By james art Kyrie Irving had his first 30-point game of the season in the Mavericks’ hard-fought win against the Timberwolves. | Photo: Dallas Mavericks
The Dallas Mavericks continued to have the Minnesota Timberwolves’ number.
Irving scored 25 of his 35 points in the second half and the Mavericks asserted their mastery over Edwards and the Timberwolves, 120-114, for their first winning streak of the season.
Kyrie Irving drops 35 PTS, 4 REB, 5 AST and 1 STL as Mavericks earn 120-114 WIN over Timberwolves 🥶 pic.twitter.com/PhhzEAu3iJ
— Basketball Forever (@bballforever_) October 30, 2024
Luka Doncic added 24 markers, eight rebounds and nine assists in a rematch of their entertaining West Finals series just a few months ago.
Trailing by 11 points early in the final frame, the Timberwolves cut their lead to two points, 109-107, after Rudy Gober hit two from the foul line with 3:04 left.
On the ensuing possession, Irving hit a critical 3-pointer at the top of the arc to put the Mavericks up 112-107.
KYRI. COUPLER. 😤
35 points and Dallas up by 5 late in the 4th quarter on TNT! pic.twitter.com/e98VnVyqCs
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
After two Julius Randle layups from the charity stripe, Doncic put the finishing touches on a layup over Gobert, followed by a long-range 32-foot bomb for a 117-109 cushion with 64 seconds to play.
LOGO LUKA 😱
Trails Mavs by 8 on TNT! pic.twitter.com/R0wtyukhY2
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
Earlier, Minnesota scored 10 unanswered points to start the second half, 69-61, as Anthony Edwards, Julius Randle and Mike Conley combined on the offensive end.
but Dallas went on a rampage in the final 9:33 seconds of the third quarter, outscoring the Timberwolves 32-13 to build a 93-82 lead entering the final frame.
Quentin Grimes triple makes it 16-2 Mavs!
Dallas leads by 7 on TNT pic.twitter.com/9jTyPEwZaz
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
Irving dropped 16 points alone in that period, including four 3-pointers, while Dallas hit eight 3-pointers in the third to turn the tide.
Back-to-back Kyrie triples…to 26 for the game 🔥
Mavs lead by 11 points in 4th on TNT 👀 pic.twitter.com/LRKqRRCuvq
— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
PJ Washington and Daniel Gafford combined for 31 points as the Mavericks improved to 3-1 this season.
Meanwhile, Edwards put on a show early in the opening frame, scoring 24 points and six 3-pointers as the Timberwolves got off to a quick 34-26 start. He finished with a game-high 37 points and a career-high seven 3-pointers.
Anthony Edwards’ first quarter tonight:
🔥 24 points
🔥 8-10 FGM
🔥 6 3 p.m pic.twitter.com/Cud3EZxdg6— NBA (@NBA) October 30, 2024
Julius Randle had 20 points, five rebounds and seven assists when he left the game in the third frame after taking an inadvertent shot to the nose while contesting Naji Marshall’s dunk attempt. He eventually returned in the fourth frame.
Julius Randle was hit in the nose while trying to block Naji Marshall’s dunk on this play.
Now he’s back on the Timberwolves bench.pic.twitter.com/qeuUgjTwQc
— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) October 30, 2024
Reigning Sixth Player of the Year Naz Reed had 14 markers, while Jaden McDaniels had 13 for the Timberwolves, who dropped to an even 2-2 record.