Mavericks' winning streak ends after unfortunate shooting night against Timberwolves

Noah Weber

Minnesota Timberwolves v Dallas Mavericks / Tim Heitman/GettyImages

Heading into Thursday night's game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Dallas Mavericks were riding a four-game win streak after a win Tuesday over the Los Angeles Lakers.

The Mavs were fully embracing the next man up mentality in that game, as Dante Exum dropped 26 points while shooting 7-9 from downtown. It was a spectacular game from start to finish, but Thursday's game looked a little different.

The Mavs got off to a great start as they led 30-26 at the end of the first quarter, and Luka Doncic was dominating as he had 18 points in the first quarter alone.

Mavericks' winning streak ends after unfortunate shooting night against Timberwolves

Doncic was scoring whenever he wanted to, but the Mavs got little help from the bench unit. Dallas' bench only scored 25 points, and the team's rough shooting night ultimately led to the loss.

Minnesota won the game 119-101, even with Dallas holding Anthony Edwards to nine points on 3-19 shooting. It just wasn't Dallas' night, and when the Mavs shoot bad, they typically lose.

Dallas shot 7-32 from downtown, and Grant Williams, Tim Hardaway Jr., and Derrick Jones Jr. combined for a rough 2-20 shooting night from 3-point land. Those are typically three players that Dallas can count on to knock down multiple threes each, but tonight was a different story.

Hardaway Jr. has been great all year, and has solidified himself as a frontrunner in the Sixth Man of the Year race. With so many injuries, Dallas needed someone on the bench to step up, but no one did.

This rough of a shooting night isn't typically for the Mavericks, and Minnesota's bench considerably outplayed the Mavs' bench.

Dallas' next game is on Saturday night against the Portland Trail Blazers.

For all the latest on Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks this season, stay tuned.

Noah Weber

Noah Weber is the Site Expert for The Smoking Cuban, covering the Dallas Mavericks as a credentialed media member since the 2022-23 season. With a Bachelor of Science in Sports Media from Oklahoma State University, Noah has worked in sports journalism since 2019. While he's covered the Dallas Cowboys and Oklahoma State Cowboys, he has now established himself as a go-to voice for Mavericks coverage. Noah's expertise includes in-depth game analysis, social media content creation, and offering unique perspectives through his reporting. His work has been featured on major platforms such as ESPN, Bleacher Report, and Overtime. During his time at Oklahoma State, Noah won first place in the Oklahoma Broadcast Education Association Awards for a show he co-produced. Outside of covering the Mavs, Noah enjoys working out, playing basketball and Spikeball, and spending quality time with friends and family.