The Dallas Mavericks will travel to the Twin Cities to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves in a Western Conference showdown on Thursday night. The Mavericks are 18-12 on the season heading into Wednesday night’s game against Cleveland and just 4.5 games behind the Western Conference-leading Timberwolves. The T-Wolves are currently 22-7 on the season and have the second-best record in the NBA behind the Boston Celtics.

50 Piece for Christmas

Luca Doncic returned from a hamstring injury on Christmas Day and dropped 50 points on the Phoenix Suns en route to a 128-114 Mavericks victory in Phoenix. Doncic missed the previous game to deal with his ailing hamstring and came back with a flourish against Phoenix. He finished with an even 50 points including 8-of-16 from 3-point range and 15 assists in the win. Dereck Lively II was the beneficiary of many of Doncic’s assists, finishing with 20 points and 10 rebounds in his return from an ankle sprain. Tim Hardaway Jr. chipped in with 18 points as well.
“He’s one of the best in the world,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said of Doncic. “As I’ve always said, we can’t take him for granted. When he’s feeling it, you’re just trying to get him the ball as much as possible.”

*Article written before the completion of Wednesday night’s Mavericks’ game against Cleveland.

The Mavericks are ranked 7th in the NBA in points per game this season despite suffering through a rash of injuries including the loss of All-Star Kyrie Irving for the last nine games. They are 19th in field goal percentage and 14th in 3-point field goal percentage. They do rely heavily on the long ball as part of their offense, ranking 2nd in the NBA in three-point field goals per game. Defensively, Dallas is just 22nd in points allowed per game this season. They are also 22nd in opponent’s field goal percentage and 13th in 3-point defense. The Mavs have struggled on the glass, ranking 21st in total rebounds per game. They are, however, first in the league in turnovers per game.

Key Injuries: Doncic is day-to-day with a quad injury, Hardaway Jr. is day-to-day with an illness and Irving is out with a heel.

Wolves Hungry

The Minnesota Timberwolves return to action on Thursday anxious to put behind them a disappointing loss at Oklahoma City on Tuesday night, 129-106. Anthony Edwards led the Wolves with 25 points while Mike Conley had 17 points and Karl-Anthony Towns returned to the lineup and added 16 points. The top-rated T-Wolves defense allowed the Thunder to shoot 60% from the floor overall and 46% from 3-point range in the loss. Despite the loss, the Wolves are still 22-7 on the season and lead the Western Conference.
The Wolves hope to rebound from one of their worst defensive efforts of the young season at Oklahoma City. Overall, the Wolves are first in the NBA in points allowed per game this year. They are second in opponent’s field goal percentage and 3rd in 3-point defense. Offensively, the Wolves are 18th in points per game. They are 8th in field goal percentage and 9th in 3-point field goal percentage. They are just 22nd in the NBA in 3-point field goals per game. On the glass, the Wolves are middle of the pack ranking 15th in the NBA. They are just 24the in the league in turnovers per game.

Key Injuries: G Jayson Clark is out.