Anthony Edwards came home to Minneapolis in style. Fresh off winning All-Star Game MVP honors, the Timberwolves star guard put on a 40-point showing before a packed Target Center crowd of 18,978 fans on Friday night, leading Minnesota to a 122-111 victory over the Dallas Mavericks. The win extended Dallas’s losing skid to 10 consecutive games and reinforced Minnesota’s standing as one of the Western Conference’s more reliable teams in the second half of the season.
Quarter-by-Quarter Breakdown
First Quarter: Minnesota Sets the Tone Early
The Timberwolves came out of the All-Star break with purpose. Minnesota dominated the opening frame, outscoring Dallas 40-25 — a 15-point cushion that immediately put the Mavericks on their heels. Edwards was engaged from the opening tip, and the home crowd fed off the energy in what amounted to one of Minnesota’s most dominant first-quarter performances of the season. Dallas struggled to find any defensive answers as the T-Wolves pushed the pace and executed efficiently on both ends of the floor.
Second Quarter: Dallas Claws Back
To their credit, the Mavericks responded in the second quarter, outscoring Minnesota 32-29 to trim the halftime deficit to 69-57. Dallas showed some offensive life during the frame, with ball movement and a higher shot volume helping them chip away at the double-digit gap. Still, Minnesota held enough of a cushion heading into the locker room to maintain clear control of the game’s momentum.
Third Quarter: Mavericks Keep Pressure On
Dallas continued to push in the third quarter, winning the period 31-27 and narrowing the gap further. With the margin hovering in the mid-teens entering the fourth, there was a sense that Dallas was capable of mounting a serious run — but the Mavericks never quite got close enough to make it a true one-possession game, and Minnesota’s defense stiffened when it needed to.
Fourth Quarter: Minnesota Closes It Out
The Timberwolves outscored Dallas 26-23 in the final frame to seal the victory. Minnesota did enough down the stretch to prevent any dramatic Mavericks comeback, maintaining a comfortable enough lead that the outcome was rarely in doubt after halftime. The final score of 122-111 reflected a wire-to-wire performance by the home team, fueled by a dominant first quarter that Dallas never fully recovered from.
Key Performers
Anthony Edwards — Minnesota Timberwolves
There’s a reason the Target Center was buzzing before tip-off, and Edwards delivered on every bit of that anticipation. The 24-year-old guard led all scorers with 40 points, adding 6 rebounds in a performance that validated his All-Star Game MVP billing just days earlier. His ability to score at all three levels and create pressure on Dallas’s defense made him the unquestioned engine of Minnesota’s offense throughout the night.
Rudy Gobert — Minnesota Timberwolves
While Edwards grabbed the headlines, Rudy Gobert was a force on the glass. The veteran center pulled down a game-high 17 rebounds, anchoring Minnesota’s interior presence and providing the defensive backbone that kept Dallas from mounting a meaningful second-half charge. Gobert’s rebounding was a significant factor in limiting Dallas to second-chance opportunities.
Donte DiVincenzo — Minnesota Timberwolves
DiVincenzo was the primary facilitator for Minnesota, dishing out a team-high 9 assists to keep the offense flowing. His ability to make quick decisions and find open teammates helped Minnesota maintain its offensive rhythm throughout the game, particularly in moments when individual isolation plays weren’t generating results.
Dallas Mavericks
Dallas’s leading scorer finished with 18 points, which speaks to the broader struggles the Mavericks continue to face. As a team, Dallas shot only 47.5% from the field and could not solve the combination of Edwards’s offensive efficiency and Minnesota’s team defense consistently enough to make a serious run at the lead after the first quarter.
Game Analysis
The story of this game was written almost entirely in the first quarter. Minnesota’s 40-point opening period — an exceptional output by any measure — forced Dallas to play catch-up for the remaining three quarters, which is a difficult ask for a team that has now dropped 10 straight. The Mavericks showed some resilience in the middle two quarters, winning both, but the mountain they had to climb after Q1 was simply too steep.
Minnesota’s team statistics tell a balanced story: 47.5% shooting from the field, 38.1% from three-point range on 42 attempts, and a dominant 54 total rebounds as a team. With 28 assists on 47 made field goals, the Timberwolves shared the ball effectively rather than relying solely on Edwards, even as he was clearly the focal point. The 63.2% free-throw shooting (12-of-19) was a minor blemish on an otherwise clean offensive night.
For Dallas, this game represents a continuation of a troubling stretch that raises real questions about roster construction, defensive identity, and overall direction. Allowing Minnesota to score 40 first-quarter points is the kind of start that makes every other positive adjustment largely academic.
Standings and Implications
With the win, Minnesota improves to 35-22 on the season, including a strong 20-10 record at Target Center. The Timberwolves continue to position themselves as legitimate Western Conference playoff contenders with meaningful depth in the standings. Dallas, meanwhile, falls deeper into a slide that has now reached double digits in consecutive losses — a stretch that will demand attention from the organization as the playoff picture becomes increasingly urgent. For Minnesota, the message was clear on Friday night: Anthony Edwards is back from the break, he brought his All-Star MVP trophy, and the Timberwolves are not backing down.
