Mavericks vs Timberwolves: Bones Hyland Leads 133-94 Rout Without Edwards
Bones Hyland scored 24 off the bench and LaMelo Ball added 22 as Minnesota won its fifth straight with Anthony Edwards still out.
The Minnesota Timberwolves keep winning without Anthony Edwards, and Thursday’s Mavericks vs Timberwolves game wasn’t close. Minnesota beat Dallas 133-94 at Target Center, its most lopsided win of the season, the AP reported.
Bones Hyland led everyone with 24 points off the bench. LaMelo Ball added 22 points, six 3-pointers and a season-high nine assists. The Wolves (9-3) have won five straight and lead the Northwest Division.
| Final | 1Q | 2Q | 3Q | 4Q | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mavericks | 26 | 26 | 17 | 25 | 94 |
| Timberwolves | 34 | 33 | 36 | 30 | 133 |
Source: ESPN box score.
Bones Hyland’s big night off the bench
Hyland went 7 of 10 from the field and 5 of 6 from three, with eight assists, TalkBasket reported. It was his season high.
He’s on a one-year minimum deal, his second straight with Minnesota after first joining on a two-way contract in 2025. Nights like this are why the Wolves kept him.
Hyland said after the game that he worked out four times a day for about six weeks this summer to prepare for this role. “That’s definitely the role I was envisioning,” he said, per TalkBasket.
Mavericks vs Timberwolves: how the rout happened
Minnesota led 34-26 after one quarter and closed the second on a 24-10 run to take a 15-point lead into halftime. Then the third quarter broke it open. The Wolves started it on a 17-4 run, won the period 36-17 and led 103-69 going into the fourth. Their biggest lead was 44.
The shooting gap tells the story:
- Timberwolves: 57.8% from the field, 15 of 32 from three (46.9%)
- Mavericks: 37.2% from the field, 13 of 48 from three (27.1%)
Ayo Dosunmu added 18 points and Jaden McDaniels had 16 points and nine rebounds. Jonathan Kuminga chipped in 14 points and eight rebounds.
Winning without Anthony Edwards
This is the bigger story. Edwards had arthroscopic surgery on his right knee and was expected to miss up to two months, according to an Oct. 27 report, Yahoo Sports noted. He was averaging 33.3 points in four games before the injury.
Minnesota hasn’t missed a beat. The Wolves are 6-2 since he went down, with five straight wins.
Ball has carried much of the load since coming over from Charlotte in a July trade. Coach Chris Finch said he asked Ball to be more aggressive as a scorer right after Edwards got hurt. During the four-game streak before Thursday, Ball averaged 25 points on 52% shooting, Dunking with Wolves calculated.
The depth matters just as much. Minnesota has been running nine or 10 players deep, with Hyland, Trey Lyles, Jaylen Clark, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Joan Beringer all getting minutes off the bench, Yahoo Sports noted.
A bad night for Dallas
The Mavericks came in on a three-game winning streak and left at 7-5. Zaccharie Risacher led them with 22 points off the bench, and Naji Marshall added 13. Cooper Flagg had 12 points and seven rebounds, while Kyrie Irving shot 4 of 11 for 10 points.
Dallas also turned it over 19 times. Against a team shooting nearly 58%, that’s a recipe for a blowout.
What’s next
- Timberwolves: host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday at 8 p.m. ET, then the Portland Trail Blazers on Monday at 8 p.m. ET. They’re in the middle of a franchise-record eight-game homestand.
- Mavericks: at the Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. ET, then at the Boston Celtics on Sunday at 6 p.m. ET.
That road back-to-back is a tough test for Dallas right after a 39-point loss. For more NBA action from Thursday night, see our recap of 76ers vs Raptors and Joel Embiid’s knee scare.
