Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves Prediction, 2/20/2026 Preview and Pick

Game: Dallas Mavericks vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Date: Friday, February 20, 2026

Location: Target Center in Minneapolis, MN

TV: ESPN

The Dallas Mavericks (19-35) are en route to Target Center on Friday where they will compete against the Minnesota Timberwolves (34-22).

The Mavericks stepped onto the hardwood against the Lakers and went home with a loss by a final score of 124-104 in their last game. Dallas ended the contest with a 49.4% FG percentage (39 out of 79) and knocked down 7 out of their 26 shots from beyond the perimeter. When they shot from the free throw line, the Mavericks made 19 of their 25 shots for a percentage of 76.0%. Concerning rebounding, they compiled 28 with 4 of them being on the offensive end. They also doled out 22 dimes in this contest as well as forcing 13 turnovers and earning 7 steals. In relation to the defense, Dallas allowed their opponent to shoot 55.8% from the floor on 48 of 86 shooting. Los Angeles doled out 35 assists and had 8 steals for this contest. On top of that, Los Angeles totaled 44 rebounds (10 offensive, 34 defensive) and earned 1 block. Los Angeles walked away from this one shooting 85.7% from the charity stripe by knocking down 18 of their 21 attempts. They also converted 10 of their 31 tries from beyond the arc. When talking about personal fouls, the Mavericks walked away with 18 and the Lakers totaled 20 personal fouls.

Max Christie is one player who played a role for the game. He left the arena with 19 points on 7 of 12 shooting. He saw the court for 30 mins and also pulled down 1 rebound. Christie shot 58.3% from the field and earned 4 assists.

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Dallas will play this contest with a record of 19-35 for the season. They currently have an average of 113.9 pts per game (22nd in basketball) while hitting 47.1% from the field. The Mavericks are shooting 34.2% on shots from downtown (586 of 1,714) and 74.7% from the free throw line. As a team, Dallas is pulling down 44.7 rebounds per contest and has racked up 1,355 assists for the campaign, which is 24th in the NBA in terms of passing the rock. They are giving up possession 14.7 times per game and as a team they commit 18.5 personal fouls on a nightly basis.

When they are on defense, the Mavericks are forcing their opponents into 13.5 turnovers per contest and they draw 21.0 fouls. They relinquish 33.8% on 3-point shots and they are 21st in the league in opponents points per game (117.4). The Mavericks are giving up an opponent FG percentage of 46.7% (2,373 of 5,085) and they surrender 47.1 boards per game as a team. They rank 19th in basketball in giving up assists with 1,475 surrendered for the season.

When they last stepped on the hardwood, the Timberwolves got the win with a final of 133-109 against the Trail Blazers. When talking about how they rebounded, Minnesota allowed Portland to snag 50 overall (18 offensive). They finished 35.6% from downtown by going 16 out of 45 and finished the game at 13 out of 16 at the free throw line (81.3%). The Timberwolves permitted the Trail Blazers to knock down 40 out of 94 tries from the floor which gave them a percentage of 42.6% in the game. When the final whistle was blown, the Timberwolves ended up going 45 out of 87 from the field which gave them a percentage of 51.7%. When discussing shots from beyond the arc, Minnesota made 14 of 34 attempts (41.2%). They were able to convert 29 of the free throws for a clip of 82.9%. The Trail Blazers earned 22 personal fouls for this contest which took the Timberwolves to the charity stripe for a total of 35 attempts. They coughed up the ball 15 times, while earning 14 steals for the matchup. The Timberwolves were able to corral 32 defensive boards and 11 offensive boards totaling 43 for this game.

Julius Randle was important for the Timberwolves in the game. Randle recorded 41 points in his 33 mins on the hardwood and accumulated 2 assists for this contest. He converted 14 out of 24 for the contest giving him a rate of 58.3%, and had 7 rebounds.

Minnesota has a win-loss mark of 34-22 on the campaign. When it comes to executing on offense, the Timberwolves are shooting 48.4% from the floor, which ranks them 4th in the league. Minnesota has accounted for 6,702 points for the year (119.7 per game) and they grab 44.8 rebounds per game. They are dishing out assists 26.5 times per game (13th in basketball) and they cough up possession 14.5 times per game. The Timberwolves are responsible for committing 21.3 personal fouls every game and they go 74.6% from the charity stripe.

The Timberwolves on the defensive end are ranked 12th in basketball in points allowed per contest with 114.8. They are forcing their opponents into 15.2 TO's every game and have allowed teams to shoot 46.2% from the field (9th in basketball). The Minnesota defense gives up 35.8% on shots from behind the 3-point line (705 of 1,970) and opponents are connecting on 77.6% of their foul shots. They concede 26.1 assists and 43.2 boards every game, which is ranked 11th and 12th in the league.

Who will win tonight's NBA game against the spread?

Tony Sink's Pick: Take Dallas

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