‘They Were The Physical Team’: Dallas Mavericks Fall 124-94 To Minnesota Timberwolves As Home Losing Streak Hits 13

DALLAS — Daniel Gafford had been thinking about physicality before the Dallas Mavericks tipped off against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

“Really just physicality and pretty much playing with the pace that we play with all the time,” Gafford told Dallas Hoops Journal before tip-off when asked about the keys to facing Minnesota. “Whenever we have been in a position of just like all of our wins, being the faster team, I would say. And of course, being the most physical team.”

The Timberwolves had other plans.

Julius Randle scored 24 points, Anthony Edwards returned from a six-game absence to add 17 off the bench, and Minnesota beat Dallas 124-94 Monday night at American Airlines Center, extending the Mavericks’ home losing streak to 13 consecutive games — the longest in the 25-year history of the building.

A Slow Start Turns Into a Familiar Hole

Max Christie opened the scoring with a corner three, and for a moment, it felt like Dallas might dictate the tone. It didn’t last. Ayo Dosunmu hit a pull-up three in transition to hand Minnesota its first lead barely two minutes in, and the Timberwolves never gave it back.

Edwards was listed in the starting lineup but arrived late to the arena and was replaced by Mike Conley. He checked in at 2:01 into the first quarter, needing to play in every remaining Minnesota game to satisfy the NBA’s 65-game minimum for all-NBA eligibility. His arrival didn’t slow the Wolves. Dosunmu knocked down another transition three off an Anthony Edwards feed to make it 18-8, and Minnesota kept coming. A 19-2 run through the middle of the quarter pushed the lead to 23-10, and Dallas never recovered. Khris Middleton picked up two early turnovers, and the Mavericks shot 8-of-24 (33.3%) in the quarter. Minnesota closed the first on a 14-2 burst to lead 35-23 after one.

Jason Kidd called a timeout with the Wolves up 15-8 and inserted Dwight Powell forGafford, briefly going smaller to try to change the tone. It didn’t stop the bleeding. Dosunmu finished the quarter with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists, and was already controlling the game.

Dallas Mavericks Trim It, But Can’t Sustain the Momentum

The second quarter offered a rare dose of encouragement. Gafford opened with a dunk off a Brandon Williams feed, then Williams found Cooper Flagg on the move for another two to trim the deficit to 10.

Gafford followed with back-to-back alley-oop dunks off Williams feeds — one from the left side, one cutting from the elbow — and suddenly American Airlines Center had some life. Williams also hit a 23-foot three to make it 32-42, and Dallas actually outscored Minnesota 23-21 in the quarter to go into halftime down 56-46.

Williams was the engine, finishing the first half with 11 points and 6 assists, consistently finding cutters and making decisions before the defense could set. Kidd referenced the performance in his postgame comments, singling out Williams’s ability to play on the move.

“I thought he was really good in that first half, being able to decision-make, being able to get Cooper on the fly, finding his teammates, but also finding himself in the paint to score,” Kidd said.

The issue was Flagg, who went into the locker room shooting one for eight after the Timberwolves made a concerted effort to crowd him off screens and deny him clean looks. Minnesota’s physicality was pointed. Kidd noticed it.

“They were physical with Coop, understanding, again, they’re getting ready for the playoffs,” Kidd said. “I thought in the second half he was better. In the first half, they were really physical with him on the screens and stuff.”

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch had made Flagg a priority in his pregame preparation and wasn’t shy about it.

“This is only the second time we’ve seen him all season, so that’s important,” Finch said. “He’s a hell of a player and still trying to make a push down the stretch, maximize his rookie season. The thing that’s been most impressive all season is his motor. His size, physicality, and energy are all elite.”

The Third Quarter Ends It

Whatever Dallas built in the second quarter evaporated quickly. Minnesota came out of the locker room with a different level of aggression, and the Timberwolves’ physicality became suffocating.

Flagg opened the half with a floating layup to trim it to eight, but it was Dallas’s last moment of optimism. Donte DiVincenzo hit three consecutive three-pointers across a two-minute stretch, with Dosunmu orchestrating the attack from multiple spots on the floor.

Edwards, growing more comfortable as the game went on, added a step-back mid-range and a transition dunk to extend the lead past 20. By the time the third quarter ended, Minnesota had outscored Dallas 38-25 and led 94-71. The Wolves’ advantage reached 25 points in the period. Dallas shot 36.4% in the quarter (8-of-22) and went zero for two from three.

“They turned up their physicality, their alertness,” he said. “They’re a well-coached team, playoff team, and it showed.”

Kidd said the Mavericks simply didn’t match the moment.

“They were physical for 48 minutes, and we just didn’t handle it,” he said. “You have to be physical back. Tonight was a game where the physicality was gonna be at a high, and they were gonna let the players dictate the game. And they were the physical team, and we weren’t.”

