DHJ Quick Take

Edwards Is Back: Minnesota Timberwolves All-Star Anthony Edwards, averaging 29.5 points per game, is expected to play Monday night after missing six straight games with right knee inflammation, per Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch.

Dallas Gets Thinner: The Dallas Mavericks will be without P.J. Washington, Naji Marshall, and Marvin Bagley III in addition to the already-sidelined Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and Caleb Martin — their most shorthanded lineup of the season.

Kidd’s Blueprint: Head coach Jason Kidd identified keeping Edwards off the free-throw line and away from the rim as the two primary keys, while also flagging Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert, and Naz Reid as secondary threats Dallas must contain.

DALLAS — Anthony Edwards is back. And the Dallas Mavericks may be at their most shorthanded all season to greet him.

Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch confirmed Monday that both Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu will be available for tonight’s matchup at American Airlines Center, ending a stretch that saw Minnesota go 4-1 without its All-Star guard before losing 109-87 to the Eastern Conference-leading Detroit Pistons on Saturday. Edwards had been sidelined with right knee inflammation for six straight games. Dosunmu missed the last two contests with a right calf injury. Both will be monitored for minutes.

The scale of Minnesota’s struggle without Edwards on Saturday was stark. The Timberwolves shot a season-low 31.8% from the floor and 20.9% from three-point range against Detroit, finishing with 87 points — their second-fewest in a game this season. Donte DiVincenzo led Minnesota with 22 points, and Rudy Gobert posted 14 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough without their primary offensive engine. Jaden McDaniels, who is out with right knee soreness, also missed the contest.

Meanwhile, the Mavericks‘ injury report expanded dramatically by tip-off. P.J. Washington and Naji Marshall — both listed as questionable due to illness entering Monday — were officially ruled out, joining Marvin Bagley III, who is out with a left shoulder impingement sustained late in Friday’s 100-93 win over Portland. Kyrie Irving, Dereck Lively II, and Caleb Martin remain sidelined. Dallas will dress a rotation built heavily around Cooper Flagg, Daniel Gafford, and Brandon Williams against a Minnesota team that is suddenly close to full strength.

Jason Kidd’s Blueprint Against Edwards

Jason Kidd did not mince words when asked about the challenges Edwards presents, even coming off an extended absence.

“With Edwards, you’ve got to try to keep him off the free-throw line and keep him off the rim,” Kidd said. “Two of the hardest things to do.”

Kidd’s framing captures the specific problem Edwards creates. He is not simply a perimeter scorer — he attacks downhill with a combination of speed and physicality that forces contact and generates free throws at one of the highest rates in the league. Keeping him out of the paint limits his transition to the line. Keeping him off the rim limits his most efficient looks. Accomplishing both simultaneously against a 29.5-point scorer returning with something to prove is a tall order for any team. For a Dallas roster playing six players short, it is the defining challenge of the night.

Finch acknowledged that Edwards changes the Timberwolves’ dynamic in both directions.

“Having Ant back helps because he changes ends really quickly,” Finch said. “It’s more of a conscious effort to get out and run. We just didn’t do that the other day.”

Randle, Gobert, And Reid Add Layers

Kidd was careful not to reduce the Timberwolves to a single-player problem. Julius Randle, who has a history of strong performances in Dallas, and Rudy Gobert present compounding interior challenges that the Mavericks’ thin frontcourt must account for simultaneously.

“When you pay attention to him, Randle and Gobert are capable, and they’ve hurt us here in the past,” Kidd said. “So being able to rebound the ball, especially keeping Gobert off the glass. But Randle has had his way with us offensively, so we have to be better there.”

Gobert grabbed 12 rebounds in Saturday’s loss to Detroit, even as Minnesota’s offense collapsed around him. Against a Dallas frontcourt without Bagley and Lively, he figures to be an even more prominent factor on the glass tonight.

Kidd added that Naz Reid, off the bench, demands a specific defensive discipline.

“When he checks in the game, we’ve always made a conscious effort to try to take him off the three-point line,” Kidd said. “But his ability to put the ball on the floor like a guard can hurt you too, so you have to be cautious of both.”

With Bagley and Lively both unavailable, Daniel Gafford’s return from a right shoulder sprain becomes the fulcrum of Dallas’s entire interior defensive structure. He will be asked to protect the rim against Gobert, track Randle in the pick-and-roll, and help contain Edwards at the point of attack — all while managing his own conditioning after a two-game absence.

Gafford identified pace and physicality as the formula Dallas must impose.

“Really just physicality and just pretty much playing with the pace that we play with all the time,” Gafford told Dallas Hoops Journal. “Whenever we have been in a position of just like all of our wins, like being the faster team. And of course, being the most physical team.”

Chris Finch Sees A Dangerous Dallas Team

Despite the Mavericks‘ record and their mounting absences, Finch was measured in his assessment of what Dallas brings to the floor. He pointed specifically to Cooper Flagg — whom the Timberwolves have faced only once this season — as a player who cannot be approached casually.

“First of all, with Cooper, this is only the second time we’ve seen him all season, so that’s important,” Finch said. “He’s a hell of a player and still trying to make a push down the stretch, maximize his rookie season.”

Finch also offered an unprompted scouting report on what makes Flagg difficult to prepare for.

“The thing that’s been most impressive all season is his motor,” Finch said. “Obviously, he’s got an all-around skilled game, but his motor is so high. He’s also a physical player — he’s really embraced the physicality of the league and often dictates that. As he continues to polish his game, he’s going to be an elite player.”

Dallas enters Monday’s game off its best defensive performance of the season. The Mavericks held Portland to 93 points Friday, with Flagg contributing 24 points and four steals and Marshall adding 19 points and five steals before his illness sidelined him for tonight. Bagley posted a season-high 26 points on 11-of-14 shooting before his shoulder injury ended his availability as well. The Mavericks closed out the Blazers with an 8-1 run after the game was tied at 92 with 2:25 remaining, with Bagley converting a layup and a dunk to start the burst before Marshall and Williams combined to make four free throws to seal it.

Kidd acknowledged the challenge of replicating that defensive effort with a shorter bench, but pointed to the group’s competitive identity as the foundation.

“Next man up mentality,” Kidd said. “The energy and effort was there for the group.”

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks Injury Report

Minnesota will be without McDaniels, who is out with right knee soreness, while Edwards and Dosunmu are expected to play with monitored minutes.

Dallas will be without Irving, Lively, Martin, Washington, Marshall, and Bagley. Gafford is active after being upgraded following a two-game absence with a right shoulder sprain.