Western Conference rivals with drastically different season outlooks go head-to-head on Monday night, as the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center.
The Timberwolves (8–5) have won four of their last five to jump to sixth in the West, looking to rebound from a loss to the Denver Nuggets on Saturday night. The Mavericks (4–10), who sit at 13th in the West and enter on the second leg of a back-to-back, look to win consecutive games for the first time this season after taking down the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night.
Looking at the injury report, Terrence Shannon Jr. (foot) is sidelined for Minnesota, while Anthony Davis (calf), Dereck Lively II (knee), Daniel Gafford (ankle), and Dante Exum (knee) are sidelined for Dallas.
Tipoff is set for 8:00 p.m. ET. The Wolves enter as staggering 14.5-point home favorites on DraftKings Sportsbook, while the Mavs are listed as +600 underdogs. The game’s total is set at 231.5 points.
Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Preview
The Wolves have balanced out a middling defense with one of the top offenses in basketball. Minnesota ranks fourth in offensive rating, shooting a clean 50% from the field and 39.1% from long range.
The offense is led by former first overall pick Anthony Edwards, who’s averaging over 27 points per game on 47.6% shooting and a career-high 41.1% from three. Right behind him is Julius Randle, who’s adding 25.5 points while leading the Wolves with 6.2 assists and 1.3 steals a night. Rudy Gobert clogs the paint with a team-high 9.6 boards and 1.8 blocks per game.
Dallas… oh Dallas. The Mavericks have been in freefall since the shocking trade of Luka Doncic to the Los Angeles Lakers. They’re responsible for the worst offense in the Western Conference — with the second-worst three-point percentage and third-most turnovers in the league — and a brutal 24th-ranked net rating.
While it won’t win them championships like their former GM had hoped, the Mavs actually have one of the strongest defenses in the league, ranking fourth in defensive rating. They’re top-two in blocks per game and lock down the perimeter, holding teams to just 33.7% from beyond the arc.
Without Davis, first overall pick Cooper Flagg has shouldered the weight of an entire city, something he’s just not ready for. Flagg has posted 15.6 points and 6.7 rebounds per game — respectable stats, but not the superstar numbers the team desperately needs. P.J. Washington also adds 15 points and some change with a team-high 7.5 rebounds after Davis.
Mavericks vs. Timberwolves Pick, Best Bet
While the Mavs have a great defense, it will be stymied on Monday by the absences of Davis, Lively, and Gafford — who account for 4.3 of the team’s conference-leading 6.3 blocks per game.
Against an understaffed Mavericks squad that was already running on fumes, the Wolves have more than enough offense — and just enough defense — to run up the score on their home court.
