• Preview
• Recap
• Bleachers

Timberwolves-Mavericks Preview

Mar 2, 2010 - 8:29 PM By MATT BEARDMORE STATS Writer

Minnesota (14-47) at Dallas (40-21), 8:30 p.m. EDT

The Dallas Mavericks stumbled in the Minnesota Timberwolves' last visit to the American Airlines Center. New faces on the Mavericks' roster, along with the team's much-improved play, could lead to a different outcome Wednesday night.

Dallas looks to win nine straight for the first time in three seasons when it hosts a Timberwolves team that is missing one of its best players.

The Mavericks (40-21) fell 117-108 to the Timberwolves on Feb. 5, snapping their 13-game winning streak against Minnesota. Dallas, which had won seven in a row at home in the series, was in the midst of a 2-6 stretch.

The Mavericks, though, have followed that slump with their longest win streak since a nine-game run from March 16-30, 2007. The run has been sparked by the acquisition of Caron Butler and Brendan Haywood from Washington on Feb. 13, as Dallas has taken a 4 1/2-game lead over San Antonio for the Southwest Division lead.

"We've got a good thing going on right now," Butler said after scoring 22 points in a 89-84 victory at Charlotte on Monday. "We just wanted to keep them going and help the team build momentum. We want to prove that we're one of the better teams in the league right now."

Butler, who missed two games last week due to a bad reaction to medication, is averaging 16.1 points and 4.9 rebounds with the Mavs.

With Erick Dampier out following surgery last month to close a dislocation on his right middle finger, Haywood has more than picked up the slack, averaging 10.8 points and 10.0 rebounds with his new team.

With the recent acquisitions contributing, Dirk Nowitzki continues to put up outstanding numbers, averaging 29.1 points and 7.8 rebounds during the winning streak. He scored 21 points with eight boards last month against Minnesota (14-47), coming off the bench for the first time since Dec. 14, 1999, after arriving late for the pregame shootaround.

The Mavericks will be trying to win a season-high sixth straight at home as they face a Timberwolves team that is 5-26 on the road and missing leading scorer Al Jefferson.

After a 19-point, 11-rebound performance in a 110-91 loss to Portland on Saturday, Jefferson was arrested early Sunday by the Minnesota State Patrol on suspicion of DWI. The Timberwolves suspended Jefferson for two games without pay, starting Wednesday.

"It was just a major mistake that happened. I made a stupid choice," Jefferson said. "...In a way I'm glad it happened because that I know what I know, I'll never do it again."

Without Jefferson, coach Kurt Rambis will likely have to lean more heavily on second-year forward Kevin Love as the Wolves try to snap a three-game slide. Love, averaging 16.0 points and 10.8 rebounds in the last eight games, had 17 and 11 off the bench against Dallas in February.

He missed an 89-77 home loss to the Mavericks on Nov. 13 due to a broken bone in his left hand.

Minnesota rookie point guard Jonny Flynn has fared well against Dallas' Jason Kidd in two meetings this season, averaging 15.0 points and 5.5 assists. Flynn led six Wolves in double figures with 19 points at the American Airlines Center last month.

Minnesota hosts Dallas on Monday in the teams' final meeting this season.