Minnesota Timberwolves at Dallas Mavericks
Date: January 28th, 2026
Time: 7:30 PM CST
Location: American Airlines Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeart Radio
The Wolves finally stopped the bleeding Monday night, snapping the five-game losing streak by beating the Warriors’ B squad at Target Center. And yes, we all understand the fine print on the receipt: no Steph Curry, no Jimmy Butler, and Golden State looked like a team that was mostly trying to survive the evening without someone pulling a hamstring tying their shoes.
But here’s the thing: when you’re 0–5 in your last five and you’ve spent the last week playing basketball like you’re distractedly scrolling Twitter at half court, any win counts. Not “counts” like it moves you up the standings in some dramatic way. “Counts” like a drowning person grabbing a life preserver.
Minnesota did it without Anthony Edwards again, who continues to have issues with his foot. They had four of five starters available, they brought competent energy, and they handled business the way a serious team is supposed to handle a compromised opponent: build separation, keep it, don’t get cute.
Now comes the next test, and it’s the kind of test that tells you whether the Wolves are actually pulling themselves together or just enjoyed one nice evening before returning to their regularly scheduled chaos.
They head back to Texas, scene of the recent crime spree (Houston and San Antonio), except this time the opponent isn’t a contender with Kevin Durant or Victor Wembanyama. It’s Dallas, who is struggling, banged up, and missing major pieces. No Kyrie Irving. No Anthony Davis. And maybe no Cooper Flagg, who’s listed as a game-time decision. This is less “climbing Everest” and more “successfully walking up a flight of stairs without tripping,” which… considering the last two weeks… still qualifies as progress.
And that’s the point. Sometimes you don’t fix a shaky season with one grand moment. Sometimes you do it with baby steps: beat the depleted Warriors, beat the depleted Mavericks, and then you look up and suddenly you’ve got some stability heading into Thursday’s OKC game instead of an emotional crater.
So let’s treat this correctly. Dallas isn’t the type of team you circle as a signature win. Dallas is the type of game you circle as mandatory.
1. Weaponize the size advantage
Dallas is limping into this one, and without Anthony Davis in particular, there’s no excuse for Minnesota not to own the paint. This is where the Wolves’ identity is supposed to live: Rudy Gobert anchoring the back line, and Julius Randle and Naz Reid crashing to the rim. They did a solid job exploiting the Warriors’ lack of size. Now they need to turn that into a habit, not a one-night stand. If Minnesota wins the paint and the boards, Dallas runs out of ways to stay in the game.
2. Play like the game matters for 48 minutes — because it does.
This is the danger zone game. The Wolves finally get a win, the schedule looks friendly, and the brain starts whispering, We can coast a little. That’s how you lose to injured teams, turn a possible two-game win streak into another spiral, and end up doing the “how did we end up in the play-in?” math in March. Minnesota has already proven they can flip intensity on and off like a light switch. The problem is they’ve been using it like a broken one. This has to be a professional effort from the opening tip. Sprint back. Hit the glass. Make the extra rotation. Don’t wait until the fourth quarter to start caring. You don’t build momentum by winning one game. You build it by stacking another one right after it, especially on the road.
3. Guard the perimeter.
Even depleted teams can beat you if you let them get comfortable from three and turn the game into a math problem. Minnesota has been at its worst when the wing defense becomes optional. When guys get blown by, Rudy gets dragged into impossible help situations, and suddenly every possession is either a layup or a scramble into an open corner three. Dallas doesn’t need to be healthy to make you pay if you’re lazy. The Wolves have to close out like they mean it, contain dribble penetration, and keep the ball in front. The goal should be simple: make Dallas work for every shot, and make their offense feel heavy. If Minnesota keeps Dallas in the mud for three quarters, this game ends early.
4. Take care of the ball and keep the offense flowing.
We just watched the Wolves cough it up 25 times against Golden State on Sunday. That wasn’t a “bad luck” thing. That was a carelessness thing. Monday only looked better because it couldn’t possibly be worse, with Minnesota giving the ball away 22 times. This game cannot become another “we gave them life” situation where Dallas hangs around because Minnesota is throwing away possessions like expired coupons. The Wolves need clean decision-making, purposeful ball movement, and a steady pace. No dribbling the air out of it. No lazy cross-court passes. No possessions that end with someone launching a bailout three because the offense died at the top of the key. Especially if Ant is out again, the Wolves have to score through structure with movement, paint touches, kickouts, and extra passes.
5. Leadership can’t be a postgame quote — it has to show up in the first quarter.
This is the big one, especially if Edwards remains sidelined. When a team is wobbling, and make no mistake, Minnesota is wobbling, leadership isn’t something you talk about. It’s something you demonstrate. Rudy has to set the defensive tone. Conley has to organize the chaos and keep everyone connected. Randle has to play forceful but smart bully-ball with reads, not tunnel vision. And the “middle class” guys (DDV, Naz, Jaden) have to bring real edge, not passive cardio. Monday was a step toward stopping the bleeding. Wednesday has to be the game where they show they can walk normally again.
This is where the Wolves are right now: not in the “make a statement” phase, but in the “prove you’re not broken” phase. Dallas is injured. Dallas is struggling. Dallas is vulnerable. If Minnesota plays with maturity, this is a workmanlike road win, the kind you bank, the kind you don’t brag about, the kind that quietly steadies your season.
But if they come out sloppy, unfocused, and casual, if they treat this like a night off because the opponent is shorthanded, then we’re right back in the swamp. And the OKC game won’t be a measuring stick. It’ll be a scheduled disaster.
So yeah: baby steps. Beat the depleted Warriors. Beat the depleted Mavericks. Get your footing back. Then turn your attention to OKC with something resembling confidence.
Because the Wolves dug this hole themselves. And the only way out is to start stacking wins that aren’t glamorous, just necessary.
