Irving and Washington Shine, But Injury-Depleted Mavericks Fall Short Against Timberwolves: “We Just Got to Keep Fighting”

Despite standout performances from Kyrie Irving and P.J. Washington, the Dallas Mavericks fell just short against the Minnesota Timberwolves, losing 115-114 on Wednesday night at the American Airlines Center. Irving scored 36 points and dished out nine assists, while Washington added 30. However, Dallas couldn’t overcome critical late-game moments and a depleted roster missing seven key players.

The Mavericks, who dropped to 23-21, were without Luka Dončić (left calf strain), Dereck Lively II (right ankle stress fracture), Danté Exum (right wrist surgery), Klay Thompson (right ankle sprain), Naji Marshall (illness), Dwight Powell (right hip strain), and Jaden Hardy (right ankle sprain).

Quentin Grimes returned from a one-game absence caused by back spasms, finishing with five points, four rebounds, and three assists. However, as injuries pile up, Olivier-Maxence Prosper made his second career start, delivering four points and four rebounds, while two-way contract signees Brandon Williams and Kessler Edwards were part of the rotation.

Injuries have left Dallas scrambling for consistency, going 4-11 since Dončić’s Christmas Day exit against this Minnesota team.

“We got a lot of guys playing that coming into the season, we knew they were going to be impactful, but didn’t think they would be probably starting games or this is the lineup that we’re going to have,” Irving said.

Irving, who reached 18,000 career points midway through the first quarter, and Washington aggressively set the tone for the Mavericks’ offense, knowing they’d need to create advantages for teammates filling more significant roles than usual. Washington finished with a season-high 22 field goal attempts, coming just two shy of his career high. Dallas will be leaning on them as Dončić remains sidelined.

“I think he’s been aggressive since the season started, and he was aggressive tonight,” Mavericks head coach Jason Kidd said of Washington. “I thought he and Kai set the tone for us, and we need one of those guys to go big, and they both went big tonight.”

The Mavericks’ only other double-figure scoring performances included Daniel Gafford, who added 14 points, 12 rebounds, and three blocks. Maxi Kleber added 10 points despite continuing to play on a 15-minute restriction. Coming one point shy was Spencer Dinwiddie, who racked up nine points and three rebounds.

With Donte DiVincenzo sidelined, the Timberwolves, who improved to 23-21, used a tight eight-man rotation. All five starters contributed double-digit scoring, with six players reaching that mark. Jaden McDaniels led the charge with 27 points, eight rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. Anthony Edwards added 21 points, five rebounds, and seven assists despite drawing heavy defensive attention.

Against the Mavericks’ frontcourt, Dallas-Fort Worth native Julius Randle contributed 16 points and six rebounds, while Rudy Gobert chipped in 14 points and six boards. On a night rookie guard Rod Dillingham struggled, veteran Mike Conley rounded out the key performances with 18 points and eight assists.

Minnesota Timberwolves Overcome Slow Start for Halftime Lead

Both teams’ offenses were sluggish in the quarter. Dallas jumped out to a 6-3 lead but failed to build on it. The Timberwolves’ 5-0 run ultimately began a night filled with momentum swings, including 12 ties and nine lead changes.

The Timberwolves took a 17-11 lead late in the first quarter, but the Mavericks responded with an 11-0 run to close the period, taking a 22-17 advantage into the second. Both teams struggled with efficiency in the opening frame, with Dallas shooting 9 of 21 from the field and Minnesota managing just 4 of 16.

There was a clear emphasis from the Mavericks to prevent Edwards from being able to use a screen and turn the corner to attack the paint. Whether they used ICE coverage in pick-and-roll to deny him the middle of the floor or blitzed at times, Dallas disrupted Minnesota’s offensive flow early.

By the late first quarter, the Mavericks relied on Williams and Edwards, who suited up for the Texas Legends earlier in the week, while running the offense heavily through Dinwiddie. Had Exum been healthy, Dinwiddie would have been in the third unit to open the season. Dallas was digging deep into its depth to stay afloat.

McDaniels led the Timberwolves with 11 points, while Randle and Gobert each contributed 10, helping Minnesota secure a narrow 55-53 lead at halftime. Washington carried much of the offensive load for the Mavericks, scoring 16 points on 6 of 14 shooting through the first two quarters.

