5 TAKEAWAYS FROM THE 139-123 WIN OVER THE TIMBERWOLVES
HARDAWAY SPARKLES AGAIN: On a night when every Mavs player played less than 29 minutes, Tim Hardaway Jr. continued his hot streak. Hardaway finished with a team-high 23 points on 8-of-14 shooting and 3-of-6 marksmanship from the 3-point stripe. And he was particularly lethal in the second quarter when he scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting. “I just love the way he plays, man,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He goes hard, he cares about winning, he’s one of our leaders.” Over the last five games Hardaway is averaging 24.8 ppg.
CURRY TICKLED THE TWINE: It took him awhile to get going Monday, but Seth Curry wound up with 19 points in just 25 minutes. Overall, the six-year veteran was 7-of-11 from the field and a very hot 5-of-9 from beyond the 3-point arc. Curry tallied 10 of his points in the fourth quarter and is averaging 18 ppg over the past seven games. During that stretch he’s shooting 53.5 percent from the field (46-of-86) and 52.2 percent from downtown (24-of-36). “Seth is one of the best shooters in the game,” coach Rick Carlisle said. “He gets it to the rim, he gets guys shot, and he knows how to play the game.”
TWO MORE MILESTONES FOR DONCIC: As the games keep coming, so do the milestones for Luka Doncic. With the nine rebounds he collected Monday, Doncic became the second-fastest guard in NBA history to reach 1,000 rebounds for his career. Doncic accomplished the amazing feat in 118 games, while it took Hall of Fame guard Oscar Robertson just 93 games to do it. Also, at 20 years and 361 days old, Doncic became the second-youngest player to surpass 2,500 points, 1,000 rebounds and 750 assists in a career. LeBron James was just 20 years and 110 days old when he reached this milestone. In addition to his rebounds, Doncic had 20 points and seven assists against Minnesota.
BAREA IN THE TOP FIVE: By playing in Monday’s game, J. J. Barea is now in fifth place on the Mavs’ all-time list for games played. The 14-year veteran has played in 627 games while donning a Mavs’ uniform – one more than the original Iron Man, Michael Finley. And Barea wore the uniform well against the Timberwolves as he collected 12 points, three rebounds and a game-high eight assists in 22 minutes off the bench. Barea scored seven points and dispensed a pair of assists in eight first-half minutes as he and the Mavs’ second unit kept the pressure on Minnesota all night long.
VIDEO GAME BROKE OUT: The way the Mavs played in the first half, it was as if a video game had broken out. Still fuming from Saturday’s 111-107 controversial loss in Atlanta, the Mavs poured in 41 points in the first quarter and an additional 40 points in the second quarter against the Timberwolves. The 81 points represent the most points the Mavs have scored in any half this season. In fact, this is the first time the Mavs have scored at least 80 points in any half since they popped in 81 points in the first half against Phoenix on Apr. 5, 2009. In the first half against Minnesota, the Mavs shot 55.8 percent from the field (29-of-52) and 52.2 percent from 3-point territory (12-of-23).
Twitter: @DwainPrice
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