Dallas, TX
Timberwolves lose to Dallas in Game 3 of Western Conference finals
DALLAS – Even at the lowest point of the Timberwolves season, Anthony Edwards was remaining upbeat.
A season ago, when the Wolves fell behind the Denver Nuggets 3-0 in a playoff series, Edwards sat at his locker, head in his hands and didn’t say a word. He left without speaking to the media.
Now, a year later, his team faces another 3-0 deficit. But Edwards was trying to radiate positivity in a moment some teammates could have been sulking following a 116-107 loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night in the Western Conference finals series.
To the slumping Nickeil Alexander-Walker, two lockers over from Edwards, Edwards said: “One shot at a time, ‘Kiel, it’ll fall. Just trust it.”
This came after Alexander-Walker, who can be hard on himself, had his head in his hands à la Edwards a season ago. Alexander-Walker, after a 1-for-4 shooting night, was rocking back and forth in his chair when media first entered the locker room.
Then Edwards was holding court with Mike Conley and Kyle Anderson, saying all the Wolves need is one game where everyone is clicking and they will be right back on track.
“We’re here now fellas, what are we gonna do?” Edwards said.
Then Edwards spotted the struggling Karl-Anthony Towns on the other side of the room. He wanted to hear a positive response out of Towns, who had another off night in this series with 14 points on 5-for-18 shooting, including 0-for-8 on three-pointers.
“We here now, Karl. What are we gonna do?” Edwards said.
“Make history,” Towns responded.
That they will have to do, as no NBA team has ever come back from a 3-0 hole the Wolves are in after another awful stretch of late-game offense did them in against Dallas. NBA teams trailing 3-0 are 0-154 at winning series.
“We ain’t got nothing else to do. We can’t do nothing but be positive at this point,” Edwards said in his postgame news conference. “We can’t be negative. Just try to get it one win at a time.”
The Wolves had a 104-102 lead after Anderson hit a shot-clock beating jumper with five minutes to play, but the Wolves didn’t have another field goal until Edwards hit a meaningless layup with 15.3 seconds left. The Mavericks outscored them 14-3 as Kyrie Irving and Luka Doncic again dominated a Wolves defense that has had no answer for the Dallas duo.
Doncic and Irving both scored 33 points.
Double-team them and make them give it up? Dallas’ supporting cast like Derrick Jones Jr. (11 points) and P.J. Washington (16 points) were hitting shots early as the Mavericks shot 50% from three-point range compared to the Wolves’ 30%.
Don’t double them and guard them straight up? Then they were hitting shots, as when Doncic hit a shot over Jaden McDaniels as he was falling down in the fourth quarter and Irving made a contested layup late in the shot clock against Edwards as part of Dallas’ closing push. The Mavericks backcourt stars were a combined 22-for-40.
“It’s been tough for us to try to navigate that,” coach Chris Finch said. “We’ve been picking our poison here a little bit.”
The problem for the Wolves is that each poison they pick has been lethal.
Edwards had 26 points on 11-for-24 shooting, and he came through with a 10-point third quarter that brought the Wolves back from an eight-point halftime deficit. He found room to attack the rim after Mavericks rookie Dereck Lively II exited because of a strained neck when his head inadvertently met Towns’ knee after he fell going for a rebound in the second quarter. But the Wolves didn’t attack as much late, and Edwards and Towns were a combined 16-for-42.
“You play into their hands when you hold the ball and you dribble out the clock and are fighting against the shot clock,” said point guard Conley, who had 16 points. “That was the issue we had a little bit tonight, where we were looking down 10, 11 seconds left on the shot clock and at that point you have to force it instead of being in an action early, playing a little bit more.”
Edwards was playing that way in the third quarter after Lively’s injury freed up space at the rim. Edwards took off for a thunderous dunk as part of a stretch when he scored six consecutive points, and the Wolves pulled ahead for the first time at 79-77 since they were ahead 5-3.
But the Wolves could never build and maintain a lead, as Irving and Doncic seemed to respond each time the Wolves got ahead. A backbreaking moment came when Washington hit a wide-open corner three to put Dallas ahead 107-104 with 3:38 left when the Wolves had what Finch called a “mental breakdown” on defense.
“We have belief against anyone. But we are our worst enemy, every time,” said center Rudy Gobert, who had nine points and six rebounds. “And it’s a great thing, but it can also be a thing that’s not great when we beat ourselves.”
The memo for the Wolves to Towns was to play more under control on Sunday after he struggled the first two games. But nothing he did worked. His reliable three-point shot has been non-existent.
“I feel every shot’s good,” Towns said. “I’ve shot a lot of basketballs in my life. I’m the first one in the gym. I definitely am working. I’m shooting. Every time I’m shooting, it feels good. I’m just having these very unfortunate bounces all the time. It’s annoying.”
Also annoying to the Wolves was the officiating, especially in the third quarter, when Dallas shot 17 free throws. That was as many as the Wolves shot in the game. (Dallas finished with 31.) The Wolves felt the Mavericks were committing the same fouls to them that they were to Dallas.
“It’s about consistency on both ends,” Conley said. “That’s all we ask for at the end of the day.”
