MINNEAPOLIS — Anthony Edwards scored 30 points in his final audition for NBA Rookie of the Year, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 136-121 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
The Timberwolves appeared loose for their last game of the season, laughing their way through warmups and enjoying a sharp night of 3-point shooting. (17 for 40/42.5%). Karl-Anthony Towns and D’Angelo Russell scored 23 points apiece.
They set a franchise record for their highest score (113 points) through three quarters on their way to a seventh win in their final 12 games, finishing with the sixth-worst record (23-49) in the league after spending much of the season at the bottom. Their first-round draft pick, owed to the Golden State Warriors for the Russell trade last year, is only top-three protected.
Luka Doncic had 18 points, six rebounds and six assists in 21 minutes for the Mavericks. They were unharmed by the meaningless defeat and get the No. 5 seed in the Western Conference playoffs. They'll play the No. 4 seed Los Angeles Clippers in a first-round series beginning next weekend.
The Mavericks broke their three-way tie with the Portland Trail Blazers and Los Angeles Lakers by virtue of their Southwest Division title.