Anthony Edwards scored 26 points to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 105-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Christmas Day, despite a second-half surge by the Mavericks.
The game turned when Mavericks superstar Luka Don
ić pulled up lame with a strained left calf late in the second quarter and did not return to the game. Dallas erased almost all of a 28-point deficit in the second half, with Kyrie Irving scoring 39 points and Don
ić contributing 14.
The Timberwolves, however, held on for the win, with Julius Randle playing in his hometown of Dallas for the first time since being traded from the New York Knicks, scoring 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Rudy Gobert added 14 points and 10 rebounds for Minnesota.
The Mavericks had been playing in their fifth consecutive Christmas game due to Don
ić’s star power, and his injury appeared to take some of the air out of their comeback effort. Klay Thompson, who scored 12 points, passed Reggie Miller for fifth on the NBA’s career list with 2,562 3-pointers.
The Timberwolves held on for their third-ever Christmas game victory, despite allowing an average of 121 points on 50% shooting during a three-game losing streak coming into the game.
