The Minnesota Timberwolves didn’t just beat the Dallas Mavericks on Thursday night at Target Center. They flattened them, rolling to a 39-point win in a game that gave a clearer picture of what this team looks like when everything clicks.
And a lot clicked.
LaMelo Ball was the engine. In 25 minutes, he put up 22 points on 8-for-14 shooting, hit 6 of 10 from deep, and added nine assists with two steals.
The numbers were strong, but they still don’t fully capture how much control he had once Minnesota took over in the middle two quarters and stretched the lead to 30. He was stepping into deep pull-ups, turning the corner into the lane, and finding teammates all over the floor.
What stands out most is how much more settled Ball looks with every game in a Timberwolves uniform. He’s growing more comfortable with the people around him and with the way the offense is now shaped since Anthony Edwards left the lineup.
Minnesota’s defense was just as loud as the offense. Cooper Flagg came in off a monster outing against the Indiana Pacers, when he scored 43 points and handed out six assists. Against the Wolves, he was held to 12 points and three assists.
That kind of turnaround didn’t happen by accident. Jaden McDaniels and Jonathan Kuminga took turns as Flagg’s primary defender, and neither one gave him much room to breathe. McDaniels has long had the look of a wing stopper, and Kuminga has quickly become another major piece of that puzzle with the way he has started his Timberwolves run.
That’s the bigger story with this Minnesota team: the defense isn’t coming from one guy. It’s coming from everybody buying in from the start. McDaniels and Kuminga were front and center in that effort Thursday night, and they helped shut down one of the league’s brightest young stars.
Rudy Gobert was every bit part of that picture too. He made life miserable around the rim and repeatedly forced Dallas into second thoughts.
The Mavericks would get a step on a defender, then run right into Gobert’s presence and have to kick the ball back out or reset entirely. That’s the kind of deterrence he’s built a career on.
The result was a huge edge in the paint. Minnesota outscored Dallas 74-42 near the rim, and that gap was so massive that the Wolves could have missed every three they took and still been in control.
The pace was relentless as well. Every stop seemed to turn into a push up the floor, whether it came from a live-ball turnover or a defensive rebound. Minnesota kept finding good shots before Dallas could get organized.
That didn’t turn into chaos, either. The Wolves finished with 26 fast-break points, but they also kept generating easy looks in semi-transition and getting into advantageous spots before the defense was set.
Plenty of teams talk about playing faster before the season starts. Minnesota is actually doing it.
And after a night like this, it’s getting harder to argue with the broader picture. There’s been plenty of debate online about how certain people are that the Timberwolves are really this good. But with this win over a Mavericks team that had been playing well, Minnesota added another strong piece of evidence.
Through 12 games, the Timberwolves now own the best Net Rating in the NBA. They’ve also won eight games by double digits, including five by 20 or more.
One game doesn’t settle anything by itself. But when it’s added to everything else Minnesota has done so far, the conclusion is getting tougher to dodge: the Timberwolves are good.
In Other News...
Timberwolves Defense Just Earned The Kind Of Respect Fans Notice
Before the game, the Timberwolves got a familiar kind of respect from the other sideline: a coach talking up Minnesotas defense before having to deal with it. Dusty May pointed to the Wolves one-on-one guarding and the way Rudy Gobert anchors everything behind it, which is the sort of praise that usually comes only after a team has spent enough time making life miserable for opponents. It also fits the broader reputation Minnesota has built around a defense that can hold up even when the matchups get tough.
Chris Finch, meanwhile, was already focused on the next challenge, discussing how Minnesota would try to contain Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving. That is the balancing act for the Wolves now, because the defense has become a calling card, but it still has to travel from reputation to execution every night. And when an opposing coach is openly acknowledging how hard it is to score against them, it says plenty about how far that side of the floor has come. [Read more 🡒]
Cooper Flagg Gave Mavericks Fans One Bright Spot In Minnesota
Cooper Flagg gave Dallas one of the few bright moments in Minnesota, flashing the athleticism that keeps him such a compelling part of the Mavericks future even as the game tilted hard in the Timberwolves favor. The rookies burst stood out in a matchup that quickly got away from Dallas, but Minnesota kept control behind a strong all-around performance and kept rolling in a stretch that has the group playing with real confidence.
LaMelo Ball was at the center of it for the Timberwolves, helping turn the night into another statement win while Dallas was left to sort through the bigger picture. The Mavericks should look different when Kyrie Irving returns, but the schedule does not ease up, with Cleveland and Boston next, and those games will offer a much clearer read on where this team stands once it gets healthier. [Read more 🡒]
Jaden McDaniels Is Becoming Impossible For Wolves Fans To Overlook
The Timberwolves have found a steadying force during their recent five-game winning streak without Anthony Edwards, and Jaden McDaniels has been right in the middle of it. He has given Minnesota the kind of nightly two-way presence that can shape a game without always demanding the spotlight, contributing as a scorer, rebounder and defender while showing more comfort on offense.
What stands out most is how much cleaner the Wolves have looked when McDaniels is on the floor. His versatility has helped them stay organized on both ends, and his growing influence is making it harder to view him as just a complementary piece. For a team trying to keep its footing without its top scorer, that kind of impact is becoming impossible to ignore. [Read more 🡒]