The Dallas Mavericks suffered a lopsided 133-94 defeat against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday, bringing an end to a three-game winning streak.
The loss dropped the Mavericks to a 7-5 record following what was described as their worst performance of the season, according to Yahoo Sports.
Minnesota controlled the game from the start, utilizing aggressive defensive pressure to force 19 turnovers.
The Timberwolves dominated the paint by scoring 74 points and winning the rebounding battle 50-38.
Dallas coach Dusty May acknowledged that his team failed to match the intensity of their opponents.
Offensively, Minnesota guards Bones Hyland and LaMelo Ball combined for 11 three-pointers to overwhelm the Dallas defense.
Hyland finished with 24 points off the bench, while Ball added 22 points and nine assists.
The Mavericks struggled to find any rhythm, as primary scorers Cooper Flagg and Kyrie Irving combined for only 22 points on 9-of-23 shooting.
Irving recorded a minus-36 rating, the lowest mark on either team during the contest.
The game turned into a blowout during the third quarter when Minnesota outscored Dallas 36-17.
The Mavericks were unable to recover from a 10-1 run that opened the second half, as noted by Synergy Sports data.
That report indicated that Dallas earned just 0.524 points per possession when Minnesota kept a single defender on the ball handler.
Naji Marshall, who finished with 13 points, noted that the physical nature of the game caught Dallas off guard early.
Marshall remarked, “Minnesota punched them in the mouth.”
The Mavericks now face questions regarding their defensive consistency and ball handling as they look to rebound from the defeat.
May emphasized that his squad must improve communication and defensive connectivity to remain competitive against top-tier teams.