An early scoring blitz and Anthony Edwards' 40-point explosion proved too much as the Mavericks' losing streak stretches to ten games.
MINNEAPOLIS — The Dallas Mavericks spent the first 12 minutes digging a hole too deep to escape. The Minnesota Timberwolves rode a 40-point first quarter and a 40-point night from Anthony Edwards to a 122-111 victory over the Mavs on Friday at Target Center, handing Dallas its 10th straight loss and extending a troubling trend of slow starts.
Minnesota (35-22) improved to 20-10 at home, while Dallas (19-36) fell to 5-20 on the road and is now mired in its longest losing streak since the 1997-98 season.
The tone was set almost immediately. The Timberwolves opened 8-of-13 from 3-point range in the first quarter, stretched the lead to 18 at one point and closed the period ahead 40-25. By late in the second quarter, Minnesota’s advantage ballooned to 17 again as Dallas struggled to generate pace or ball movement.
At halftime, the Mavericks had just seven assists.
After the game, Dallas coach Jason Kidd pointed directly to tempo and connectivity as the difference between halves.
“I thought we played a little bit faster,” Kidd said. “We were slow there in that first half. So make or miss, getting the ball out, throwing the ball ahead, the trust — things that we’ve done here before the break. I thought the guys responded in a positive way there in the second half. We had seven assists at halftime. That’s just not who we are.”
Dallas responded with a 12-2 spurt in the fourth quarter, capped by a Tyus Jones floater that tied the game at 103 with 6:55 remaining. It was the first time in more than 36 minutes that Minnesota did not hold the lead.
But Edwards, fresh off his All-Star Game MVP performance, delivered the decisive sequence. He drilled a step-back 3-pointer, attacked the rim for a layup and later buried a corner three that pushed the margin to 120-109 with 52.8 seconds left. Edwards finished with 40 points on 16-of-30 shooting, including 5-of-13 from deep, and scored 14 in the fourth quarter.
Kidd acknowledged the challenge of containing him.
“He’s one of the best players in the world,” Kidd said. “Coming off the MVP at the All-Star Game. Shooting the three, getting to the rim, getting to the free-throw line — he did that tonight.”
Rudy Gobert added 22 points, 17 rebounds and three blocks, repeatedly punishing Dallas on the glass as the Timberwolves finished with a 54-46 rebounding edge. Naz Reid contributed 21 points off the bench.
Minnesota coach Chris Finch praised both Edwards and Gobert for their impact.
“Rudy was extremely active, really, really good,” Finch said. “They had a hard time keeping him off the glass. Ant was awesome. I thought his shot selection was really good for the most part and in clutch time he got to his spots pretty simply.”
For Dallas, Khris Middleton led the way with 18 points, while Marvin Bagley III recorded 15 points and 13 rebounds. Seven Mavericks scored in double figures despite the absence of Cooper Flagg (left midfoot sprain) and Max Christie (ankle), with Kyrie Irving and Dereck Lively II already out for the season.
Bagley said the shift in pace kept Dallas within striking distance.
“We just stayed with it,” Bagley said. “We started moving like we were talking about and stuck to what we said works. We kept the energy and kept the effort, but it just didn’t fall our way.”
Still, the early deficit loomed large. Dallas shot 42.3% from the field and 32% from 3-point range, compared to Minnesota’s 47.5% and 38.1%. The Mavericks also hurt themselves at the line during their comeback push, finishing 21-of-29 overall and struggling in key second-half moments.
The broader issue, however, remains the opening stretch. For a team integrating new pieces such as Middleton, Bagley and Jones on the fly, the margin for error is thin. Kidd described the process as “real time,” with limited practice and constant in-game adjustments.
“This is on the fly,” Kidd said. “We’re getting to know Bagley, Middleton and Tyus. We don’t have a lot of practice time here. We’re trying to help each other.”
Dallas showed resilience in erasing most of an 18-point deficit against a full-strength Western Conference contender. But until the Mavericks solve their recurring first-quarter struggles, competitive second halves may continue to arrive too late.
The Mavericks continue their road trip Sunday at Indiana, still searching for a way to start games with the same urgency they’ve shown after halftime.