This was a perfect opportunity for the Timberwolves to end their losing streak, as Dallas has struggled without Dončić since he last played on Christmas. He was also far from the only one sidelined, as the home team was without Klay Thompson (ankle), Dante Exum (wrist), Naji Marshall (illness), Dereck Lively II (foot), Dwight Powell (hip) and Jaden Hardy (ankle).

Yet it was Dallas that set the tone in the early going with strong, physical defense that held the Timberwolves to an ugly 17 points in the first quarter.

Still, it was only a matter of time before the Timberwolves started finding their footing. They did just that as they poured in 38 points in the second quarter to take a 55-53 halftime lead even though Edwards struggled with his shot prior to intermission.

McDaniels provided a scoring lift, and Conley’s red-hot shooting from beyond the arc continued into the second half. By the time Edwards started to establish himself as a scorer in the second half, it seemed like the Timberwolves would completely pull away from an overmatched Dallas roster.

But Irving had other ideas as he was forced into a do-everything role with so much attrition around him.

The eight-time All-Star got into the lane, finished at the rim and facilitated when Minnesota collapsed on him, which kept the Mavericks within striking distance into the fourth quarter. Washington’s scoring was also critical, and Daniel Gafford helped make up for the loss of Lively on the inside by protecting the rim on one end and scoring in the paint on the other.

It was an admirable effort from Dallas, and Irving managed to close the gap to one with a heave at the buzzer.

But it still wasn’t enough as the Timberwolves escaped with a win ahead of another playoff rematch against the Denver Nuggets on Saturday.