Daniel Gafford Hits 4,000, Makes History With Milestone Performance

Amid the lopsided fourth quarter, Gafford provided the night’s defining individual moment. A putback dunk at the 8:48 mark pushed him past 4,000 career points — a milestone he accepted with characteristic gratitude.

“I’m just grateful to be able to play the game every day,” Gafford said. “I’m just blessed by our good Lord and Savior just to be able to breathe and say that I’m an NBA player. I take that with pride, and I just come out night in, night out and give my all. I thank all the people that have pushed me to be in this position — my family, my coaches, everything — because if it wasn’t for any of them, I wouldn’t be here.”

He finished with 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting (81.8%) and 8 rebounds, his fourth 20-point game in his last five and fifth in his last seven after totaling just one in his first 45 appearances this season. He is averaging 18.4 points and 10.1 rebounds over that stretch. The performance was the 17th time in his career he reached at least 20 points on 80.0% or better shooting, tying Deandre Ayton and Jakob Poeltl for sixth-most such games since entering the league in 2019-20.

Gafford was asked if milestones like this make a grind of a season feel more worthwhile.

“Of course,” he said. “I’ve been through seasons like this where we had the ups and downs, the highs and lows, injuries, illnesses — all of the above. The only thing you can control is the energy and effort that you put into the game. I just come in with a smile on my face and keep it pushing.”

He had been straightforward about his formula pregame, telling Dallas Hoops Journal the key was carrying the confidence from his 20-point, perfect-shooting outing against Golden State into Monday’s matchup.

“Really just confidence and just taking my time with what the offense was giving me,” Gafford said. “Just taking the fact that teammates had faith in me with passing me the ball. A lot of those shots came from just rebounding the ball, running the floor, and just having energy throughout the game. I was just trying to use my energy to feed throughout the team and just feed off their energy as well.”

The matchup with Gobert also brought out the best in him, as it tends to.

“Of course, it’s always a challenge when it comes to big fella,” Gafford said. “I get better every time that I play him because his level of physicality always pushes me to be the best that I can be.”

His ankle has been a factor at various points this season, and he acknowledged feeling more like himself physically.

“It feels good because the little amount of patience I had throughout the season, trying to get back to where I am now,” Gafford said. “I’m just trying to build off the foundation I’ve set. It’s going to help going into next season with that mentality of being consistent, game in and game out.”

Brandon Williams Shines as a Playmaker, Threads a Memorable Lob

Williams finished with 15 points, 6 rebounds and 7 assists — the first time in his career he has produced that exact line in a game and his fifth career 15-5-5 performance. He has now recorded five or more assists in six of the last eight games.

The night’s most creative moment came when Williams chose a between-the-legs alley-oop to Flagg over a wide-open layup for himself, a decision that came directly from reading his teammate’s body language.

“Just wanted to get him going any type of way,” Williams said. “I know he was kind of struggling, came up to me during the game. It’s like, I need him going. Just give him an easy look.”

Kidd, a Hall of Fame point guard, appreciated the instinct behind the pass.

“I think just the relationship, the connection, being able to have that understanding of when you want to throw it and who you’re throwing it to,” Kidd said. “And he did a good job of that tonight.”

Williams credited the growth of his playmaking to ongoing conversations with Ryan Nembhard and guidance from Kyrie Irving, who has watched from the sideline all season.

“Just reading the game, taking the defense, pulling the guys aside,” Williams said. “I know me and Ryan talk about it all the time, just about what we’re seeing out there. What can we do more? How can we get guys involved?”

On his broader development running the offense, Williams pointed to the foundation being laid.

“Everybody knows I could really score the ball and use my speed as well, but just organizing the floor, getting the floor set up before I even make an attack is pretty much the main key,” he said. “And then I got a Hall of Fame coach. So, picking his brain, seeing what he sees, and molding it into my game.”

Gafford has watched Irving’s influence ripple through the roster even from the sideline.

“Just being vocal. He sees when guys are in their heads,” Gafford said of Irving. “He gives me tips, gives me props, and he’s helping the guards — mentoring Brandon, helping Ryan a little bit, and helping Coop. He’s taking all of his experience and game knowledge and giving it to the younger generation.”

Dwight Powell Sets an NBA Record, Tyler Smith Sets a Career High

The strangest line of the night belonged to Dwight Powell, who scored 9 points without attempting a single field goal, going 9-of-10 at the free throw line.

That is the most points scored in the shot clock era, dating to the 1954-55 season, without a field goal attempt, eclipsing the previous record of 8 points, accomplished four times, most recently by Boban Marjanović. Powell added 8 rebounds, 2 assists and a steal.

Tyler Smith pulled down 8 rebounds to set a career high. Dallas actually outrebounded Minnesota 53-51, including a 14-6 edge on the offensive glass — a mark tied for the ninth-most offensive rebounds in a single game for the Mavericks this season.

