Naz Reid.
Does anything else really need to be said about the Minnesota Timberwolves’ 119-101 road victory against the Dallas Mavericks Thursday night?
Reid scored 27 points and tied a franchise record with seven 3-pointers off the bench. He picked up the slack on a night when Anthony Edwards shot 3 of 19 and Rudy Gobert and Jaden McDaniels dealt with foul trouble.
“They’re good in both ways, offense, defense. They have an amazing team. Ant is one of the best in the league for sure. But I think there is one X factor: Naz Reid,” Dallas superstar Luka Doncic said after the game. “He’s an amazing player, man, and he hurt us today. He’s been hooping.”
Hear from Luka Doncic following the 119-101 loss to the Timberwolves. #MFFL | @dallasmavs on @BallySportsSW đź“ş pic.twitter.com/Ja70xfWtFP
— FanDuel Sports Network Southwest (@FanDuelSN_SW) December 15, 2023
“Honestly, the great thing about Naz’s game is it all came in the flow. We didn’t call a single play for him. He just spaced the floor well, was patient, guys started finding him,” Wolves coach Chris Finch said. “That’s the thing I love about him. We almost never call a play for him.”
Dallas jumped Minnesota by opening up a 17-2 lead in the first three minutes, 14 seconds. By the end of the third quarter the Wolves led 87-82, disguising a butt-kicking as a close game. By the time it was over, Minnesota outscored Dallas 117-84 in the final 44 minutes, 44 seconds.
“It’s just one of those nights. When you look at the guys that got looks, they didn’t go down for us tonight. Again, Minnesota is the best team in the league and we felt we were playing well,” Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. “Give them credit.”
"It's just one of those night. When you look at the guys that got looks, they didn't go down for us tonight. Again, Minnesota is the best team in the league and we felt we were playing well."
Jason Kidd reacts to tonight's game. #MFFL | @dallasmavs on @BallySportsSW đź“ş pic.twitter.com/nmAZZ6OkPu
— FanDuel Sports Network Southwest (@FanDuelSN_SW) December 15, 2023
Minnesota (18-5) is tied with Boston for the best record in the NBA and leads the Western Conference by 2.5 games over second place Denver (17-9).
Up next: Timberwolves vs. Pacers, Saturday at 7 p.m. CT.
