Days after being defeated in Dallas, the Timberwolves have paid the Texas team with the same currency by clearly beating them at the Target Center by 116-95, a victory that helps them stay fully involved in the fight for direct qualification to the playoffs .
Although the start of the match was even, in the second quarter Chris Finch’s men were marking what would be the usual pattern of it: they ahead and the Mavs in tow. By the time the first half concluded they were 11 points up. At the beginning of the last quarter the distance had reached 23 points… They were simply superior.
“This team holds a grudge for losses. I like that. The importance was understood, ”says Karl-Anthony Towns, author of 20 points and 9 rebounds, before emphasizing the energy with which they got up after falling in two straight games (the second against the Phoenix Suns). “You have to be able to respond quickly to adversity, especially if we’re going to be in the playoffs and we’re talking about winning a championship.”
The truth is that the Wolves relied on a choral game to beat Dallas. They had seven players in double digits of scoring and the one who scored the most points (Towns) stayed at 20. «It shows how good our team is. From player one to 15 of our squad, everyone can be in the rotation. It can be anyone’s night at any time,” says Jordan McLaughlin, who posted a season-high 16 points.
As we said, victory is vital for the Timberwolves who tirelessly pursue being at least sixth in the Western Conference. Now, with a balance of 43-32, they are only half a game behind the Denver Nuggets while Dallas and Utah are two and a half. It is not easy, but they still have time to continue climbing.
Dallas, for home court advantage
If the game was important for Minnesota, Jason Kidd’s men were not far behind. Last night they had a chance to win and move ahead of the Jazz for fourth place in the West. They failed and are now evenly matched at 45-29. It is not something to be missed, since in what is a probable first round of the playoffs, the one that remains ahead will have the home court factor in their favor. On Sunday they play among themselves…
Regarding the game itself, Luka Doncic had a good performance with 24 points, 10 rebounds and 8 assists; however, the Mavs faded as the minutes went by to reach the final stretch with no chance of victory. The contribution of the secondary was far from what was seen on other occasions. “We have to be better. We were not good tonight, “says Kidd.
(Photograph by David Berding/Getty Images)