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Dallas Mavericks Head to Minnesota With Depleted Roster

By Kohl Rast

Feb 3, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Yogi Ferrell celebrates with forward Dirk Nowitzki after hitting a shot late in the fourth quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. Dallas won the game 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 3, 2017; Portland, OR, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Yogi Ferrell celebrates with forward Dirk Nowitzki after hitting a shot late in the fourth quarter of the game against the Portland Trail Blazers at the Moda Center. Dallas won the game 108-104. Mandatory Credit: Steve Dykes-USA TODAY Sports /
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After a whirlwind of excitement hit the Dallas Mavericks yesterday morning, the team looks to regain its focus tonight against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

The Dallas Mavericks got a lot of rest over the past 9 days, thanks to both the All-Star Break and the lack of fan-voted All-Stars on the team. The only player that represented for the Mavs was Wesley Matthews, and it did not go quite as planned.

Now, the Mavs are ready to go after a few short practices and a long flight to Minnesota, where they will face the Timberwolves tonight. The T-Wolves are led by Karl-Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, both excellent young players.

Dallas, meanwhile, will be shorthanded for the game tonight as they have traded away Andrew Bogut, Deron Williams, and Justin Anderson in the last 48 hours. Anderson has been playing very limited minutes for the season and Bogut has been injured, so D-Will is undoubtedly the player who will be missed the most in tonight’s game.

Feb 6, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews (23) in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 6, 2017; Denver, CO, USA; Dallas Mavericks guard Wesley Matthews (23) in the fourth quarter against the Denver Nuggets at the Pepsi Center. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports /

J.J Barea is still injured and won’t be back for the next few games, so the Mavericks are left with 11 active players in tonight’s game, if you include A.J. Hammons who was called up from the D-League shortly before all the trades were made. In other words, Dallas will have their work cut out for them tonight.

One exciting thing is that we should see Yogi Ferrell back in the starting unit tonight with Williams gone. Ferrell has brought an energy to the lineup that we have struggled seeing throughout the season and the Mavericks are clearly excited to see what he can do for the remainder of the year.

The Mavs really need to get back on track quickly if we want to make a run at the playoffs. Nerlens Noel is ready to push the Mavs towards success, but he won’t be able to start until tomorrow, thanks to the Mavs away game and the fact that he had to get here from Philadelphia.

The Mavericks will face off against the Minnesota Timberwolves tonight at 7:00 CT. Dallas will be shorthanded and playing a good, young Wolves team so it could be a very exciting game. For a recap of the game, come back and see us here at The Smoking Cuban shortly after the final buzzer.

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