Minnesota
3 thoughts after Dallas defeats Minnesota in Game 3, 116-107
The Dallas Mavericks have proven to be unshakeable after they gutted out a 116-107 Game 3 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. True to this series, the game came down to the wire, but after losing a double-digit first-half lead, the Mavericks went to work late in the fourth and leaned on a fantastic defensive effort and some big shot-making from Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic to put a bow on this fifth straight playoff victory.
Dallas kicked things off strong. Shots were falling early, especially for Derrick Jones Jr who went a perfect 3-of-3 from deep in the first half. Dallas as a team put up a 48/54/89 shooting line in the first half, powering a 60-52 lead at half. It was the first lead the Mavericks have had in this series. While it’s been impressive to watch Dallas come back to win the first two games, it was nice to see the team get out and play with a lead.
Things were going about as well as could be hoped until Karl-Anthony Towns inadvertently kneed Dereck Lively II in the back of the head as Lively was falling after going for a rebound. He was eventually helped off the court but didn’t look steady on his feet. He did not return to the game.
With Dallas adjusting to the loss of Lively, things slumped a bit in the third. An enormous Anthony Edwards dunk triggered a solo 8-0 run from Edwards that tied the game up at 77 all. Dallas stabilized there and, after trading the lead a handful of time the rest of the way, the third quarter ended tied at 87.
No team managed to grab much of an advantage throughout the fourth. With Just over three and a half minutes to go and the game at a 104 stalemate, it was PJ Washington with a big corner three that jolted Dallas’ offense to a crucial cushion upon which they built a 13-to-3 run to end the game.
A Luka lob to Daniel Gafford and-1 dunk was the dagger that put Dallas up nine with under 353 seconds to go.
Beat switch
Without their uber-rookie Lively, the big paint advantage Dallas has enjoyed this series evaporated. The rebounding battle and the points in the paint swung in favor of Minnesota. The Wolves lead the Mavericks 50-to-40 in paint scoring – shooting 77% in the restricted zone, much higher than they have all series – and won the board battle, out-rebounding Dallas 44-to-38.
After proving they could win without the three-pointer in game 1, tonight the Mavs showed that just because they can’t dominate inside doesn’t mean they forgot how to shoot. The team shot 50% on 28 threes in the game. In addition to that, Coach Kidd’s huddle break after game two (1-2-3 free throws, ribbing Kyrie for his missed freebies late in the game), proved to be prophetic. Dallas earned 31 trips to the line — a series high for them — and shot over 82%.
This team loves having a dynamic big-man duo, but they can still win in different ways.
Huddle up
It’s not worth complaining about how a game is reffed. With Tony Brothers on the crew, it was clear what kind of whistle this game was going to have. And, sure enough, with both coaches using their challenges early on close calls, most of the game was being played with no recourse for the players.
There were several occasions, after calls or when Minnesota was putting a run together when frustration could’ve overtaken the squad and taken their head out of the game. It was comforting to see players, rather than make their case to a ref, all huddle up together on the court to reset their mental focus and stay in the game. It was shaping up to be a close game down the stretch, and the Mavericks made sure they were going to give themselves the best chance they could by sticking together. The one tech that was called in this one went not against Luka, not even against a Maverick, but Kyle Anderson.
With foul trouble hurting the Wolves (Gobert, Conley, and Jaden McDaniels all found themselves having to sub out of the game with foul trouble), sticking together and playing smart made a big difference for a squad already without an important rotation piece.
True grit
After the Timberwolves tied it up at 77 midway through the third, it looked like neither team was going to be able to find any breathing room. Down 102-104 with under five to go, Dallas leaned ALL THE WAY in. Irving tied it with a layup, Washington hit a big three for the lead, and then Dallas held Minnesota without a basket for essentially the remainder of the game. Edwards hit a garbage time layup when the outcome was no longer in doubt.
There will rightfully by a ton of chatter about Luka and Kyrie’s elite execution in clutch time, but that defensive stand was something to behold. The Dallas defense looked a little off-kilter without Lively, but they steadied themselves and made sure this game went into the win column.
You don’t have to look much past the box score to see how great a game Doncic had, but he had a sequence during this stretch that goes beyond the stats. After hitting a tough turnaround fadeaway to give Dallas a two-possession lead, he went down on the other end and tied up Anthony Edwards. The resulting jump ball went Dallas’ way and kept the Wolves off the scoreboard.
Minnesota
Minnesota cannabis store owners lament testing backlog: “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved”
One of five cannabis testing sites in Minnesota is shutting down, citing exorbitant costs as the reason.
William Drexler is moving product he has around as he waits patiently for more. He says customers who come into Grey Area, on Grand Avenue in St. Paul, are looking for adult-use items, which he says are being held up by a backlog in testing.
“We haven’t had problems with drinks or edibles yet, but for the adult-use products that where we’ve seen the delays, like your pre-rolls, your flowers, we haven’t even gotten pens in yet,” Drexler said.
He says getting cannabis products in his store has been an issue since he got his license to sell them a few months ago.
“I’ve heard pretty much from every vendor that it’s testing that we are waiting on. That’s been the normal thing to hear, and week by week they may say, ‘it’s next week,’ and that can delay into the following week. So at this point I don’t think many of them are giving a date,” he said.
He anticipates getting those products will take even longer now that one of the testing sites is no longer testing.
In a statement, Legends Technical Services said, “under the current regulatory framework, we do not foresee an ability to continue to meet our client expectations in an economically viable manner. “
“We’ve already seen testing delays from the get go, so vendors aren’t really giving us time frames because they are probably hearing different time frames themselves,” Drexler said. “It’s getting frustrating for everyone involved.”
