The Dallas Mavericks (39 - 38) helped their push for the playoffs on Sunday with an 88 - 78 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves (25 - 51). Dallas holds just a half - game lead over the Utah Jazz for seventh place in the Western Conference and a one - game lead over the Houston Rockets for playoff berth. The Mavericks earned a much - needed win in Minnesota on Sunday, finishing with a double - digit win over the struggling Timberwolves. Point guard J.J. Barea led the team with 21 points, also tacking on six assists en route to the victory. Barea's backcourt partner Wesley Matthews, meanwhile, scored 19 points including six makes from three - point territory. Three-point shooting in general provided an edge to the Mavericks, who hit 14 shots from deep in comparison to just four for the Wolves. Dallas will have a tough road ahead, facing matchups against the Rockets and Jazz with major playoff implications. After a league - worst finish in 2014 - 15, the Timberwolves are preparing to close the book on a season that has shown promise for the struggling franchise. A big part of the team's improvement in the wins column has been odds - on Rookie of the Year favorite Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns exploded for a career - high 21 rebounds on Sunday, and was just a single assist away from his first career triple - double. Reigning Rookie of the Year Andrew Wiggins, meanwhile, led the game with 30 points. The sophomore has seen a big improvement to his scoring game, establishing himself as the team's primary option on offense. Unlike Dallas, the team struggled from three - point territory, hitting just four of 24 shots taken from beyond the arc. The Mavericks will host the Rockets on Wednesday, while Minnesota will visit Golden State on Tuesday.
["TeamStat(G,'Timberwolves') has 78 Losses ."
 "TeamStat(G,'Mavericks') has 38 Losses ,has 88 Total points ,has 39 Wins ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Wesley Matthews') has 6 Assists ,has 6 3-pointers made ,has 19 Field goals made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'J.J. Barea') has 6 Assists ,has 21 3-pointers made ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Andrew Wiggins') has 30 Assists ."
 "PlayerStat(G,'Karl-Anthony Towns') has 21 Assists ."]