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One of the highlights of the NBA regular season was played on January 8, Beijing time, with the Timberwolves, the No. 1 team in the West, playing away against the Mavericks, who were seventh in the West. It's a matchup between two teams with a huge disparity of strength, but it's also a battle between two young superstars, Edwards and Doncic. The outcome of the game was unexpected, as the Mavericks defeated the Timberwolves with a score of 115-108, ending their opponent's eight-game winning streak and winning three in a row, changing the landscape of the West.
The Timberwolves have been outstanding this season, topping the Western Conference with a 25-9 record and are one of the strongest teams in the league. They have a young and talented squad with Edwards, Towns and Gobert at the core, supported by Conley and McDaniels, and some quality substitutes such as Reed, Lee Kyle and Walker. They are excellent both offensively and defensively and are a well-rounded and balanced team.
Edwards is their leading scorer and one of the favorites for MVP this season, averaging 28.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and 5.3 assists per game while shooting 49.7 percent from the field and 38.2 percent from three-point range. He excels in physicality, technique, and awareness, and is a difficult scoring machine to defend. The Mavericks are an average team, sitting seventh in the West with a 21-15 record, just one win away from the Pelicans in the top six, but also one win away from the Grizzlies and Spurs in the back.
Their lineup is dominated by Doncic and Irving, supplemented by Jones, Josh Green and Powell, and there are also Gwee, Hardaway and Curry Jr. on the bench. Their offense isn't bad, but their defense is terrible, one of the worst in the league. Doncic is their leader and soul, averaging 26.8 points, 8.7 rebounds and 9.4 assists per game, and is an all-around point guard who is excellent at passing and penetrating, but shooting just 43.5% from the field and 29.7% from three-point range.
Irving was another scorer, averaging 23.4 points, 4.6 rebounds and 4.9 assists per game while shooting 46.2 percent from the field and 37.6 percent from three-point range. He's fast and changeable, and he's a tough shooting guard. Before the start of the game, the starting lineups of both sides were as follows:- Timberwolves: Conley, Edwards, McDaniels, Towns, Gobert- Mavericks: Doncic, Irving, Jones, Josh Green, Powell## Review and statistics of the four quarters of the game At the beginning of the game, the two sides launched a fierce attack, Irving and Gobert each scored the first points for their teams, and then Irving scored in a row, and Watts and Doncic were not to be outdone and responded to each other.
Gobert showed his dominance under the basket, scoring on open dunks and rebounds, but Irving was even hotter, hitting two shots from beyond the three-point line to help the Mavericks stay ahead. Downs and Doncic also joined the three-point battle, exchanging sparks with each other, and Towns also caused Powell's foul on the inside, completing the 2+1 play. Watts performed well in this quarter, he scored consecutive breakaways and shots, and once helped the Timberwolves tie the score, but he was also whistled by the referee for three fouls due to mistakes on the defensive end and had to go off the court early.
Lee Kyle and Reed played a role off the bench, adding firepower to the Timberwolves with throws and dunks, respectively, but the Mavericks didn't let up either, with Doncic and Gwee both scoring, and the gap between the two sides never widened. At the end of the first quarter, the Timberwolves trailed the Mavericks by one point, 29-30. Doncic and Watts scored 11 and 12 points, respectively, to become the leading scorers for their respective teams.
At the beginning of the second quarter, Towns broke the deadlock for the Timberwolves with a throw, but Irving immediately responded with a three-pointer, and Gobert was not to be outdone, scoring a one-arm dunk and Powell also scored under the basket. But then, Gobert was whistled for two consecutive fouls by the referee and had to follow Watts off the court, which affected the Timberwolves' interior defense, and the Mavericks took the opportunity to play a 9-0 attack wave to stretch the margin to 10 points. The Timberwolves weren't discouraged, and Walker and Towns teamed up to pull off an 8-0 counter-attack wave to tie the score.
