not have against a team living in the paint.
Against the number
Minnesota closed as a 5.5-point favorite and won by 39, covering by 33.5 points. Moneyline backers paid -223 for the Wolves, a price that implied roughly a 69 percent chance; Dallas closed at +185.
The total closed at 226.5, and the teams combined for 227. The over cashed by half a point, and it needed Minnesota's 133 to get there. Dallas's 94 did almost nothing for over bettors, and the Wolves' 30-point fourth quarter, with the game long decided, carried the total past the line.
Full closing prices and line history are on the game page.
What's next
Minnesota hosts the Chicago Bulls on Saturday, November 14, at Target Center, on DAZN MIN. The Wolves bring a five-game winning streak, with wins over Milwaukee, Houston, New Orleans, Utah and now Dallas since their 121-111 loss at San Antonio. Ten of their 12 games have been decided by six points or more, and the last two at home have been decided by 15 and 39.
Dallas leaves Minneapolis at 7-5. The Mavericks' next game will be listed on their team page, and their price for it will be worth watching after a night when they shot 27 percent from three and never led by more than five.