Lthe Minnesota Timberwolves accumulated a new defeat127-122), this time before Dallas Mavericks, after a abysmal first quarter in which Ricky Rubio’s team conceded 43 points thanks to a brilliant exit from the Texans’ pvot, Kristaps Porzingis, who scored 15 points.
It wasn’t just any triple: Doncic’s reaction after missing five in a row
Porzingis signed one of his best nights in a long time and finished the game as the top scorer for his team, with 27 points, 13 rebounds and 4 assists, one point more than the Slovenian Luka Doncic, and three more than Tim Hardaway Jr.
Initially, the game at the American Airlines Center in Dallas was considered an ideal setting for the Slovenian star of the Mavs to show off as he did in Saturday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, when he scored 42 points, 11 assists and 7 rebounds.
Doncic’s performance, which with today’s has scored more than 25 points in 11 consecutive games And becoming the third Mavs player to hit a similar streak after 13 straight games by Mark Aguirre and Dirk Nowitzki, Dallas coach Rick Carlisle has compared him to Larry Bird and Reggie Miller.
Meanwhile, the Wolves arrived in Dallas after adding another painful 120-118 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday after allowing 83 points in the first half. And the performance of the Wolves, who carry 13 games in a row without their star, power forward Karl-Anthony Towns, out of action after contracting covid-19, and that on Saturday they did not have their starting point guard and top scorer, D’Angelo Russell, they anticipated new problems.
Especially since the Wolves haven’t won at the Mavs’ home since April 3, 2019.
In the end, the match was more a recital by Latvian Porzingis than Doncic. And the Wolves began to repeat the script. In the first quarter they conceded 43 points and in the first half 71 points. And although in the last quarter the Wolves they slapped the dallas back, endorsed them 45 points, the effort was useless.
As it was that the Timberwolves took the last three quarters, scoring more points in each of them than those of Dallas.
The game started with equality, with a Porzingis who did and wrote down everything: innings to baskets, triples, distance shots, rebounds, blocks, and all this dribbling with ease. In the first three minutes, KP was the author of 7 of the 9 points for his team. He finished the quarter 3 triples of four attempts, 2 of 3 of two points and the two free throws he took.
Meanwhile, the Wolves, after initially replicating the successes of Dallas, from the middle of the first quarter collapsed in attack and defense, scoring only 8 points in those 6 minutes while the Mavs rose to the scoreboard 29.
With that weight on his feet, the game became a mission impossible for the Wolves who also lost D’Angelo Russell after playing the initial 6 minutes, allowing Rubio to accumulate the minutes he needs to regain his form.
In the second quarter, Minnesotans were able to score a point more than Dallas (28-29), but at halftime the scoreboard indicated a 20-point lead for the Mavs, 71-51.
In the locker room, Saunders read the card to his players and the team, the youngest in the NBA this year, reacted, especially Malik Beasley, who scored 27 points in the final 24 minutes of the game, including 6 of the 9 triples I tried.
It was Beasley’s baskets, and the two consecutive triples in the final two minutes of the game, that allowed the Wolves to get closer to the scoreboard and place a 123-120 with 50 seconds remaining.
The party also allowed see glimpses of the best Ricky Rubio, with a series of assists from the Spanish base from the baseline, including a pass from behind, which allowed him to finish the game with 9 points, 7 assists and 4 rebounds.
The game also saw the return of the Spanish power forward of the Wolves, Juancho Hernngomez. Hernngomez, who has been out due to the NBA’s covid-19 protocols, played nine minutes and scored one of the two triples he tried to finish with 5 points, a rebound and an assist.
welcome back, @juanchiviris41! pic.twitter.com/LUEVPOjnYC
? Minnesota Timberwolves (@Timberwolves) February 9, 2021
Subscribe to the BRAND Basket Newsletter and receive in your email, from Monday to Sunday and first thing in the morning, the exclusive news, interviews, reports, graphics and videos that will mark the day in the NBA, Endesa League, Euroleague and the rest of the basket world.
