Anthony Edwards scored 26 points, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 105-99 Christmas Day victory over Dallas after Mavericks superstar Luka Dončić left the game with a strained left calf.
A rematch of last season’s Western Conference finals won by Dallas fell flat when Dončić pulled up lame while running a play late in the second quarter Wednesday. Then it got wild when the Mavs erased almost all of a 28-point deficit in the second half.
The five-time All-Star never made it back to the defensive end and limped off the court after Dallas called timeout. It was Dončić’s second game back after missing two with a left heel contusion.
Kyrie Irving scored 39 points but was short on a 3-pointer that would have put the Mavs ahead in the final minute after they trailed by 28 late in the third quarter. Dončić scored 14 points.
Rudy Gobert had 14 points and 10 rebounds.
