The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Dallas Mavericks 124-121 at the American Airlines Center in Dallas, Texas, on Monday, avoiding their second straight loss.

The Timberwolves led by as many as 26 points (89-63) in the third quarter after dominating the opponents' paint where they shot 28-for-36 to 56 points in the first three periods. The Mavericks' three big men, JaVale McGee, Dwight Powell and Christian Wood, were in such poor defensive form that even Rudy Gobert performed the Euro step score in front of them.

While Gobert made all nine of field goals (FGs) to get a double-double of 21 points and 14 rebounds, Anthony Edwards continued to attack with his All-Star caliber. He went 12-for-22 from the field to score team-high 32 points for the Timberwolves. The opponents had no one to match him in size, power or athleticism, but had to to watch him dash from the outside and explode around the hoop.

Facing such an unfavorable situation, the Mavericks' head coach Jason Kidd implemented a desperate move by sending a mini squad, where the tallest players were two-meter Josh Green and Theo Pinson, to court. Instead of making futile efforts to protect the paint, the Mavericks switched everything on defense.

As the Timberwolves' starting point guard, 35-year-old Mike Conley was no longer able to penetrate the opponents' defense, especially in the fourth quarter; Edwards could beat the perimeter defense, but he didn't have the skills to pass to Gobert for him to finish the attack directly; as long as Gobert had to dribble after receiving the ball, he was unlikely to score despite the 16-centimeter height advantage.

While the rest of the Mavericks solidified their defense, Kyrie Irving provided the explosive firepower they needed to come back. Having shot 11-for-12 in FGs in the final period, he had 26 of the team's 39 points. After Irving made his third triples in this quarter, the Mavericks trailed by only two points (123-121) when there 28 seconds left.

Green fouled on Conley in the following possession, sending him to the free throw, where Conley missed his second shot. The Mavericks had 14.8 seconds to finish their attack after Kidd called a timeout.

Before the throw-in could reach Luka Doncic, Jaden McDaniels hit the ball first, making the Mavericks launch offense from the back court. Doncic passed it to Irving, who couldn't dodge Edwards and then threw it back to Doncic. Nonetheless, Edwards and McDaniels were so seamless in switching defensive positions that neither Irving nor Doncic could find enough space to shoot. In the end, Irving tried to pass the ball into the paint, but it was cut by Taurean Prince. So was the Mavericks' last stream of hope for coming back.

Other games on Monday (away teams come first):

Atlanta Hawks 138-144 Charlotte Hornets

In probably the worst defensive game this season, the Hawks and the Hornets saw a total of eight of their players score 20 or more points at Spectrum Center in Charlotte, North Carolina, on Monday.

The Hornets made 20 of 37 shots behind the arc to end their seven-game losing streak. LaMelo Ball got a double-double of 30 points and 15 assists. He only had two points in the fourth quarter, but delivered seven assists for his team.

Trae Young got 25 points and 14 assists for the Hawks. His team didn't shoot as well as the Hornets at the 3-point line, but scored 74 points in the paint. Young led the team to rally 42-35 in the fourth quarter, but they still failed to reverse the situation.

Denver Nuggets 112-108 Miami Heat

Both sides missed two of their key players in Monday's game at Miami-Dade Arena in Miami, Florida. Without Jama; Murray and Aaron Gordon, Nikola Jokic dropped 27 points, 12 rebounds and eight assists without committing even one turnover to carry the Nuggets to their second victory in a row.

The Heat lacked Kyle Lowry and Tyler Herro at home. Jimmy Butler was one assist away from scoring a triple-double as he had 24 points and 10 rebounds. He missed a layup when his team trailed by four points (110-106) with 13 seconds to go in the fourth quarter. The Heat saw their three-game winning streak come to an end.

Washington Wizards 126-135 Golden State Warriors

The Warriors avoided their third consecutive loss thanks to Andrew Wiggins' incredible performance at Chase Center in San Francisco, California, on Monday. Having made 12 of 22 FG attempts, Wiggins scored team-high 29 points. He and Klay Thompson led the team to outscore the Wizards 42-27 and 35-27 in the second and third quarters respectively.

Kristaps Porzingis and Bradley Beal combined to get 67 points for the Wizards, but the other three of their starting lineup only contributed 21 points. The team failed to secure their third win in row and maintain the edge (10th in the Eastern Conference) of the play-in tournament qualification zone in the East.

San Antonio Spurs 109-117 Cleveland Cavaliers

Utah Jazz 123-117 Indiana Pacers

Houston Rockets 104-123 Philadelphia 76ers

Brooklyn Nets 106-124 New York Knicks

Orlando Magic 100-91 Chicago Bulls

New Orleans Pelicans 103-100 Oklahoma City Thunder

Los Angeles Lakers 115-127 Portland Trail Blazers