For now, Drexler contacts growers to see how long before his shelves are in full bloom.
“These companies here, it’s the same story kind of from them when we contact them. ‘Hey, we need more product. We’re hoping for new [product] soon, but it’s coming out of testing soon,’” he said.
WCCO has reached out to Minnesota’s Office of Cannabis Management for comment on the backlog.
Minnesota
Jack Leiter’s struggles at home give Minnesota Twins a pitching edge in American League clash
Every year, I feel like I end up locking on certain pitchers and teams and bet them more than others. It almost never is intentional; usually, I find a team or player I like, we win with them consistently, and I ride the horse until it is time to get off. That’s a bit of how I feel with both the Twins and Rangers who battle in this one.
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I have said that the Chicago White Sox are the biggest surprise in all of baseball, but the Minnesota Twins might be willing to make a strong argument about it. This was a year that the Twins were supposed to be garbage and be more likely to trade people away (like they did last year) than they would be looking to make a move for the club. I can’t say it is entirely due to Byron Buxton, one of the names floated in trade rumors last year and in the offseason, but he is having a great campaign and has the Twins just five games below .500.
Joe Ryan of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Target Field in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 21, 2022. (David Berding/Getty Images)
One of the other guys that you can attribute the success of this year to is today’s starter, Joe Ryan. If the Twins do decide to take Ryan to the market, he will have many suitors and should bring back a big haul. Ryan has posted a 4-3 record with a 3.17 ERA and a 1.00 WHIP. He has been slightly worse on the road than at home, but it hasn’t been a significant issue. He was great in May, posting a 1.73 ERA, but June has seen him make three starts and allow eight earned runs, including four homers. Rangers hitters have struggled significantly against him, hitting just .143 against him.
The Texas Rangers are still in the mix for the American League West division. Before you say, “Well, yeah, it’s only the middle of June.” I bring this up because they are just two games back of the Mariners, and the Rangers really haven’t played all that well this season. I think there is a lot of potential for this team to add a bat, and he could make a major difference. If they added Buxton, for example, the Rangers might be the favorite to win the division given how everyone else is playing.
Texas Rangers pitcher Jack Leiter delivers a pitch to the Kansas City Royals during the first inning at Globe Life Field in Arlington, Texas, on May 31, 2026. (Jim Cowsert/Imagn Images)
I’m not trying to discuss hypothetical trades, though. The pitching staff might be enough to carry them to a Wild Card or division title anyway. Today’s starter, Jack Leiter, isn’t the best on the roster, but he’s been good. Leiter is 3-6 with a 4.86 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. At home, he has been okay, going 2-2 with a 4.14 ERA. He has allowed four or more earned runs in seven of his 14 outings. Twins hitters are batting .417 against Leiter in just 12 at-bats, with Buxton going 2-for-2 with a double, a homer and three RBIs.
I think it probably makes sense to play Buxton to get 2+ bases here today. I get that he probably did all of this damage to Leiter in one game, but it is still worth seeing if he can get it done. He is having a good season, and Leiter isn’t a guy who is going to make you nervous very often about throwing zeroes.
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Byron Buxton of the Minnesota Twins jogs off the field after the fifth inning of the MLB All-Star Game at Truist Park in Atlanta, Georgia, on July 15, 2025. (Kevin C. Cox/Getty Images)
I also think we probably should play the game overall. I think the Twins are the correct side in this game. There are a lot of times that I’d back the Rangers, as I think they have the better overall team, but in this one, the pitching mismatch is too strong. Give me the Ryan-led Twins, through five, on the moneyline.
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For more sports betting information and plays, follow David on X/Twitter: @futureprez2024
Minnesota
End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum packs big history into small-town Minnesota
City parks are all across Minnesota. But a town in Murray County has one that’s gone off its rails.
Currie, Minnesota, is truly small-town America. The population hovers at just over 200. But on the northern outskirts, you’ll happen upon a place with plenty of bells and whistles: End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.
“It’s like a little village from way back when. You have your church. You’ve got a school,” said visitor Larry Diedrich.
You’ve also got railroad relics, up and down the tracks.
“1901 was when the first line was put in here,” said Jake Halverson, site manager for End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum.
Halverson said Currie was once a thriving railroad town. In fact, it was the end of the line for steam engines heading west. If you wanted to go east, Currie was your gateway to the rest of the world. The first stop was Bigham Lake.
“From Bigham Lake they could go to Minneapolis, from Minneapolis to Chicago, from Chicago to New York,” said Halverson.
But by mid-century the last train had left the station. No sooner did that happen than teenagers from the local 4H club began to clean up the abandoned turntable.
The platform was used to turn 400,000-pound steam engines around when they hit the end of the line. Thanks to the 4Hers, it still works today.
The club also bought the train depot for $1 from the Chicago and Northwestern Railroad Company and moved it closer to the turntable.
“That is really the beginning of maybe bringing more attention to the history of the railroad here,” said Halverson.
It’s history that comes in all shapes and sizes, including a model railroad that’s a replica of a time that was.
“It was built to look like what Currie was 100 years ago,” said Halverson.
Much of what you see at the park and museum is original, including a 125-year-old water tower that was moved to the site from Walnut Grove.
The caboose nearby originally came from South Dakota. The locomotive once ran in Georgia.
The rail business may have left Currie, but the love for trains never did. It’s a chance to celebrate big history in a small town.
“Wherever there have been trains, there have been people who are fascinated by them,” said Halverson. “I think this is an opportunity for individuals to learn about not only this part of Minnesota but to know where this part of Minnesota fits in with the rest of the world.”
The End-O-Line Railroad Park and Museum is open from Wednesday through Sunday from Memorial Day weekend to Labor Day.
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