Timberwolves dispatch short-handed Mavericks, 118-105

Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan 28, 2026

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A few nights after the Timberwolves snapped a five-game losing streak against a short-handed Warriors team, they faced the Mavericks, who also had a lengthy “out” list on the injury report.

The Wolves did as they should in coming home with a 118-105 victory over Dallas at American Airlines Center with Oklahoma City up next on Thursday, Jan. 29.

Julius Randle led the Wolves with 31 points while Naz Reid had 23. Anthony Edwards returned from a one-game absence for foot injury management to score 20.

How it happened

Dallas came in short-handed with players like Cooper Flagg, Klay Thompson, Anthony Davis, Dereck Lively and Kyrie Irving all out with either short-term or long-term injuries.

The Mavericks were sloppy from the start, with 14 turnovers in the first half to the Wolves’ five, but the Wolves’ cold shooting (4 for 17 from 3-point range in the first half) had them up just 10 at halftime.

Randle returned home to his native Dallas and powered the Wolves offense when shots weren’t falling early. He was 7 for 13 (16 points) in the first half while the rest of the team was 14 for 35 (40%). Randle finished with his ninth 30-point game of the season and his third in his last seven games. The Wolves were ahead as much as 17 in the second half before closing it out. Dallas never cut its deficit under double digits in the fourth quarter.

What it means

The Wolves have now won two straight, an injection of good vibes after their most miserable stretch of the season. While it wasn’t a perfect performance, the Wolves had a high effort level all night and looked like a different team than the one that lost to Utah and Golden State recently.

Beringer gets some run

After hardly playing prior to garbage time in the last four games, Joan Beringer saw significant minutes against the Mavericks. Beringer played 10 minutes in the first half and at one point played a role in 10 straight Wolves points, whether by scoring or by getting an offensive rebound that set up a bucket. He got another six minutes in the second half and finished with nine points, four rebounds, one block and was a plus-11.