“I think I’ve been aggressive since the season started, and I was aggressive tonight,” Washington said. “I thought [Irving] and I set the tone for us, and we need one of those guys to go big, and they both went big tonight.”

Minnesota was much more efficient in the second quarter, scoring 1.407 points per possession (PPP) compared to just 0.773 PPP in the opening frame. Both teams had success playing out of base actions like pick-and-roll and handoffs, but the Timberwolves converted on spot-up sequences much more consistently than they had previously to close the half.

Kyrie Irving Guides Dallas Mavericks, But Minnesota Timberwolves Close

The Mavericks had some momentum coming out of halftime, scoring the first five points with Washington’s aggressive play, but the Timberwolves fired back with an 8-0 run to retake a 63-57 lead. As Dallas struggled to convert from deep, Minnesota used threes from Conley and Edwards during this stretch.

Irving, who scored 12 points in the third period, continually tied up the game by answering the Timberwolves, whether he was getting to the rim or pulling up in mid-range. Minnesota was tired of this and became more aggressive, blitzing him to get the ball out of his hands, which is much easier to do without Dončić on the floor.

“It’s just that part of the game where you have to adjust and be very mature about how you prepare and approach it,” Irving said. “Just don’t lose your joy for the game and your love because, especially me speaking, I’m going to be dealing with some of the best defenders, double teams, and stuff like that.”

As Edwards found his rhythm, the Timberwolves began to build momentum. With 4:33 left in the third quarter, after an and-one by Randle, they extended their lead to 82-74 with an 8-0 run. Minnesota stayed in front, but a late floater from Irving reduced the Timberwolves’ advantage to 86-82 at the end of the frame.

Early in the fourth quarter, Minnesota’s offense caught fire with back-to-back three-pointers from Reid and another from Nickeil Alexander-Walker, pushing their advantage to 99-87 before the Mavericks mounted a late rally.

The Timberwolves began the fourth quarter with back-to-back three-pointers from Naz Reid, sparking a 6-0 run that extended their lead to 92-84. The Mavericks responded with Maxi Kleber’s emphatic dunk off a shot fake on Rudy Gobert to cut the deficit to 99-91 with 7:07 remaining.

Irving and Washington orchestrated a 13-2 Dallas run, capped by Irving’s three-pointer to make it 101-100, electrifying the crowd. Minnesota immediately responded with a 5-0 run behind a McDaniels corner three and Edwards’ layup, restoring a 106-100 advantage. Dallas stayed within striking distance as Washington drained a three-pointer to make it 111-108 with under a minute left. Irving sank a clutch three-pointer with 21.7 seconds left, cutting the deficit to 112-111.

After Conley hit two free throws to push Minnesota’s lead to 114-111, Irving missed a heavily contested three-pointer that would have tied the game. McDaniels grabbed the rebound and split a pair of free throws, giving the Timberwolves a four-point cushion. Irving’s running three-pointer at the buzzer made it 115-114 but wasn’t enough to complete the comeback.

“We played hard and gave ourselves a chance to win that game,” Kidd said. “Just a couple of small things there late in the game. If we were down one and could come up with a rebound, maybe it’s different. Kai had a good look at the three, came up short, but I thought the guys who played, played hard.”

Deciding Factors

After shooting 39.0% from deep in their previous matchup against a shorthanded Oklahoma City Thunder squad playing without Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last week, the Mavericks have shot poorly from the perimeter since. Following up Monday’s 105-100 loss that included converting at a poor 18.8% clip in Charlotte, Dallas went on to shoot only 27.6% from distance with eight makes against Minnesota.

“I think it’s some of the same looks we’ve been getting all year,” Washington said. “Sometimes they’re going, sometimes they don’t. But, we work on it every day. We’re not worried about it. They’re going to fall. We just have to keep taking the right ones, getting in the paint, kicking it out to each other, and playing that way.”

After scoring 66 points in the paint, the Timberwolves made a season-high 30 free throws, and while converting at an 88.2% clip, their consistency was pivotal in this becoming a swing factor down the stretch. Kidd encouraged Dallas to continue to attack the paint aggressively after shooting 16 of 19 (84.2%) from the line, a volume of attempts considerably lower than the Timberwolves’ total.

“They had 34 free throws and were attacking the paint, but we only got to the line 19 times,” Kidd said. “We’ve got to continue to keep attacking until the whistle is blown. Coming down the stretch, you gotta be perfect if you’re down, and unfortunately, we just couldn’t get a rebound.”