BOXSCORE: Dallas 116, Wolves 107
That’s also what the Wolves are asking of themselves.
About the only constant, win or lose, is the positivity emanating from Edwards, who is convinced the Wolves still have a great game in them against a Dallas team that has so far figured them out.
Edwards was asked how he can keep from having a sky-is-falling attitude. It’s who he has always been, he said.
“I never seen the sky falling,” Edwards said. “I don’t know, I’m always positive, always happy. I’ve been through the worst, so the sky is never falling for me.”
The Dallas Cowboys boasted one of the best offenses in the NFL this past season, but it wasn’t enough to get them into the playoffs. Even with Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Javonte Williams, they were unable to make up for their porous defense, finishing the season 7-9-1.
This offseason, Dallas was on a mission to fix that defense. Jerry Jones vowed he would put in the work and while they might not have an elite unit, they definitely look improved on paper.
With the biggest moves this offseason done, let’s rank the position groups for the Cowboys, which begins with the most obvious strength.
Wide Receiver
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are arguably the best duo in the game, which makes this the Cowboys’ strongest position on its own. Throw in Ryan Flournoy, who had a breakout season in 2025, and it looks even better.
Dallas has depth beyond this as well, with KaVontae Turpin, who had 396 yards receiving last year, as their WR4. Even rookie seventh-round pick Anthony Smith has some upside.
Safety
Rookie Caleb Downs immediately makes this group better, but he’s not the only addition. The Cowboys also signed Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke in free agency. For good measure, they also have Malik Hooker as they turned a perennial weakness into a strength this offseason.
Quarterback
Dak Prescott carries this group, especially after another spectacular season. Behind Prescott, however, the Cowboys are still strong with Joe Milton III and Sam Howell. Either player could wind up as the QB2 and could keep the offense going in the short-term.
Defensive Line
Defensive tackle has been a weakness for years, but Jones decided that had to change. Entering 2026, Dallas has Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Otitto Ogbonnia, Jonathan Bullard, and rookie LT Overton, which is a solid group.
Offensive Line
The interior of the Dallas offensive line could make this one of the best groups overall with Cooper Beebe, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Guyton all standing out at their respective positions.
The problem is that offensive tackle has some concerns. Tyler Guyton hasn’t lived up to his draft status and Terence Steele hasn’t played up to his contract. Drew Shelton could eventually take over for one, but the rookie needs time to develop.
EDGE
There’s not an All-Pro on the edge like there was when Micah Parsons was in Dallas, but the group is much deeper this season. Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Malachi Lawrence, and James Houston can all have big roles this season. They’re even going to try Marist Liufau on the edge, but the depth might be an issue for him.
Tight End
Jake Ferguson had eight touchdowns in 2025, which was huge. The problem is that he struggled with ball security, hardly had any yards after the catch, and finished with an average of just 7.3 yards per reception.
Luke Schoonmaker has been the TE2, but he could be pushed by Brevyn Spann-Ford. Undrafted free agent Michael Trigg is a player to watch, but he’s unlikely to produce much as a rookie.
Cornerback
Defensive coordinator Christian Parker is a fan of Shavon Revel, and if he can turn him into a starter, that would be huge for this position.
Right now, there are far too many questions, with the durability of DaRon Bland being chief among them.
Entering OTAs, there’s a chance free agent pickup Cobie Durant could be their best option at cornerback. He’s a solid addition, but they need someone else to step up as well.
Linebacker
We recently noted that linebacker remains the greatest need on this team. They did a great job by trading for Dee Winters and rookie Jaishawn Barham could wind up being a great fit.
That said, they need DeMarvion Overshown to stay healthy for this group to succeed. If he misses time, their lack of depth will hurt them.
Running Back
Linebacker might be the primary need, but running back comes in last here due to the concerns behind Javonte Williams.
There’s no denying that Williams is a stud. He broke out in 2025 with 1,201 yards but the depth is questionable. If second-year back Jaydon Blue improves, this position group would climb the ranks in a hurry. For now, however, there are too many question marks.
— Sign up for the Cowboys Daily Digest newsletter for more free coverage from Dallas Cowboys on SI —
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
Cowboys’ strength of schedule
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
Add us as a preferred source on GoogleFollow
-
News13 minutes agoShip operators involved in Baltimore bridge collapse charged with misconduct and obstruction
-
New York2 hours agoDeadly Gang Feud Left Bystander Paralyzed in Brooklyn
-
Detroit, MI2 hours agoDetroit leads northern border in drug seizures, federal report says
-
San Francisco, CA2 hours agoCalifornia ‘Fans First’ bill aims to cap skyrocketing concert ticket prices
-
Dallas, TX3 hours agoRanking Every Cowboys Position Group By Overall Talent and Depth
-
Miami, FL3 hours agoSevere weather, flash flooding possible in South Florida on Tuesday
-
Boston, MA3 hours agoCanvas reportedly reaches deal with hackers for stolen data – Boston News, Weather, Sports | WHDH 7News
-
Denver, CO3 hours agoFormer Denver Bronco Craig Morton, who became the first quarterback to start Super Bowl for 2 franchises, dies at 83