Timberwolves-Mavericks Recap

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Earl K. Sneed, Mavs.com
Minnesota Timberwolves 117 at Dallas Mavericks 108

Like Dirk Nowitzki in the Dallas Mavericks' starting lineup, victories over the Minnesota Timberwolves have become a virtual certainty.

(Photo by Glenn James/NBAE via Getty Images)

Friday night, the Mavericks took the court against the Timberwolves without Nowitzki in the first unit, after No. 41 was a late arrival to the team's shootaround before the game. Still, Dallas had claimed 13 straight victories over Minnesota. But nothing was a certainty on Friday. The Timberwolves broke that streak with a clutch performance late, handing the Mavs a 117-108 home loss.

The Mavericks have played without Nowitzki before, but it has been a long time since the superstar wasn't in the starting lineup in a game in which he saw action. It had been since December 14, 1999 to be exact.

"I was late. It's my fault. I'll take the blame," Nowitzki said. "I actually made that decision (not to start). We all got to be accountable. I made a mistake.

"That was a distraction. That was my fault, and I've got to take it like a man. But we still should have come up with the win tonight."

With Nowitzki on the bench, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle sent out a starting lineup of Jason Kidd, Jason Terry, Josh Howard, Shawn Marion and Erick Dampier. But the Mavericks found themselves down 15-9, when Nowitzki checked into the game at the 6:48-mark of the opening quarter. The 7-footer's presence on the court alone was not enough, as the Timberwolves took a 32-29 edge at the end of one. Both teams came out of the gates shooting over 50 percent, as Minnesota hit on 12-of-22 shots from the field while Dallas connected on 11-of-21 at the other end.

To begin the second stanza, the Mavericks got a spark on offense off the bench from rookie Rodrigue Beaubois. Unfortunately for Dallas, the first-year pro had his struggles containing Timberwolves guard Ramon Sessions at the other end. Defensively, the Mavs had trouble slowing down Al Jefferson as well. But in the ladder stage of the quarter, the Dallas defense stiffened, turning stops into transition offense. The formula of stellar defense and quick offense equaled a 13-0 Dallas run, including back-to-back threes from Terry. Still, the half ended on a sour note for the Mavericks, as Damien Wilkins drained a buzzer-beating three to cut the Dallas advantage to just 61-57 heading into the break.

"We had a mental lapse right there," Terry said. "Every possession is critical...It was a mental breakdown. They get the momentum, hit a three from halfcourt."

The Mavericks held the shooting edge at the half, knocking down 51 percent to Minnesota's 49 percent. But the Timberwolves stayed close with 7-of-10 from behind the 3-point arch. Dallas did its damage on the boards, out-rebounding the away team 28-15. Terry and Howard matched Jefferson for scoring high honors after 24 minutes of play, as all three posted 11 first half points.

The second half began with Howard on the sidelines and Nowitzki on the hardwood, as the Mavericks shifted back to their routine first-stringers. Meanwhile, the Wolves charged back ahead after scoring the first seven points of the third quarter. The Mavericks found themselves down six before Kidd's three-point play stopped the bleeding and cut the deficit to 71-68. Dallas continued to hang around with Terry's assassin-like barrage from long range. But the Jonny Flynn-led Wolves pushed their lead into double digits with a 9-0 run, before eventually taking an 89-80 lead into the fourth. Minnesota outscored Dallas 32-19 in the third.

"If we have multiple breakdowns every possession then we're not going to have a good defense," Terry added. "It's not one person, but all of us take part in it...This ain't going to happen. We have to make it happen."

The Mavericks once again got a boost from Beaubois to begin the fourth, but Jefferson and Kevin Love continued to keep a double figure distance between the two squads. But the Wolves lit a fire inside the Mavs when Sessions was called for a flagrant foul after a hard hit on Beaubois' breakaway. Just a few ticks later, Beaubois cut the deficit to 102-96 with a three at the 6:36-mark. The rookie continued to get the clutch minutes, as Carlisle stuck with him down the stretch.

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"(Beaubois) was active. We all know he's made progress. Finishing a game like that is something he hasn't quite done...He certainly came up and made some plays. A couple times, he got in tough situations. But his intentions were very good and his effort was good. There were a few rookie mistakes in the fourth quarter that were costly, but he definitely played aggressively," the coach said of the young guard.

"It makes me feel comfortable, because he's showing that he is trusting me," Beaubois said of the confidence Carlisle is giving the budding star. "I have to keep working to show him that he's right, and to help the team win games."

Meanwhile, the Dallas defense responded to the energy from the home crowd, collecting turnovers and rebounds on their way to seven straight stops. The result was a 12-2 run, knotting the game at 104-all with 3:01 remaining on a pair of free throws from Nowitzki. After a pair at the line from Kidd gave the Mavs the lead, Corey Brewer swished home a three to put the Wolves right back in front.

Down one, Nowitzki sent Brewer to the line for three free throws after fouling the swingman on a shot from behind the arch.

"That's a tough call there, I thought," Nowitzki said of the play. "You know, we're down one, I fouled a shooter on a three. I saw the shot clock winding down, so I knew he was going to shoot. I stepped up and really wanted to contest it hard. I might have over-contested it, and he did a good job selling it. So, tough call there.

"Next thing you know, you're down four and you got to make some plays happen. So, I think that was the call that really decided the game. It was my fault, I was probably too overaggressive."

A 3-for-3 trip for Brewer at the charity stripe put the Wolves up 112-108 in the final minute. Wayne Ellington's three with 32.3 ticks left sent a knockout punch. Minnesota then finished the Mavericks off by cashing in at the foul line. The Wolves finished the game with a 10-1 run to claim the victory.

"We had seven straight stops to take the lead, and then they scored the last five times. It's disappointing," Carlisle said.

Minnesota finished the night shooting 53 percent, as six Wolves scored in double figures led by Flynn's 19 points. Love's double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds anchored Minnesota's second unit, after all five starters scored in double digits.

"They shot 55 percent in the first quarter. The second quarter was by far our best when they shot 43 (percent) and we did a much better job -- more proactive. They shot 60 in the third and 55 in the fourth. Those numbers don't lie. It just ends with another disappointing loss."

The Wolves torched the Dallas defense from deep, nailing 12-of-22 shots from behind the arch.

Meanwhile, in his reserve role, Nowitzki scored a game-high 21 points on just 6-of-15 shooting. Terry added 20, while Beaubois posted a career-high 17 points off the bench.

"I tried to help the team, but I'm not really happy about (the career night) because we lost the game," Beaubois said.

Kidd (17), Howard (11) and Marion (10) made it six Mavericks to score in double figures, but the team shot just under 43 percent on the night.

Dallas dropped their 19th loss despite outscoring the Wolves 24-5 in fast break points. The Mavericks also held a 21-14 advantage in second chance points after winning the rebounding edge, 42-40.

After falling to the Western Conference's worst team, Carlisle will be looking for his team to reach deep inside and show him something more come the Mavericks' next game.

"I just think this team has more pride than they are showing. We'll keep studying it, but the answer is pretty obvious -- play harder," coach said. "We need to dig down and find some pride. It's as simple as that."

Now the Mavericks finish up with two games on the road before the All-Star break. The team travels to Oakland to square off with the Golden State Warriors. The two teams have split the first two games in the season series, with the Mavericks capturing a 110-101 home win over the Warriors on Wednesday night. The Mavericks-Warriors matchup will take place on Monday night, airing locally on Fox Sports Southwest at 9:30 p.m. CT.

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