Dallas hits from long range to win 104-99, ending Timberwolves' win streak at three games

The last time Dallas star Luka Doncic was on the Target Center floor he was hounded and harassed, relatively ineffective, ultimately incensed.

Pretty much in that order.

That was Monday, in the Timberwolves' 10-point win, one in which neither Doncic nor Mavs coach Jason Kidd was around to see the end, as both were ejected.

On Wednesday night, Doncic's numbers were better. He scored 25 points, had 10 assists, nine rebounds. More so than Monday, his teammates were able to hit the open shots created by the Wolves double-teaming Doncic.

Especially late in Dallas' come-from-behind 104-99 victory.

Down three early in the fourth quarter, the Mavericks — up to that point 8-for-33 from long range — hit five straight three-pointers in a 15-4 run to go up eight. Tim Hardaway Jr. hit the first two, Reggie Bullock the last two. Dallas never trailed again.

"They picked on our scheme a little bit there," Wolves coach Chris Finch said. "Just late on the rotation, you know? Just stayed in a little too long on the rotation. And when we went to switch, we boned up a couple switches."

It was the final lead change in a game in which neither team ever led by more than eight points.

But even with Dallas' ability to hit shots late, Finch felt the trouble lied in the Wolves inability to score consistently, his team failing to turn, for example, a four-point lead into double digits when it mattered; the Wolves didn't top 25 points in three of the four quarters.

But Austin Rivers wasn't buying it. "There was like a three-minute stretch where we gave up [five] corner threes, and that's where we lost the game. We've just got to be there, man. They hit [five] corner threes in a row. Just totally changed the game. Otherwise, we win tonight."

There were other issues. For example: The Mavs (16-16), who broke a three-game losing streak, outscored the Wolves 23-7 on free throws, a stat that Finch wasn't too happy with, especially considering the Wolves drove into the lane more than 40 times while Dallas attempted just 24 shots in the paint. "Their return on investment was way better than ours tonight," he said.

The Wolves lost despite a wonderful return from Rudy Gobert, who came back after missing three games with a sore ankle to score 19 points and grab 15 rebounds. He also had two blocks and two steals. Anthony Edwards scored 23 on 11-for-21 shooting but he was 0-for-4 on threes. Rivers scored 21.

The Wolves followed much of the same plan they used Monday: playing up on Doncic on the ball, and doubling him on the pick and roll to get the ball out of his hands. For a while, it worked.

Until it didn't.

"I've got to watch it on film," Gobert said. "But yeah, just give up [five] shooters open threes in a row. … I thought we were playing pretty solid defense for most of the game. Maybe that stretch, that was all."

But that was the difference.

Hardaway, Jr. scored 21 points, making four of 10 threes. Spencer Dinwiddie had 19, Christian Wood 12.

Their three-game winning streak over, the Wolves fell back to .500 (16-16) with a four-game road trip looming. It was disappointing finish for the crowd of 16,164 who braved the weather.

"They lived here longer than me," Finch joked. "So they're used to it, I guess.''