The two sides fell into a stalemate again, Doncic and Jones scored for the Mavericks, Towns and Conley responded for the Timberwolves, and Lee Kyle also went off the court for a foul, and the Timberwolves' foul problem became more and more serious. Gwee used a three-point to the advantage of the Mavericks. Reed and Kang used three-pointers to recover some points for the Timberwolves, and Watts also scored with a throw, but his defensive end was still a little hesitant to go head-to-head with Doncic, who was ruthless and stabilized the situation with a step-back three-pointer.
Reed and McLaughlin also hit three-pointers for the Timberwolves, but Doncic and Hardaway responded with three-pointers as the Mavericks led the Timberwolves by nine points at 91-82 at the end of the third quarter. Doncic and Watts scored 25 and 23 points, respectively, to continue to lead their respective teams. In the final quarter, the game between the two sides entered a white-hot phase, McLaughlin and Hardaway exchanged three-pointers, and McDaniels also scored for the Timberwolves with a jumper, but Irving stepped up at this time, and he hit two three-pointers in a row to open up the gap for the Mavericks.
The Timberwolves did not give up, Watts and Towns teamed up to play a wave of 17-2 attacks, in which Watts and Towns each shot two three-pointers, the Timberwolves successfully overtook the score, and Towns also caused Powell's foul on the inside, completing the 2+1 play. The Mavericks were not discouraged, Powell also used a 2+1 style of play to stop the bleeding for the Mavericks, and Irving hit two more three-pointers in a row, and the Mavericks regained the lead by 3 points. At the critical moment, Towns' three-point shot hit the iron, Jones used a two-handed dunk to stabilize the Mavericks' position, and Towns also went out of bounds because of a mistake, making the Timberwolves lose their chance.
Watts gave the Timberwolves a dunk to life, but Doncic and Hardaway sealed the win with free throws, and the Mavericks beat the Timberwolves 115-108. The key factors in the game and the outcome of the game surprised many, as the Mavericks were able to beat the mighty Timberwolves to end their eight-game winning streak and win three straight themselves, changing the landscape of the West. So, what are the key factors and effects of this game? We can analyze it from the following aspects:- Referee's decision: The referee in this game was clearly unfavorable to the Timberwolves, and they blew Watts three fouls in the first quarter, forcing him to take a break and affecting his performance.
In the second quarter, Gobert blew two more fouls and sent him off the court as well, weakening the Timberwolves' interior defense. At the beginning of the third quarter, Towns and Gobert each blew a foul, leaving them both to rest, allowing the Mavericks to take advantage of the opportunity to open up the difference. These decisions were very controversial, and some were even misjudgments, which made the Timberwolves coach angry and almost whistled for a technical foul.
These penalties severely affected the Timberwolves' tempo and morale, preventing them from performing at their normal level and giving the Mavericks an advantage. - Irving's Outburst: Irving had an excellent performance in this game, shooting 13-of-18 from the field and 7-of-9 from three-point range, scoring 35 points, 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 steals and 2 blocks while shooting 72.2% from the field and 77.8% from three-point range. He was very hot, especially in the fourth quarter, when he hit four consecutive three-pointers to stabilize the situation for the Mavericks and become the Mavericks' winning man.
Irving's performance was surprising because he wasn't in great form before, scoring just 12 points in his last game while shooting just 33.3 percent from the field and 16.7 percent from three-point range. His outburst in this game put the Timberwolves' defense in a difficult position and made the Mavericks' offense more fluid. - Watts and Towns' counterattack: Watts and Towns are the two cores of the Timberwolves, and they also showed the spirit of not admitting defeat in this game, and they combined to play a 17-2 attack wave in the fourth quarter to help the Timberwolves successfully overtake the score, and once put the Mavericks in a crisis.
Watts scored 13 points in the quarter and Towns had 14, and they both hit two three-pointers to show their scoring prowess. Their comeback gave the Timberwolves hope of a comeback, and also put the Mavericks feeling the pressure.
