Mavericks at Timberwolves
THE STORY: It took them four games, but the Dallas Mavericks managed to secure the first win of their NBA title defense on Friday. The Mavericks put together their best defensive effort of the season on Friday and ended up with a 99-86 victory over the Toronto Raptors. After allowing its first three opponents to shoot a combined 52 percent, Dallas held the Raptors under 46 percent from the floor. The other big difference was the bench, which totaled 56 points in the contest. Ian Mahinmi led the charge with a career-high 19 points. Mahinmi will be looking to build on that performance when the Mavericks visit the winless Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves may be short on victories but they are long on highlights, with rookie point guard Ricky Rubio so far proving to be worth the wait with his creative passing ability.
TV: 7 p.m. ET, FSSW (Dallas), FSNO (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (1-3): Dallas overturned half of its roster in the shortened offseason, losing defensive anchor Tyson Chandler in the process. The Mavericks pushed Brendan Hayward into the starting spot at center but have given more and more minutes to Mahinmi, who went 6 of 6 from the floor and 7 of 11 from the free throw line in 29 minutes on Friday. Mahinmi, 25, is one of the youngest players on the roster and could find himself in a much larger role in the compressed schedule.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (0-3): Minnesota is not expected to challenge for a playoff spot but should improve with Rubio and rookie Derrick Williams joining the young core of Kevin love and Michael Beasley. Love, who had 64 double-doubles last season, has started with three straight in 2011-12. Love put up 25 points and 12 rebounds on Friday and five reserves, including Rubio and Williams, each reached double figures in a 103-101 loss to Miami.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Mavericks have taken five straight and nine of the last 10 in the series.
2. J.J. Barea, who was part of Dallas’ championship team last season and signed with Minnesota as a free agent, missed Friday’s game with a hamstring injury. He is expected to play Sunday.
3. Love has averaged 12.7 points and 10.7 rebounds in nine career games against Dallas.