Mavericks Take Care Of T-Wolves - 100-86

Shawn Marion (0) led an extremely balanced attack on offense, scoring 16 points and grabbing eight rebounds off the bench, as Dallas didn't trail after the first quarter against Minnesota. (AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)

It was another blowout win for the Dallas Mavericks (1-4) against the Minnesota Timberwolves (4-14) Wednesday night, the team's the second straight and seventh consecutive win overall.

Dallas outrebounded the normally stout on the boards Timberwolves 50-46, something that was a key coming into the contest.

"That was a point of emphasis for the game," Mavericks' coach Rick Carlisle said. "Everybody was focused on keeping a body on their man and knowing where [Kevin] Love was on the floor."

The NBA's leading rebounder still secured 15 boards, along with 12 points, but was overshadowed by Mavericks' center Tyson Chandler.
After notching only four rebounds in the first half due to foul trouble, Chandler came out with a vengeance in the third quarter - snatching rebound after rebound before setting the franchise record with 14 rebounds in the quarter.

"I thought I had a bad first half and didn't bring enough energy," Chandler said. "I made some dumb fouls and Coach kind of got on me at halftime, so I wanted to come out and bring some energy and do some more out there."

The Mavericks didn't trail after falling behind 9-8 with 7:10 left in the first quarter, leading by at least 10 points all second half.

"They know how important it is to put an opponent away when they have an opportunity," Carlisle said.

Dallas shot only 41 percent from the floor as a team, but ten players scored at least five points and a relentless defense forced 39 percent shooting from the T-Wolves on the night.
Shawn Marion set the tone offensively off the bench, scoring a team-high 16 points.

"When you step on the court, you've got to bring it at the same level as the starters or you'll be back on the bench," Marion said. "It's that simple."

What's Next:

Dallas travels to Utah Friday night to take on the Jazz. Utah is 15-5 this season, third in the Western Conference behind the Mavs, and (like Dallas) have won seven straight contest coming into the game.

Tip-off is at 9:30 p.m. central time and can be seen on ESPN.

(Portions of this article were taken from The Associated Press)