The Lakers ended their losing streak, the Warriors suffered a heavy defeat, and the Western Conference teams continued to fight fiercely
The NBA regular season continued to compete fiercely on the morning of January 8, 2024, with all 11 teams in the Western Conference playing, including exciting matchups and amazing results.
This article will sort out the competition and highlights of the day for you. Lakers beat Clippers 106-103, James played well In the Los Angeles derby, the Lakers narrowly defeated the Clippers 106-103, ending the previous four-game losing streak and interrupting the Clippers' five-game winning streak. The biggest contributor to this game was the Lakers' boss James, who scored 25 points, 8 rebounds and 7 assists, the most crucial of which was that he hit two consecutive three-pointers in the last minute to seal the victory for the Lakers.
The main players of the Clippers were not idle, with Leonard and George scoring 27 and 23 points respectively, but neither of them could find an effective offensive means in the final moments, and they could only watch the Lakers celebrate the victory. The Warriors lost 118-133 to the Raptors, Curry made 0-of-9 three-pointers In the other game, the Warriors suffered a heavy loss as they lost 118-133 to the Raptors for their twelfth loss of the season. Curry, the star of the Warriors, had a terrible run in this game, missing all nine shots from beyond the three-point line and scoring just 12 points, the first time he missed a three-point shot since 2012.
The Raptors, on the other hand, played team basketball, with seven players in double figures, including VanVleet and Barnes scoring 29 and 21 points, respectively, and they opened up in the third quarter to leave the Warriors powerless. Suns lost 115-121 to the Grizzlies, Durant's comeback didn't help The Suns have been very good this season, they were in first place in the West at one point, but in this game, they suffered a loss, they lost 115-121 to the Grizzlies, their eighth loss of the season. The Suns' Durant returned in this game, and he scored 23 points, 10 rebounds and 5 assists, but his return did not give the Suns a sense of victory.
The Grizzlies showed their tenacity, and they unleashed a 16-4 attack wave in the fourth quarter to overtake the score and ultimately preserve the victory. The Grizzlies' Morant and Brooks scored 33 and 27 points, respectively, and they were the biggest contributors to the Grizzlies. The Nuggets beat the Pistons 131-114, with Jokic assists hitting a new high, and the Nuggets comfortably beat the Pistons in this game, which they won 131-114, their sixteenth win of the season.
Jokic, the core player of the Nuggets, played an excellent playmaking ability in this game, he dished out 16 assists, set a new career high, and he also had 4 points, 7 rebounds and 5 blocks in the all-around statistics, he is the soul of the Nuggets. The Pistons, on the other hand, didn't pose much of a threat to the Nuggets, who pulled away in the second quarter with their top scorer being Grant with 29 points. The Mavericks beat the Timberwolves 115-108, Doncic and Irving combined to score 69 points in this game, and the Mavericks defeated the Timberwolves 115-108 in this game, making it three wins in a row, and their record also improved to sixth place in the West.
The Mavericks' duo Doncic and Irving performed very well in this game, they combined for 69 points, with Doncic having 36 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists, and Irving having 33 points, 6 rebounds and 8 assists, and they are the offensive core of the Mavericks. The Timberwolves were unable to stop the Mavericks' firepower, and they tied the score in the fourth quarter, but in the end they were pulled away by the Mavericks, whose top scorer was Edwards, who scored 30 points. The Pelicans beat the Kings 133-100, and the Pelicans played an efficient offense in this game with a double score of seven players, and they beat the Kings 133-100 for their 11th win of the season.
The Pelicans' offense was very balanced, with seven players in double figures, including 25 points for Ingram and 21 points for Wayne Lowe, who were the Pelicans' top scorers. The Kings couldn't keep up with the Pelicans, who lost control of the game in the first quarter with an 18-0 attack wave from the Pelicans, whose top scorer was Barnes, who scored 16 points. The Trail Blazers beat the Nets 134-127, and Simmons scored a new high of 38 points, and the Trail Blazers narrowly beat the Nets 134-127 in this game, ending a three-game losing streak and their fifteenth win of the season.