Mavs Blown Out By Timerwolves As Win Streak Ends, Road Stretch Begins

Bones Hyland poured in 24 points off the bench and LaMelo Ball had 22 points and nine assists to power the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Dallas Mavericks, 133-94, Thursday night at Target Center.

The Timberwolves (9-3), who've now won five in a row and are 2-0 to start their season-long eight-game homestand, made a season-high 58 percent of their shots. The Mavs (7-5) shot 37 percent overall, a season low. It was Dallas' first game scoring less than 100 points this season.

Minnesota, which scored 74 points in the paint, remains one of the hottest teams in the deep Western Conference despite playing without All-Star guard Anthony Edwards (knee). Hyland's efficiency was evident as he made seven of his 10 shots and had eight assists.

Dallas saw its three-game win streak come to an end. The Mavs are beginning a stretch where five of the next seven games are on the road against quality teams.

Cooper Flagg, who scored 43 points on Monday, posted 12 points on 5-of-12 shooting. Kyrie Irving scored 35 points in Dallas' last game, but managed just 10 in the Twin Cities.

Zaccharie Risacher led the way off the bench with 22 points on 9-of-14 shooting for the Mavericks.

P.J. Washington scored 10 points early for the Mavs, but Minnesota used a 12-0 scoring run to lead 34-26 at the end of the first quarter, a run that essentially put the Timberwolves in the driver's seat for good. Jaylen Clark's 3-pointer - one of the Wolves' six in the quarter - beat the buzzer, and the Mavs were held without a field goal for the final three-plus minutes of the opening period.

In the second, Mavericks responded to Minnesota's lead swelling to 10 by forcing a timeout after a 7-0 spurt, generated by Risacher's spark.

Dallas started the game scoring 22 of its first 42 points off nine Minnesota turnovers, and ended the first half with 25, their most in any half this season. The Timberwolves, however, maintained the lead as Ball, their top acquisition from a busy offseason remodel, found his groove with step-back 3s and no-look passes.

Jaden McDaniels' lefty slam pushed Minnesota to a 59-47 advantage with three minutes to play in the second quarter, and later, Ball's alley-oop to Rudy Gobert put the Timberwolves ahead by 15.

Despite their frequency of giving up possession, the Wolves shot 61 percent from the field, including going 9-of-18 from distance, to give them a 67-52 halftime edge. Flagg was just 4-for-10 from the field for nine points for Dallas; he did not play in the fourth quarter as the game got out of reach. Ball led all scorers with 16 first-half points and four 3-pointers (he made six triples for the game).

Minnesota's transition offense sprinted to a 10-1 start to the second half. The Wolves, who also boasted the NBA's best defensive rating entering the night, were in front by as much as 36 after outscoring Dallas 36-17 in the third quarter. The Mavs shot just 32 percent (7/22) in the quarter.

It was more of the same to close it out. Minnesota won every quarter of the game, outscoring Dallas 30-25 in the fourth and, at one point, leading by 44. The Timberwolves punished the Mavs with on the interior with 74 paint points as center Dereck Lively II remains injured and Daniel Gafford was in foul trouble.

Up next, the Mavericks pay a visit to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday.

The Timberwolves host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday.