3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' 119-101 loss to the Timberwolves

After playing an encouraging first half, the extremely shorthanded Dallas Mavericks dealt with some horrendous shooting woes in the second half against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday night, as Minnesota's defense proved to be too stout en route to a 119-101 victory over Dallas.

The Dallas Mavericks were still without the likes of Kyrie Irving, Josh Green, and Maxi Kleber in the contest, so by de facto, head coach Jason Kidd opted to play an extremely thin rotation. The fact that the Minnesota Timberwolves were tied with the Boston Celtics for the best record in the NBA at 17-5 leading into Thursday night assuredly contributed to Kidd's decision to play such a thin rotation tonight as well.

3 Studs, 2 duds from Mavericks' 119-101 loss to the Timberwolves

However, it would've been nice to see some of the back half of the rotation get more of an opportunity in a game where some of Dallas' starters certainly didn't have their brightest day. Even those who did play well defensively such as Derrick Jones Jr., who held Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards to 3-19 shooting from the field as the primary on-ball defender, had a terrible shooting night on the other side of the ball.

As aforementioned, the game really started to get away from Dallas in the second half though, as they shot a horrid 1-14 from 3-point land in the final 24 minutes. Hopefully, Dallas will see greener pastures shooting the ball when they face off against the Portland Trail Blazers tomorrow. Nonetheless, here are 3 studs, and 2 duds from the Mavericks' 119-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

5. Stud - Luka Doncic

Barring an uncharacteristically high turnover game with eight on the night, Luka Doncic continued his reign of dominance against the Minnesota Timberwolves last night. Doncic came out of the gates hot, as he scored 19 points in the first quarter and finished with a stat line of 39 points, 13 assists, and 6 rebounds on the night.

Doncic was making a point to get to the rim all night and his dribble penetration was pivotal in keeping Dallas in the game. Minnesota is extremely wiry and athletic on the wing, and they opted to send a fair amount of double teams Doncic's way, as practically every team does now on a game-by-game basis.

The defensive pressure on Doncic from the likes of Minnesota's Jaden McDaniels, Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and Anthony Edwards certainly caught up to Doncic in the second half, but Doncic did not shy away from using his post-up and dribble-drive games to body defenders for tough finishes during all game long.

Doncic may have not had the best shooting night from downtown, but he was seemingly the only source of hope for the Mavericks offense for most of the game. Dallas didn't have the personnel to generate enough self-produced creation on the offensive side of the ball with Irving out of the lineup, so it was a tall task for Dallas' role players to fill that void left by Irving.

Doncic did all he could given the circumstances and even played pretty good defense, especially given the fact that it was a night where he was particularly frustrated by some questionable calls from officials.

4. Dud - Tim Hardaway Jr.

Tim Hardaway Jr. has been excelling in his sixth-man role so far this season for Dallas, but Hardaway Jr. had a rare off-night versus Minnesota last night. Hardaway Jr. shot just 4-15 from the field, and the Mavericks definitely could have used his shooting in a game like last night.

Hardaway Jr. didn't have the best game on the defensive side of the ball either, even if it wasn't entirely his fault. Hardaway Jr. was forced onto much bigger offensive threats throughout the game, as the Mavs' lack of positional size was on full display.

On top of Hardaway Jr.'s shot looking flatter, he wasn't squaring up toward the basket on a lot of his attempts and his shot diet was more reminiscent of what it looked like a few years ago compared to its improved state in the current day. The Timberwolves did an excellent job at screen navigation as their point-of-attack defenders made a point of emphasis to try and run Hardaway Jr. off of the three-point line.

Hardaway Jr. had been playing very well before this game for a fairly long stretch. He was coming off a season-best performance against the Los Angeles Lakers, where he scored 32 points in one of the more diverse offensive games he's played since being in Dallas. Mavericks fans shouldn't have anything to worry about regarding Hardaway Jr. re-gaining his productivity, as this is only one of the few instances where he's. shot poorly all year.

3. Stud - Dante Exum

Dante Exum continued his strong play last night as he was one of Dallas’ lone bright spots in their loss to Minnesota. Exum had 14 points, four rebounds, and four assists on 5-6 shooting from the field, and he canned two 3-pointers as well.

It’s becoming more and more clear that Exum may be the answer for Dallas as their third ball handler off the bench, but given how well he’s been defending wings and guards, there’s an argument to be made that Exum should be a starter upon Kyrie Irving’s return from injury. That wouldn’t denote Exum taking Irving’s place in the starting lineup obviously, but if he’s playing this well on both sides of the ball then perhaps that warrants him taking another Mavericks’ position in the starting five.

Exum did a great job of pushing the pace against Minnesota, and his ability to attack aggressively in the open court and diagnose mismatches for Dallas has been huge. Exum is doing well as a playmaker for Dallas as well, as he’s averaged 5.4 assists per game in the five games he’s played since being in the starting lineup for Dallas.

Exum doesn’t have the most dynamic ball-handling skills, but he covers a ton of ground and is very meticulous with his drives. His ability to keep his dribble alive to find cutters and shooters late in the possession has been a pleasant surprise for Dallas at this point of the season, and Exum showcased that ability in multiple instances against Minnesota last night.

At 28-years-old, Exum is starting to generate buzz as one of the best comeback stories in the NBA this season after spending multiple seasons overseas, and Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd is certainly taking great notice.

2. Dud - Grant Williams

After a solid performance against the Los Angeles Lakers upon his return from injury, Grant Williams had a rough go at shooting the ball in Dallas' loss to Minnesota. Williams played 36 minutes last night and finished just 2-11 from the field, and it looked as if that heavy minute dosage after a return from injury coupled with how much size Minnesota has at the forward positions made Williams' night abysmal.

Despite how strong he is on defense, Williams didn't have the length or quickness to stay with the likes of Karl Anthony-Towns and Jaden McDaniels when guarding them head-up throughout most of the game. Towns is a dynamic superstar and McDaniels has improved his offensive game tremendously since entering the league, so it's not like Williams' is being asked to guard any slouches.

Williams is routinely tasked with guarding the best 3 or 4 on the other team on a nightly basis, but he admittedly hasn't played as good of defense compared to where he was at once the regular season had just kicked off. Williams' decline in shooting has been just as profound, as he averaged only eight points per game off of 32.7/29.3/80 shooting splits in his last seven contests.

Williams has done a great job of attacking closeouts to make drive-and-kick passes when he gets run off the 3-point line recently, but other than that he's looked extremely hesitant offensively when doing anything besides shooting a spot-up three. Williams isn't making any floaters, layups off of cuts, etc. in this recent stretch. It would certainly be a relief for Mavericks fans for Williams to prove once again that he isn't just a purebred 3-and-D player, as he was much more dynamic on offense and deserving of a starting role after the first few games of the season compared to now.

Williams is an integral component for Dallas' hopeful playoff success as they will struggle immensely if he's not firing on all cylinders on defense at the very least, so hopefully Williams can get back on track soon.

1. Stud - Dereck Lively II

Dereck Lively II's matchup versus the Minnesota Timberwolves last night proved to be an extremely difficult one as expected, but the rookie was night and day different compared to Dallas' first two preseason games versus Minnesota in Abu Dhabi. Granted, those first to games were Lively II's first NBA action in any capacity, but they were very telling in terms of the areas of the game that Lively II can work on.

Lively II had to deal with the likes of Rudy Gobert last night, and the Timberwolves have been doing a much better job at involving Gobert within the flow of their offense compared to last season. Despite that, Lively II battled as hard as he could against Gobert and didn't let him impose his will on him from a size perspective like we saw in Abu Dhabi.

Lively II, along with many other Mavericks, suffered rebounding-wise at the hands of Minnesota's big-man trio of Naz Reid, Gobert, and Towns last night. However, Lively II was extremely active and just missed the mark on a few 50/50 balls that he was in a decent position for. Lively II is working diligently to add strength and size, so those sorts of things will work themselves out over time, so fans shouldn't be concerned as Lively II is proving to be one of the most dynamic players from his draft class just 22 games into his NBA career.

Lively II finished with 15 points on a hyper-efficient 7-9 from the field, as he continues to prove how great he is at probing and sealing in the dunker spot as well as rim rolling. Last night continued to prove that Lively II should continue working on expanding his repertoire in the four-on-three, as he's done a great job of diagnosing when to attack or pass in those scenarios this season.

For more on Dereck Lively II's development along with everything else pertaining to the Dallas Mavericks, stay tuned to us as we'll have you covered.