The rebounding advantage was the one area where the Mavericks won, but 15 turnovers that led to 20 Minnesota points negated any momentum generated on the glass. Dallas shot 34.8% from the field (31-of-89) and 24.1% from three (7-of-29).

Ayo Dosunmu and the Minnesota Timberwolves Deliver a Statement

Dosunmu put together 18 points, a career-high 15 rebounds and 12 assists — his second career triple-double and his first since being acquired from Chicago at the trade deadline.

Gobert finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds. DiVincenzo knocked down five of nine from three and scored 15. Randle also grabbed 3 rebounds to reach 7,000 for his career.

Six Minnesota players reached double figures. The Timberwolves shot 53.1% from the field (51-of-96) and went 14-of-31 (45.2%) from deep. Minnesota (46-29) moved into sole possession of fifth place in the Western Conference, a half-game ahead of idle Houston.

Edwards finished 7-of-13 (53.8%) in 22 minutes after the late arrival that bumped him from the starting lineup. Finch said getting Edwards back into rhythm quickly was a priority.

“We’ve got to pick up our pace overall and also our decision-making in the half court,” Finch said. “We expect those guys to be a little rusty, but overall we just need to play quicker and be more decisive.”

Cooper Flagg Faces a Learning Moment, Gafford Offers Perspective

Flagg finished with 12 points but shot 5-of-19 (26.3%) and was one for 10 at halftime before finding any consistency in the second half. With Jaden McDaniels sidelined for Minnesota, Julius Randle spent a lot of time guarding Flagg with a lot of physicality. Collectively, the Timberwolves made it challenging for the Mavericks to create advantages using screens in the half-court.

“They’re extra physical. They blew up every screen,” Williams said of Minnesota’s half-court defense. “They talk, they trust one another, and they’re a playoff team. It showed out there — they had trust in one another.”

Gafford, who has watched Flagg up close all season, sees nights like this as part of a longer arc.

“I feel like it helps him understand how physical it gets around postseason play,” Gafford said. “Every night you’re going to have the best defender on you, teams trying to get into your airspace and make everything tough. But it helps because now you know the things you can do — the terminology you can use with bigs or teammates to get guys off of you. It’s the game within the game. With the type of player Coop is, it’s only going to help him in the long run.”

A Long Season, But Reasons to Push Forward

John Poulakidas scored 8 points off the bench in the fourth quarter to close out the scoring for Dallas. The lead reached 33 before the final buzzer.

The 13-game home losing streak is now the longest in American Airlines Center history and the franchise’s longest since dropping the first 19 games of the 1993-94 season at the since-demolished Reunion Arena.

Three home games remain. Gafford said the group knows what needs to change and remains motivated to end the slide.

“I think it’s the energy we had in the second half tonight — having fun, being there for each other, talking consistently, and finding ways to make our offense flow,” he said. “At this point, we’re eliminated from the playoffs, so the main thing is building chemistry for next season.”

He also put a bow on what has become a recurring theme for a franchise working through a difficult season.

“Just how resilient we are,” Gafford said when asked what excites him about the group’s long-term potential. “We’ve been through a lot, but I heard a quote — if you go through hell, why stop there? You’ve got to keep pushing. It’s about taking steps in the right direction, building chemistry, and that bond on and off the floor.”

Gafford also spoke warmly about watching Dereck Lively II stay engaged from the sideline throughout his injury absence.

“It’s encouraging to see the mentality he has,” Gafford said. “At a young age, for him to come in and stay positive no matter the situation, that’s big. He’s learning every day, even from the sidelines. He’s building a foundation and preparing for next season.”

And what has Gafford taken from watching Lively navigate the year?

“Patience for sure,” he said. “Seeing how young guys carry themselves — whether they’re hurt or playing — it’s something that reteaches me not to rush. Sometimes we try to push ourselves more than our bodies allow, so just taking my time is something I’ve learned from him.”

The Mavericks have a quick turnaround as they travel to end a back-to-back against the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Wednesday night.

More Dallas Mavericks Coverage Following Loss to Minnesota Timberwolves

• ‘Keep Him Off The Rim’: Shorthanded Dallas Mavericks Face Stiffest Test Yet As Anthony Edwards Returns For Minnesota Timberwolves
• ‘A Mismatch Nightmare’: How Marvin Bagley III Provided The Structural Engine For The Dallas Mavericks’ Win In Portland
• ‘He Was Hunting’: How Cooper Flagg Reclaimed Rhythm To Snap Dallas Mavericks’ Skid In Portland
• ‘We Don’t Talk About Rookie Of The Year’: Cooper Flagg And Kon Knueppel Keep Duke Brotherhood Above The Race
• ‘He’s Doing The Right Thing’: Jason Kidd Endorses Naji Marshall For Dallas Mavericks Contract Extension
• Dallas Mavericks Coach Jason Kidd Calls Cooper Flagg The ‘Clear-Cut’ NBA Rookie Of The Year