DALLAS – The Timberwolves spent Christmas away from home this year, and several of the team’s players had families fly down to celebrate Tuesday and Wednesday as the team played the Mavericks on a nationally televised game.
Timberwolves build big lead, hang on vs. Mavericks to end three-game losing streak
Their 28-point lead got trimmed to two late, but they held on in a Western Conference finals rematch that missed an injured Luka Doncic after halftime.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
December 26, 2024 at 5:07AM
One Wolves player who didn’t have to fly too many people in was Dallas native Julius Randle, who spent the holidays in a familiar place. What’s become clear, in listening to coach Chris Finch and Randle speak after the Wolves’ 105-99 victory over the Mavericks, is Randle is still adjusting to an unfamiliar role with the Wolves — that of being a facilitator instead of an alpha scorer.
Randle played that role as well as he has all season in helping the Wolves build a 28-point lead, and they needed every bit of that cushion as Dallas cut the lead to two in the fourth quarter. But the Wolves, who had lost their previous three games, aren’t going for style points.
“It felt good, man,” Randle said. “It was pretty cool to be here for Christmas Day and we needed a win in the worst way. Happy we were able to get that. Probably the best Christmas present I could get.”
If the Wolves could freeze Randle’s stat line — 23 points on 13 shot attempts, 10 rebounds and eight assists — and carry that over the rest of the season, they would.
“He’s a facilitator and he’s been great at adjusting to being less of a primary scorer, more of a playmaker for us,” Finch said. “We need to make sure we keep him at the center of that more.”
Therein lie the fault lines with Randle’s tenure so far, and where the fanbase has had its frustrations with him and the team 29 games into the season. On this road trip, Finch has discussed multiple times how the Wolves (15-14) are still early in the process of evaluating this fit of former Knicks Randle and Donte DiVincenzo, who had 11 points off the bench Wednesday.
When fans see stretches of play like the three-game losing streak leading into this game, they understandably get upset, especially coming off a season in which the Wolves lost to these same Mavericks in the Western Conference finals. But the team is trying to take a longer view, regardless of the noise.
“Everything is a process. I don’t think there’s an end date where you say Game 45 we’ll punt and restart. That’s not really how it all works,” Finch said. “You got to keep massaging it until you find something sustainable. That’s how you got to approach that.”
Which brings the Wolves to Randle, who is taking on a different role with this team than he had in New York. There, he was “wired to score” he said, and now he has had to rewire his game in Minnesota. That process is taking time.
“That’s really been the biggest change. You’re somewhere for five years, playing a certain way and I come here and it’s a little bit different,” Randle said. “I love my role here. I love playing with my teammates, but finding what helps the team and what the team needs the most on a night-to-night basis has been the harder part, but everybody has been great with me, coaches included, helping me adjust and figuring things out.”
The key word for him and his teammates? Not something fans always want to hear: patience.
“It’s a different team,” said Anthony Edwards, who scored 26 points on 11-for-24 shooting. “We got to have patience to be able to get it together. Sometimes it looks good, sometimes it looks bad, and we still trying to figure it out. I think patience is what’s going to take us over the top. Once we figure it out we’ll be all right.”
The Wolves looked like they had some things figured out for three quarters before their offense went back into an isolation shell. Dallas mounted a fourth-quarter rally without Luka Doncic, who left the game in the second quarter because of a calf injury.
Kyrie Irving led the Dallas comeback with 39 points, and a 28-point Wolves lead in the third evaporated to two with 65 seconds left. Edwards said DiVincenzo told him Irving had changed his shoes at halftime. If he had known that, he said he would have told his teammates to defend Irving differently.
“I would have told everybody just trap him,” Edwards said. “Just know when the great players change their shoes at halftime, they finna put on a show.”
The Mavericks had a chance to take the lead, but Irving missed a three-pointer and Edwards followed with a driving lefthanded layup for a four-point Wolves lead with 18.6 seconds to play. Klay Thompson missed a three at the other end and Randle iced the game with a pair of free throws.
There was a sense of relief in the Wolves locker room after a rough week, and at least until tipoff Friday at Houston, they get to enjoy the holidays a bit longer thanks to the victory. Wednesday was a snapshot of what the Wolves could be with Randle playing well. Now to keep it rolling.
“[Teammates have been] super encouraging,” Randle said. “We know it’s an adjustment and it’s a different personnel. I’m used to playing with certain personnel too. This is completely different personnel than I played with in years past. Everybody’s been great. Helping me out, super encouraging and positive.”
That’s ironic
The Wolves lost a challenge late in the game in the worst way they could. Not only was their challenge of a Dallas out-of-bounds ruling off Irving unsuccessful, officials said Jaden McDaniels fouled Irving on the play.
This result was only made possible after the NBA changed the rule in the offseason to allow officials to call a foul if they determine that caused the ball to go out. The impetus for the rule change? An apparent Irving foul on McDaniels in a playoff game that wasn’t overturned in the Wolves’ favor.
Their 28-point lead got trimmed to two late, but they held on in a Western Conference finals rematch that missed an injured Luka Doncic after halftime.
