Karl-Anthony Towns had 29 points and nine rebounds for the Minnesota Timberwolves in a 121-87 victory over the depleted Dallas Mavericks, who played Wednesday night without stars Luka Doncic and Kyrie Irving. Rudy Gobert scored 17 points and Naz Reid added 12 points for the West-leading Wolves (34-14). Towns, who had 11 points in the third quarter, went 4 for 6 from 3-point range and is shooting a career-best 44.2% from deep.
Luka Doncic had 45 points and 15 assists and Tim Hardaway Jr. added 36 points as the Dallas Mavericks beat the Orlando Magic 131-129 on Monday night. The duo accounted for 54 of Dallas’ 70 points in the second half, including 27 of 35 points in the fourth quarter, when there were 10 of the game’s 13 lead changes. Dallas shot a season-best 62.3% from the floor, 64.7% during the second half.
About two months after Las Vegas billionaire Miriam Adelson acquired a majority stake in the NBA's Dallas Mavericks, the drive to legalize gambling in Texas appears to be a major factor in the purchase.