For the Minnesota Timberwolves, the sting of their last matchup against the Dallas Mavericks still lingers. The Mavericks claimed a 4-1 series win over the Timberwolves in the Western Conference finals on May 30, advancing to the NBA Finals where they lost to the Boston Celtics. The Timberwolves’ breakout season ended abruptly.
The teams will face off again on Tuesday night in Minneapolis. Dallas will be on short rest after a 110-102 home win against the Utah Jazz on Monday night, with Kyrie Irving leading the way with 23 points and nine assists, and Klay Thompson adding 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting. Luka Doncic contributed 15 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists but struggled with his shooting, hitting just 5 of 22 from the field and 1 of 9 from beyond the arc. Despite this, the Mavericks secured their second win in three games.
Similarly, the Timberwolves are aiming for their third win in four games to start the season. After dropping their opener to the Los Angeles Lakers, Minnesota bounced back with victories over the Sacramento Kings and Toronto Raptors. Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards is averaging 27.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, and 3.7 assists. Julius Randle has been contributing 24.3 points and 7.7 rebounds per game, with Naz Reid adding 13.7 points and seven rebounds.
Doncic leads Dallas with 27.7 points, 9.7 rebounds, and 6.7 assists through three games. In his 15 regular-season matchups against the Timberwolves, he has averaged 24.8 points, 7.7 rebounds, and 7.4 assists. He was even more impressive in last spring’s playoff series, averaging 32.4 points, 9.6 boards, and 8.2 assists.
Mavericks big man Maxi Kleber is expected to miss his second straight game on Tuesday against Minnesota due to a right hamstring strain sustained in Dallas’ loss to the Phoenix Suns on Saturday.