While Minnesota didn’t dominate the boards all night, the Timberwolves scored some timely rebounds. Washington emphasized that everyone in the unit has to come back to crash aggressively, especially if the team is deploying a small ball lineup.

“All five have to come back and rebound, especially right now,” Washington said. “Especially with our small lineups, we’ve got to put a body on somebody, box out, and just got to want it more at the end of the day.”

Part of the Mavericks’ struggle was blitzing Edwards, which caused the unit to scramble to recover but not be in an ideal position to rebound. Kidd encouraged the team to be physical and foul if necessary instead of allowing Minnesota to come up with an offensive rebound, leading to a potential putback.

“When you talk about a double team, you’re going to give up something size-wise. Edwards is the priority; he’s so good,” Kidd explained. “We wanted someone else to score, and they found a way to get the rebound there late on his miss. We just got to fight until they call a foul or until you foul out; we got to use our fouls or be a little more physical.”

With Dallas making many long misses and giving up 22 points off 15 turnovers, Minnesota had plenty of chances to get out on the break, leading to a 25-8 advantage in transition scoring. This was just one of many deciding factors on the night.

Overcoming Injuries Remains a Challenge

The Mavericks’ resilience is being tested as they navigate a season marred by significant injuries. Despite the setbacks, the team remains optimistic, underpinned by a belief in the depth of its roster—a sentiment strongly voiced by Kidd.

“This is by far the deepest team we’ve had,” Kidd stated. “It’s just been stretched a little bit here of late. But no one’s complaining. We got to go and play the schedule and the goal is to find a way to win, and right now we’re just coming up short.”

The Mavericks are currently without starters such as Dončić and Lively for an extended period, affecting their on-court performance. However, Washington believes the team can still reach its goals once its roster is restored.

“Obviously, it’s a long season. We have a lot more games left,” Washington said. “Guys are going to be coming back from injury pretty soon. So, the season is not over at all. And we have a lot more to show. So, once guys get healthy, we can start rolling again. But right now, we just got to keep fighting each and every night.”

Washington acknowledged the difficulty in dealing with long-term injuries but urged his teammates to avoid using them as an excuse.

“It’s tough. I’m not going to lie. We got to do it,” Washington stated. “This is what we signed up for. There are no excuses. We’re all pros. So we just got to go out there and handle business.”

Hours before a recent game against Minnesota, the Mavericks learned that Lively would be out for potentially two to three months. Irving encouraged the team to maintain a positive outlook despite the setbacks.

“It’s gonna be tough, man,” Irving said. “The human emotions start settling in. It’s nothing like waking up from a great rest, and you find out your big fella is going to be out for however long, right? But we got to adjust and that’s going to be the sentiment, man. That’s going to be the same vocabulary I’m going to be using over and over. Hopefully, guys don’t get tired of it. It’s going to be ‘next man up.’ We’re just going to have to figure it out.”

Will Kyrie Irving Play in Oklahoma City?

The Mavericks travel to face the Thunder on Thursday in the second half of a back-to-back. As they look to bounce back, they will focus on executing in clutch moments and managing a roster stretched thin by injuries.

“All-out blitz, you know, all-out warfare,” Irving said about facing Oklahoma City. “Anytime we go against OKC, playing against a top MVP candidate like Shai and his team, it’s going to be a great, great competitive challenge, man. So I’m looking forward to it.”

Irving hasn’t been on the injury report lately but continues to manage a bulging disc injury. He previously didn’t play on the second night of a back-to-back after saying he’d “most likely” play and was purposefully careful about his answer when asked if he’ll play in Oklahoma City. Irving replied, “TBD.”

Irving mentioned that his back is “feeling great” as he continues to follow the necessary protocol to sustain that as he plays through it. He acknowledged that he has to be careful as he navigates the situation instead of just throwing himself out there.

“It’s going well, man. My back feels great,” Irving said. “God willing, just that stays consistent, and I’m just going to continue to do the little things I’ve been doing, man, in the weight room to maintain my health and just make sure I’m giving myself a great chance to sustain the health instead of just, you know, throwing myself out there like a renegade, man.”

Tipoff against the Thunder is scheduled for 7 p.m. CST on Thursday at Paycom Center.