Timberwolves 3-Game Win Streak Snapped In Loss To Mavericks

DALLAS (AP) — Wesley Matthews scored 19 points and Dirk Nowitzki added 17 and the Dallas Mavericks beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-87 Sunday.

J.J. Barea scored 15 points for Dallas, and Deron Williams had 13 points and 10 assists.

Gorgui Dieng scored 21 points and Andrew Wiggins had 19 for the Timberwolves, who had their three-game winning streak snapped.

Dallas broke open a two-point game by closing the third quarter on an 11-4 run, then Barea scored his team's first nine points of the fourth quarter. His bank shot in the lane with 8:01 to go extended the Mavs' lead to 88-76.

Seth Curry then scored the next five points with a 3 and a fast-break layup to give Dallas its largest lead of the game.

Seeking their first four-game winning streak since December 2012, the Timberwolves closed a 14-point, third-quarter deficit to as little as two. Dieng scored nine points in the quarter, making all four of his field-goal attempts.

Nowitzki scored 10 points in a 17-4 run at the start of the second quarter, including seven straight to finish the run. His 3-pointer as the trailer on a Mavericks' fast break gave Dallas its biggest lead of the half at 44-29. They led 56-47 at the break.

The Mavericks moved up the game time to 1 p.m. Central time to accommodate the Dallas Cowboys' late afternoon kickoff.

TIP-INS

Timberwolves: Zach LaVine had missed the past two games with a hip bruise, but warmed up before the game and coach Tom Thibodeau declared him ready to go. He scored 11 points.

Mavericks: The Mavericks announced the signing of guard Pierre Jackson to a 10-day contract. Jackson played for the Mavericks from Dec. 27 to Jan. 6, averaging three points, before being waived. ... Dallas also recalled forward Nicolas Brussino from the Texas Legends of the NBA Development League, where he was averaging 16 points and eight rebounds.

PEER RECOGNITION

As head of the National Basketball Coaches Association (NBCA), Dallas coach Rick Carlisle talked about the association's announcement of the Michael H. Goldberg NBCA Coach of the Year Award. The award will be the only one chosen by an NBA coach's peers and will be announced at the end of the regular season. Goldberg was the first executive director of the NBCA.

"Michael Goldberg is a beloved figure in the coaching world," Carlisle said. "We felt it was time to honor the work that he's done. This is a unique award because it's going to be voted on by peers only. It will have a little extra meaning for coaches. It's really time for something like this to happen."

UP NEXT

Timberwolves: Stay in Texas with a visit to San Antonio on Tuesday.

Mavericks: Visit Chicago on Tuesday for the first of a two-game road trip.

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