DALLAS _ The Minnesota Timberwolves entered their game against the Dallas Mavericks Sunday looking for their first four-game winning streak since December of 2012.
Still looking.
With suspect ball movement and defense that in no way resembled the defense the Wolves showed by winning three straight, the Wolves fell to the Mavs 98-87 at American Airlines Center.
Gorgui Dieng had a season high 21 points for the Wolves. Andrew Wiggins scored 19, Karl-Anthony Towns had 18 and Zach LaVine, back after missing two games with a sore left hip, had 11.
Up two late in the first quarter, the Wolves surrendered a 21-4 run, eventually falling behind by 15.
Down 14 early in the third quarter, the Wolves rallied to within two on Dieng's end-to-end run. Still within three late in the third, the Mavericks scored the final six points of the quarter. Then J.J. Barea scored Dallas' first nine points of the fourth as the Mavs took control for good.
By the time Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau put his starters back in the game halfway through the fourth quarter, the Wolves were down 15.
Dirk Nowitzki hit three of four 3-pointers on the way to 17 points for the Mavericks, who shot 46.8 percent, made 12 of 29 3-pointers and turned 12 Wolves turnovers into 15 points.
Wes Matthews scored 19 for Dallas, Harrison Barnes had 13 and Deron Williams had 13. Both Devin Harris (10) and Barea (15) were in double figures for the Dallas bench, which out-scored the Wolves reserves 29-10.
