Julius Randle and the Minnesota Timberwolves are in town for Game 75 of the season.
Julius Randle loves playing in the American Airlines Center.
The veteran big man on the Minnesota Timberwolves grew up about half an hour north of downtown Dallas, where he starred at Prestonwood Christian Academy in Plano before playing his college ball at Kentucky and getting picked No. 7 in the 2014 NBA Draft.
He'll make his latest return home this week to face the Dallas Mavericks at the AAC on Monday. Randle is looking to build on what was one of his better performances at his hometown arena from his last homecoming.
On Jan. 28, Randle scored 31 points as the Wolves beat the Mavs 118-105. It's the third-most points he's scored in the AAC in his career, behind the 44 he dropped in 2021 and the 32 he scored in 2024, both as a member of the New York Knicks.
Overall, Randle has made a habit of playing well in the Metroplex. He averages 23.5 points and 9.4 rebounds per game over 15 games as a visitor, which are numbers greater than his current-season averages.
That earlier loss to the Wolves in Dallas was just two games removed from the Mavericks' last home win, Jan. 22 against the Jimmy Butler-less Golden State Warriors.
So, if you aren't counting at home, it's a 12-game home losing skid, which is the second-longest in franchise history. There are only three games at the AAC following this one against Minnesota, though Dallas may only be favored to win in one: the season finale against Eastern Conference bottom-dweller Chicago.
Dallas, eliminated from the postseason, sits at 24-50 on the year. Minnesota is a half-game up on the Houston Rockets for the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoff picture. Minnesota (45-29) beat the Rockets (44-29) in overtime on Wednesday thanks to a 15-0 run in the extra period, and now sit 1.5 games behind the last hosting spot, No. 4-seeded Denver Nuggets (47-28).
How to Watch, Betting Odds
WHO: Minnesota Timberwolves (45-29, 20-15 Road) at Dallas Mavericks (24-50, 14-23 Home)
WHERE: American Airlines Center | Dallas, TX
WHEN: Monday, March 30 | 7:30 p.m. CST
TV: KFAA-29 (DFW)
RADIO: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle; 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)
Betting odds courtesy of DraftKings
SPREAD: Timberwolves -6.5
MONEYLINE: Timberwolves -258, Mavericks +210
TOTAL: 235.5