Kyrie Irving of the Mavericks achieved a huge career milestone during the Timberwolves game

The The Dallas Mavericks are playing against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night in a rematch of last season’s Western Conference Finals. Both teams have struggled a bit this season, as the Mavericks entered the game at 23-20 and the Timberwolves at 22-21.

The The Mavericks are still playing without their superstar Luka Doncicwho is still sidelined with a calf injury he picked up on Christmas Day. however, Kyrie Irving recently returned to the lineup after missing several games with a back injury. On Wednesday night, Irving reached 18,000 points for his career with a heavy coffee in the first quarter.

Irving had a relatively quiet first half, scoring just eight points on 3-for-5 shooting as the Mavericks trailed 55-53 at the break. Instead, it was PJ Washington who carried most of the offensive load, scoring 16 points on 14 field goal attempts. The Mavericks look to continue their dominance over the Timberwolves after a convincing win over Minnesota in last year’s playoffs even as Anthony Edwards and Rudy Gobert are looking for revenge for the loss.

Irving has had some of his biggest games of the season since Doncic hasn’t played, although it appears Wednesday night won’t be one of those nights. He scored 46 points in a Dec. 28 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers and entered this game coming off a 33-point game in Monday’s loss to the Charlotte Hornets. For the Mavericks to win this matchup, they will need Irving to step up his production in the second half.

This is a big game for the Mavericks against a team they are competing against to get out of the playoffs in the Western Conference. The Mavericks are currently just one game ahead of the Timberwolves, and Minnesota can tie the score with a road win on Wednesday night. However, if the Mavericks can win, they would tie the game closer to passing the Los Angeles Lakers for that coveted No. 6 spot in the conference standings.

Troy Finnegan is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a certificate in critical sports studies. He has a lifelong passion for sports and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.