MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota Timberwolves turned Thursday night’s matchup with Dallas into a statement victory, overwhelming the Mavericks 133–94 for their fifth consecutive win. LaMelo Ball hit six three-pointers on his way to 22 points and a season-high nine assists, while Bones Hyland supplied a team-high 24 points off the bench. Minnesota did not need a big scoring night from Anthony Edwards to deliver its most one-sided win of the young season.
The Timberwolves shot 61 percent in the opening half and went to halftime ahead 67–52. Then came the decisive third quarter: Minnesota outscored Dallas 36–17 to stretch the margin to 34 entering the fourth. Ayo Dosunmu scored 18, Jaden McDaniels added 16 and Jonathan Kuminga contributed 14 points and eight rebounds. Minnesota finished with a 57.8 percent shooting performance, controlled the boards 50–38 and scored 74 points in the paint.
Dallas entered riding a three-game winning streak, but Cooper Flagg managed 12 points after scoring 43 against Indiana in his previous outing, and Kyrie Irving finished with 10. Zaccharie Risacher led the Mavericks with 22 off the bench. Dallas shot just 37.2 percent overall and lost its seventh straight meeting with Minnesota. The result raises a sharper question than a single bad shooting night: how will the Mavericks respond when opponents take away their first options and win the physical battle inside? Dallas visits Cleveland on Saturday, while Minnesota hosts Chicago.