Minnesota Timberwolves vs. Dallas Mavericks
Date: February 20th, 2026
Time: 6:30 PM CST
Location: Target Center
Television Coverage: FanDuel Sports Network – North
Radio Coverage: KFAN FM, Wolves App, iHeart Radio
The All-Star break is officially in the rearview mirror. The beach towels are folded. The sunglasses are back in the drawer. And the Wolves return to Target Center sitting in the Western Conference’s 6-seed, a respectable address, but not exactly the penthouse suite they’ve been eyeing all year.
Twenty-six games remain. That’s it.
If the Wolves want to climb out of the Play-In danger zone and secure something meaningful, like, say, actual home-court advantage in the first round, it’s going to require a level of consistency and maturity we’ve only seen in flashes over the first 56 games.
Because let’s be honest: this season has been a roller coaster designed by someone who hates stability. One night they look like a team capable of going toe-to-toe with Oklahoma City and punching a ticket to June. The next night they look like a group that accidentally showed up to the wrong gym and decided to wing it anyway.
That’s the problem. The Wolves have been both world-beaters and sleepwalkers, a team with championship upside and “what are we doing?” energy, sometimes within the same week. Now they open the final stretch against an injured Dallas Mavericks team that, on paper, simply does not measure up to Minnesota’s roster. Which means this game isn’t about talent. It’s about tone. If this team is serious about climbing the ladder they’ve been hovering beneath all season, it starts with beating teams like this, cleanly, decisively, and professionally.
Key #1: Come Out Like You Mean It
There are no excuses here. None.
Only Anthony Edwards played competitive basketball during the break. Everyone else got a week-plus to recharge. Meanwhile, Dallas rolls into Target Center without Kyrie Irving (done for the season), without Cooper Flagg (foot injury), without Anthony Davis (traded), and possibly without Daniel Gafford.
This isn’t Dallas’s A-team. It’s not even their B+ team. But this is a group that, if you let them hang around, will absolutely make you regret it.Minnesota cannot treat this like a glorified practice. They cannot “feel it out.” They cannot play with their food for three quarters and decide to turn the jets on in the fourth. We’ve seen that movie. It ends poorly.
They need to come out of the gate with urgency. Defensive pressure. Fresh legs. Purpose. Make it clear within the first six minutes that this is not going to be the night for a scrappy Dallas upset. This game should feel uncomfortable for the Mavericks from the jump.
Key #2: Dominate the Paint Like You’re Supposed To
This is where the Wolves have no excuse. With Anthony Davis gone and Gafford questionable, Minnesota’s frontcourt advantage is overwhelming. Rudy Gobert, Julius Randle, and Naz Reid should feast. This needs to be paint pressure. Offensive rebounds. Lob threats. Putbacks. High-percentage looks. Physicality. Impose-your-will basketball.
The Wolves’ size advantage should show up on the glass. It should show up in second-chance points. It should show up in shot quality. If Minnesota’s bigs get outworked or outhustled in this matchup, that’s not a talent issue, that’s an effort issue. And effort issues are no longer acceptable with 26 games left.
Key #3: Make It Five-Headed, Not Hero Ball
Anthony Edwards just lit up the All-Star Game. He looked like the face of the league. He stole the show. It was awesome. But this is not the All-Star Game.
This isn’t about Ant dropping 45 for the vibes. This is about building cohesion. The Wolves are at their best when Ant and Randle operate as dual threats, scorers and facilitators. When the ball pops. When Donte DiVincenzo gets clean looks. When Naz spaces the floor. When Jaden McDaniels finds rhythm inside the flow of the offense.
When Minnesota plays like a five-headed monster, they are hard to guard. When it devolves into iso-heavy, late-clock bailout possessions, they make life way too easy for an inferior opponent.
Dallas cannot match Minnesota’s depth or offensive variety. But they can hang around if the Wolves shrink themselves into a one-man show. The mission here is simple: play connected basketball.
Key #4: No Freebies on the Perimeter
The only way Dallas stays in this game is if Minnesota gifts them confidence. That means lazy closeouts. Blow-bys. Miscommunications. Rotations a half-step slow. Open threes.
We’ve seen this script before: Wolves control the talent battle but turn into a defensive revolving door. Suddenly a team that shouldn’t be able to score 110 is sitting at 102 midway through the fourth quarter and the arena is nervous.
It starts on the perimeter. Guard the ball. Provide resistance. Funnel drives intelligently into Gobert instead of asking him to bail out breakdown after breakdown. If Minnesota defends with purpose, Dallas simply does not have the firepower to keep up. But if the Wolves get casual, they invite drama.
And they’ve had enough drama this season.
Key #5: Treat This Like the Beginning of Something
This isn’t just Game 57. This is the start of tune-up mode.
The Wolves are integrating Ayo Dosunmu into the mix. They’re recalibrating rotations. They’re building toward April. Chemistry doesn’t magically appear in Game 1 of the playoffs. It gets built in February and March.
That means playing focused. Playing together. Communicating defensively. Trusting the extra pass. Understanding spacing. Learning tendencies. This stretch is about laying groundwork for May and June. You don’t flip a switch in the postseason unless you’ve wired it properly beforehand.
There are numbers floating around in my head — 17–9.
That’s roughly what Minnesota needs over these final 26 games to realistically put themselves in position for the three-seed. Maybe even better.
You don’t get to 17–9 by dropping “gimme” games at home. You don’t get there by coasting. You don’t get there by assuming the opponent will roll over.
This is about professionalism now. The Wolves have talked about contender status. They’ve tasted Western Conference Finals basketball. They know what’s at stake. Now they have to show it.
The runway is there. The schedule is manageable. The talent is undeniable. The only question left is whether this team finally decides to be consistent. It has to start tonight.
No excuses.