Anthony Edwards scores season-high 44, leads Timberwolves past Doncic-less Mavericks 118-110
Anthony Edwards scored a season-high 44 points and Rudy Gobert had 20 points and 11 rebounds as the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 118-110 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night.
The Mavericks were without Luka Doncic on the second night of back-to-back games. Dallas fell at Cleveland 113-110 on Wednesday.
Karl-Anthony Towns added 10 points for Minnesota, which improved to 13-1 at home this season.
The Timberwolves trailed by one point midway through the third period before going on a 15-3 run to gain control and leading the rest of the way.
Doncic missed his third game of the season with left quadriceps soreness, while Kyrie Irving missed his 11th straight with a right heel contusion. Dallas coach Jason Kidd said Doncic aggravated a quadriceps injury during the Christmas Day win against Phoenix.
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Without its two leading scorers, Tim Hardaway Jr. scored 32 off the bench and Jaden Hardy added 17 for Dallas. The Mavericks have lost five of seven.
Minnesota seemed ready to cruise past the short-handed Mavericks, racing to an 18-point advantage in the first quarter, with Edwards scoring 14 of his points and aggressively going at Dallas' defense.
Turnovers by the Wolves kept Dallas in contention and Hardaway's shooting provided a much-needed spark.
Minnesota had 22 turnovers, leading to 29 points for the Mavericks.
Hardaway finished with 18 of his points in the second half and shot 11 of 19 from the field and 5 of 11 from 3-point range, knocking down several shots with a hand in his face.
But Edwards sparked the third-quarter rally with seven of the 15 points during the run. Dallas closed within four points in the fourth quarter, but consecutive 3-pointers by Kyle Anderson helped Minnesota stay in front.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: At Golden State Warriors on Saturday.
Timberwolves: Host the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday.