Mavericks at Timberwolves
The Dallas Mavericks look to keep pace in the tight race for the Southwest Division title when they hit the road to face the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday. The Mavericks have won three of their last four games - including a 103-95 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies - to move within a half-game of the division leaders. Dallas has won five of its last seven on the road and hopes to continue its upward trend by beating the Timberwolves for the second straight time at Target Center.
Minnesota has shown some signs of life by splitting its last four games after losing its previous 15. The Timberwolves downed the Indiana Pacers 110-101 and Denver Nuggets 113-105 within the past week, but are coming off a deflating 105-80 defeat to the Charlotte Hornets on Monday. Minnesota has dropped eight consecutive games at Target Center and its 3-16 home record is tied for the worst in the NBA as it hopes to beat Dallas for the fourth time in its last six tries.
TV: 8 p.m. ET, FSN Southwest (Dallas), FSN North (Minnesota)
ABOUT THE MAVERICKS (29-13): Dirk Nowitzki scored 18 of his 21 points in the second half — including the last eight of the game for Dallas — and pulled down six rebounds in the win over the Grizzlies. "I didn't really have a lot of great looks in the first half and I didn't want to force it," Nowitzki told reporters. "We needed to be aggressive and get some wins against good teams." Monta Ellis added a game-high 25 points and seven assists, while Tyson Chandler chipped in with 10 points and 16 rebounds for his 18th double-double of the season.
ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (7-33): Andrew Wiggins was limited to 12 points on 3-of-14 shooting from the floor in the loss to the Hornets after setting a career-high with 31 points in the 113-105 win over Denver on Saturday. "No one could get in their groove," Wiggins told reporters. "I think we've just got to make shots." Mo Williams was named the Western Conference Player of the Week for Jan. 12-18 after averaging 30.3 points — including a franchise-high 52 against the Indiana Pacers — and 6.3 assists to lead Minnesota to a 2-1 record.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Mavericks have won two of the last three meetings at Target Center.
2. Nowitzki has scored in double figures in all of his 39 games this season.
3. The Timberwolves haven't won at home since Dec. 10.