Dallas Mavs' Late Rally Falls Short Against Minnesota Timberwolves, Get Swept in 2-Game Series

The Mavs lost their second matchup against the Timberwolves in Abu Dhabi, with Kyrie Irving sidelined due to injury.

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates — With Kyrie Irving sidelined and Anthony Edwards returning from injury, the Dallas Mavericks fell short with 104-94 being the final score. It was the second of two matchups between these two teams in part of the NBA Global Games initiative, with the Mavs losing in both outings.

"We were fortunate to be here," Mavs forward Grant Williams said. "We've been blessed to have a chance to play in front of these amazing fans. Hopefully, we can continue to grow the game of basketball here."

The Timberwolves led by as many as 19 points in the opening half, but an 8-0 run from the Mavs before the break cut the deficit to 53-43 at the break. Dallas' offensive woes continued as they shot just 15-48 from the floor and 7-25 from 3-point range through the initial two quarters of action. 

"This is a new group, a young team, and so the guys are playing hard, and it's just a matter of us all trusting and getting that chemistry going, and it doesn't happen in 10 days or two games," Mavs coach Jason Kidd said. "This is a long journey, but I thought the guys did great coming over here and putting in the work."

Doncic put up big numbers in the first half, recording 18 points, five rebounds, and six assists, but the Mavs' plan remained not to have him play after halftime. His performance ended after just under 19 minutes of action. While Irving didn't play and Doncic's minutes were limited, it didn't stop the crowd from providing energy. 

Dallas Mavs' Jaden Hardy in between plays :: David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images

It continued to be challenging for the Mavs to handle the Timberwolves' frontcourt standouts, who each had a size advantage against a smaller Dallas frontline. Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert each played only 17 minutes but made the most of it. Towns finished with 14 points and three rebounds, while Gobert chipped in seven and five rebounds. Naz Reid added 14 points and three boards off the bench.

After a step-back 3 from Jaden Hardy, the Mavs had cut the deficit to single figures, but the Timberwolves responded by retaking momentum. Minnesota used a run to lead 67-50 when the Mavs called a timeout at the 7:20 mark of the third quarter.

The Mavs used the remainder of the game to provide playing time for young players and veterans who weren't receiving rotation minutes in the first half. Hardy received a lot of opportunities to initiate the offense and to make plays. He finished with 22 points, eight rebounds, and two assists. The team played with energy to make it a competitive game late.

"The energy in that second half is something that we have to look at doing starting games, and we know that," Kidd said. "We had half as many fouls this game. We're listening, we're getting better." 

Dallas provided playing time primarily to rookie Olivier-Maxence Prosper and the team's two-way and Exhibit 10 contract players in the final period. That group made a major rallying effort to bring the Mavs within two points (93-91) down the stretch, but Minnesota pulled away. 

The Mavs will next depart the United Arab Emirates for Spain to face off against Real Madrid on Oct. 10 at WiZink Center.