Mavericks at Timberwolves Preview: 3 things to watch

Dallas completes their first back-to-back of the season in Minnesota.

The Dallas Mavericks travel to the Target Center to face the Minnesota Timberwolves Tuesday at 6:30 p.m. on TNT in a meeting of the 2024 Western Conference Finalists, each of whom hopes to improve on last season’s success. The Wolves’ opening night 110-103 loss to the Lakers last week doesn’t look quite so bad in the wake of L.A.’s hot start and Minnesota’s own rebound since, with a 117-115 win against the Kings that they trailed for most of, and a 112-101 punishing of the Raptors that they led from the first minute onward.

For the Mavs, a pair of home wins against the Spurs and Jazz bookend a confounding 114-102 road loss to the Suns, a conference rival playing the second game of a back to back without Bradley Beal. Aside from the tough opponent they face Tuesday, this game presents a number of challenges for the Mavericks, as they will be playing on their second consecutive night having traveled to Minnesota after last night’s game.

The Timberwolves have no reported injuries, while the Mavericks will be without Maxi Kleber (hamstring) and Dante Exum (wrist).

New and familiar faces for the Wolves

Minnesota’s roster features two of the league’s premier offensive talents (guard Anthony Edwards and forward Julius Randle), and a short rotation of former All-Star vets (center Rudy Gobert, guard Mike Conley), stout role players (center and longtime Mav-frustrater Naz Reid, forward Jaden McDaniels, guard Nickeil Alexander-Walker), and specialists (guard Donte DiVincenzo). Each of these players averages more than 21 minutes per game, and the only other Wolves bench player to see the floor this season is veteran wing Joe Ingles.

Although the Timberwolves return most of the team that the Mavericks met in the Western Conference Finals, they made one big change by trading one sweet-shooting big man, Karl-Anthony Towns, for a very different one in Randle. The 6’8, 250 pound forward, who played high school ball in Plano, Texas at Prestonwood, has hit the ground running with his new team, averaging 24.3 points per game on 62.8% shooting, including 7-for-13 from deep.

Their other acquisition from the trade of Towns, DiVincenzo, has not yet found the 3-point touch that he is famous for in the Wolves’ first three games. A career 37.5 shooter from deep, DiVincenzo is only 5-of-17 from long range in this young season. The Mavericks have held opponents to 32.7% 3-point shooting through three games, and delaying DiVincenzo’s return to form should help their cause.

Test of depth

The short rest and travel mean the Mavericks will likely need contributions from all over the roster, as they got against Utah when Spencer Dinwiddie lifted the team with timely three-point shooting in the third quarter, Naji Marshall showed signs of being the player Dallas traded for, P.J. Washington broke through his small slump, and Klay Thompson continued fitting right in. Luka Doncic, who struggled Monday with a 5-of-22 shooting night, will look to bounce back against a very good defender in Edwards.

Lively a key to success

Dereck Lively II was outstanding in each of the Mavericks’ wins, and a lowlight in the team’s loss to Phoenix, when Suns center Jusuf Nurkic rumbled his way to 18 points while Lively was mired in foul trouble. The Wolves’ big man trio of Randle, Gobert, and Reid figure to be a handful for Lively and Daniel Gafford, as Randle and Reid can both shoot from deep, and Gobert covers a lot of ground. Much of the Mavericks’ plans against Minnesota will depend on which version of Lively takes the court, but if the one that contested shots, fought for loose balls, and showcased more of his expanding offensive repertoire (he hit a gorgeous floater and narrowly missed a quick baby hook) against Utah checks in, Dallas should be able to compete.

How to watch

Tip off is set for 6:30 p.m. CST. This game will be on TNT but according to The Dallas Morning News it will also be available locally over the air on KFAA channel 29 and streaming via MavsTV!