Minnesota Timberwolves (46-29) beat Dallas Mavericks (24-51) 124-94 on the road on Monday, March 30. The final margin was 30 points.
The game, quarter by quarter
The Timberwolves had the better start, winning the first 35-23 to lead by 12 after one. The Mavericks cut into the deficit with a 23-21 second quarter, though the Timberwolves still led by 10 at halftime.
The Timberwolves won the third 38-25 to create some separation, taking a 23-point lead into the fourth. The Timberwolves took the fourth 30-23; the Timberwolves finished the job for a 124-94 regulation win.
Why it was lopsided
The Timberwolves got more from their shots, finishing at 60.4% effective field-goal shooting compared with 38.8% for the Mavericks. The Timberwolves took better care of the ball, turning it over on 9.5% of possessions compared with 14.3% for the Mavericks. That shooting gap supplied the clearest edge.
The Mavericks did win one battle, the free-throw line: FT rate of 28.1 against 8.3. The Timberwolves made up for it elsewhere.
At roughly 105 possessions per team, the Timberwolves produced 118 points per 100 possessions to 89.4 for the Mavericks.
Who stood out
Ayo Dosunmu was the game's biggest individual force for MIN: 18 pts, 15 reb, 12 ast, 3 stl on 8-13 shooting. His Game Score of 27.8 led everyone. His team was +30 with him on the floor.
Daniel Gafford led the Mavericks with 21 pts, 8 reb, 2 ast on 9-11 shooting, good for a 18.8 Game Score.
Ayo Dosunmu (18 pts, 15 reb, 12 ast) and Rudy Gobert (14 pts, 10 reb, 1 ast) each recorded a double-double.
What it means
The pre-game Win Meter had it close to a coin flip, at about 61% for the Timberwolves.
Across the last 6 meetings in our records, Minnesota Timberwolves lead 5-1.
The Timberwolves are now 46-29, and the Mavericks are 24-51. The Timberwolves last five before this game: W-L-W-W-L.
Written automatically by Tip Off Live software from box score data. Ratings and probabilities are our own model estimates.