The Timberwolves fall victim to “Jaden McDaniels rule” with a loss to the Mavericks

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Anthony Edwards #5 and Julius Randle #30 of the Minnesota Timberwolves high five during the game against the Dallas Mavericks on October 29, 2024 at Target Center in Minneapolis, Minnesota. ((Photo by David Sherman/NBAE via Getty Images))

MINNEAPOLIS – An out-of-bounds challenge that the Timberwolves lost in last season's Western Conference Finals came back to haunt Minnesota on Tuesday night against the Dallas Mavericks.

The NBA changed the review process this offseason after Jaden McDaniels lost a ball out of bounds because he was fouled, which couldn't be reviewed in last season's playoffs. On Tuesday night, Rudy Gobert was called for a foul in the fourth quarter after Daniel Gafford lost a ball out of bounds. The Mavericks got possession, the Timberwolves challenged the call and Gobert got the foul. A combination of irony and bad luck.

It came on a night when Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving took over in the second half of a 120-114 victory over the Timberwolves.

“To be honest, I just didn’t see the foul, but obviously they did it right,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said after the loss.

It was the first time the two teams met since Dallas eliminated Minnesota to advance to the NBA Finals, but both rosters have changed since then. The Timberwolves traded Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks for Donte DiVincenzo and Julius Randle. The Mavericks added Klay Thompson.

What it means

The Timberwolves fall to 2-2 on the season, suffering their first loss at Target Center of the year and completing their first three-game homestand against the Denver Nuggets on Friday night.

The big piece

The Timberwolves began the third quarter with a 10-0 run and led 69-61 after a 3-pointer from Mike Conley. The Mavericks responded with a 32-13 run, led largely by Irving, who finished the night with 35 points. Doncic added 24 points, nine assists and eight rebounds. Doncic knocked back a 3-pointer from the same spot he did in Game 2 of the Western Conference Finals, giving Dallas a 117-109 lead with 1:04 to clinch the victory.

The Timberwolves trimmed their 11-point deficit to one possession several times in the fourth quarter, but the Mavericks had every answer.

“Dagger shots at the end when you're trying to come back are very painful, but they're a result of offensive rebounds, a result of not clearing the transition quickly enough when Kyrie charges at us,” Finch said. “We have to solve these two things, that was the key for us last year.”

Anthony Edwards' fast start

Edwards looked like he was in for a career night. He scored 24 points in the first quarter, a career high, on 6 of 8 shooting from three-point range. He didn't score a single point in the second quarter and had 13 in the second half for 37. Randle added 20 points, seven rebounds and seven assists.

The most important numbers

Doncic and Irivng combined for 59 points. The Timberwolves had 20 turnovers and shot 17 of 26 from the free throw line.

What's next?

The Timberwolves host the Denver Nuggets, the team they eliminated in seven games last season, to reach the Western Conference finals on Friday night.