Timberwolves rout Mavericks for fifth straight win

Bones Hyland scored 24 points off the bench and LaMelo Ball had 22 points and a season-high nine assists as the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 133-94 on Thursday night for their fifth straight win.

Ball made six 3-pointers for Minnesota, which outscored Dallas 36-17 in the third quarter to take a 103-69 lead. Ayo Dosunmu added 18 points and Jaden McDaniels had 16 as the Timberwolves won by their largest margin this season.

Zaccharie Risacher led Dallas with 22 points. Cooper Flagg had 12 after scoring 43 against Indiana in his previous game. The Mavericks had won three straight.

File photo. LaMelo Ball at the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 20, 2022. Erik Drost/Wikimedia Commons · CC BY 2.0.