DHJ Quick Take<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014 their most shorthanded lineup of the season.<\/p>\n
Kidd\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
DALLAS \u2014 Anthony Edwards<\/a> is back. And the Dallas Mavericks<\/a> may be at their most shorthanded all season to greet him.<\/p>\n Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch confirmed Monday that both Edwards and Ayo Dosunmu<\/a> will be available for tonight\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n The scale of Minnesota\u2019s 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 \u2014 their second-fewest in a game this season. Donte DiVincenzo<\/a> led Minnesota with 22 points, and Rudy Gobert<\/a> posted 14 points and 12 rebounds, but it was not enough without their primary offensive engine. Jaden McDaniels<\/a>, who is out with right knee soreness, also missed the contest.<\/p>\n Meanwhile, the Mavericks\u2018 injury report expanded dramatically by tip-off. P.J. Washington<\/a> and Naji Marshall<\/a> \u2014 both listed as questionable due to illness entering Monday \u2014 were officially ruled out, joining Marvin Bagley III<\/a>, who is out with a left shoulder impingement sustained late in Friday\u2019s 100-93 win over Portland<\/a>. Kyrie Irving<\/a>, Dereck Lively II<\/a>, and Caleb Martin<\/a> remain sidelined. Dallas will dress a rotation built heavily around Cooper Flagg<\/a>, Daniel Gafford<\/a>, and Brandon Williams<\/a> against a Minnesota team that is suddenly close to full strength.<\/p>\n Jason Kidd\u2019s Blueprint Against Edwards<\/p>\n Jason Kidd<\/a> did not mince words when asked about the challenges Edwards presents, even coming off an extended absence.<\/p>\n \u201cWith Edwards, you\u2019ve got to try to keep him off the free-throw line and keep him off the rim,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cTwo of the hardest things to do.\u201d<\/p>\n Kidd\u2019s framing captures the specific problem Edwards creates. He is not simply a perimeter scorer \u2014 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.<\/p>\n Finch acknowledged that Edwards changes the Timberwolves\u2019 dynamic in both directions.<\/p>\n \u201cHaving Ant back helps because he changes ends really quickly,\u201d Finch said. \u201cIt\u2019s more of a conscious effort to get out and run. We just didn\u2019t do that the other day.\u201d<\/p>\n Randle, Gobert, And Reid Add Layers<\/p>\n Kidd was careful not to reduce the Timberwolves to a single-player problem. Julius Randle<\/a>, who has a history of strong performances in Dallas, and Rudy Gobert present compounding interior challenges that the Mavericks\u2019 thin frontcourt must account for simultaneously.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen you pay attention to him, Randle and Gobert are capable, and they\u2019ve hurt us here in the past,\u201d Kidd said. \u201cSo 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.\u201d<\/p>\n Gobert grabbed 12 rebounds in Saturday\u2019s loss to Detroit, even as Minnesota\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n