Timberwolves 112, Mavericks 106: Kevin Martin scored 27 points and Kevin Love added 21 points and 11 rebounds as visiting Minnesota snapped a season-high three-game losing streak.
Nikola Pekovic collected 21 points and nine rebounds for the Timberwolves, who ended a five-game road skid. Corey Brewer scored 13 points and Ricky Rubio contributed 12 points and seven assists for Minnesota.
Monta Ellis broke out of a slump with 26 points and six assists for Dallas, which dropped to 0-2 against Minnesota this season. Dirk Nowitzki scored 23 on 10-of-13 shooting and Samuel Dalembert added 12 points for the Mavericks.
Love and Brewer hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give Minnesota a 27-22 lead with 1:17 left in the first quarter, and the Timberwolves pushed it to eight on J.J. Barea's 3-pointer to open the second quarter. The Mavericks trimmed it to two before Minnesota stretched it out to 54-47 at halftime.
Ellis drained a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 66-64 lead with 6:31 left in the third and added to the cushion with a putback on the Mavericks' next possession, but Barea's 3-pointer capped a 7-2 spurt to end the quarter and put Minnesota ahead 84-77 heading to the final stanza. The Mavericks were within 92-90 with 6:33 left before Martin scored nine points during an 11-2 run to stretch it back to double digits and Minnesota held on.
GAME NOTEBOOK: Dallas PG Jose Calderon sat out with a bone bruise in his right ankle. … Martin had made 37 consecutive free throws before his miss in the final minute. … Minnesota F Luc Richard Mbah a Moute made his debut for his new team and tallied four points, seven rebounds and two blocks in 26 minutes.
Minnesota | Dallas | |
Kevin Martin 27 | Scoring | Monta Ellis 26 |
Ricky Rubio 7 | Assists | Gal Mekel 7 |
Kevin Love 11 | Rebounds | DeJuan Blair 8 |
Kevin Martin 10 | Free Throws Made | Monta Ellis 5 |
Ricky Rubio 2 | Steals | DeJuan Blair 2 |
Luc Mbah a Moute 2 | Blocks | Shawn Marion 2 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Minnesota | 112 | 50.6 | 11-26 | 21-30 | 24 | 44 | 4 | 5 | 14 |
Dallas | 106 | 48.9 | 7-24 | 9-11 | 29 | 37 | 4 | 9 | 11 |