Timberwolves Rout Mavericks 133-94 Behind LaMelo Ball’s 22 Points

LaMelo Ball scored 22 points and distributed a season-high nine assists on Thursday night, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 133-94 rout of the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center.

Minnesota secured its fifth victory and its most lopsided margin of the season. The Timberwolves improved to 9-3, building a 15-point halftime lead before outscoring Dallas 36-17 in the third quarter to open a 103-69 lead.

Bones Hyland paced the Minnesota bench with 24 points, shooting a perfect three for three from beyond the arc. Ayo Dosunmu contributed 18 points, Jaden McDaniels chipped in 16, and Jonathan Kuminga added 14 points along with eight rebounds.

The Timberwolves shot 61 percent from the field in the first half alone to establish control. Ball recorded 16 of his points before intermission, helping Minnesota build a 67-52 cushion at the break.

Minnesota extended its dominance immediately out of the locker room with a 17-4 run. That burst peaked at an 84-56 scoreline when Ball lobbed an alley-oop pass to Rudy Gobert.

Zaccharie Risacher led the Mavericks with 22 points off the bench, snapping a three-game winning streak for Dallas. Cooper Flagg, who scored 43 points against Indiana in his previous outing, was restricted to 12 points, while Kyrie Irving managed just 10 points.

Naji Marshall added 13 points for Dallas, which shot just 37 percent from the floor as a team. The Mavericks fell to 7-5 on the season.

Minnesota earned its seventh victory over Dallas in convincing fashion. The Timberwolves entered the night fourth in the Western Conference at 8-3, playing without Anthony Edwards and Donte DiVincenzo due to injuries.

The Mavericks played without Dereck Lively II, Tarik Biberovic, Sergio De Larrea, and Morez Johnson Jr. due to injuries. FanDuel Sportsbook pegged the Timberwolves as 5.5-point favorites prior to tipoff.

Dallas travels to play Cleveland on Saturday. Minnesota returns to action on the same day to host Chicago.

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