Mavs-Wolves preview: First look at new team for Julius Randle

MINNEAPOLIS – At this time of year, chills and shivers usually come with Halloween skeletons dangling in doorways or ghosts flying about.

But the Mavericks don’t need any haunted-house props. They have a chance to put an October scare into the Minnesota Timberwolves and the entire NBA all on their own if they can take care of business on Tuesday night.

It’s the first rematch with the Wolves since the Mavericks saw them – and beat them in five games – in the Western Conference finals last season. And this meeting comes less than a month after Minnesota acquired Julius Randle from the New York Knicks for Karl-Anthony Towns in a blockbuster deal.

This is what happens when teams feel they are on the cusp of a championship. They make bold moves.

The Mavericks got Klay Thompson.

The Wolves got Randle, the Plano Prestonwood product.

The difference is that the Mavericks didn’t surrender near as much as the Wolves did to bring on board a key player.

They gave up Tim Hardaway and Josh Green to clear space for the sign-and-trade that netted Thompson. Towns was a major piece for the Wolves last season. He averaged 21.8 points and was a West All-Star. In the five-game series against the Mavericks, he averaged 19.6 points and 8.4 rebounds, although he did not shoot the three-pointer well.

Nevertheless, he was a major factor for the Wolves for nine seasons after being the No. 1 pick in the 2015 draft.

That’s why the Mavericks are hoping to make sure that they don’t give the Wolves any momentum in terms of thinking their offseason move will vault them past the Mavericks in the Western Conference pecking order.

That said, through three games it’s hard to argue with the Wolves’ decision-making on the trade. Randle has averaged 24.3 points, 7.7 rebounds and 4.3 assists. He’s also 7-of-13 (53.8 percent) from three-point range.

The sample size is too small to draw any conclusions, but the Wolves clearly are still a team that is in the championship conversation.

As are the Mavericks, who put a major emphasis this season on getting out to a fast start. They have poured a little of the foundation for that quick getaway with two wins in three games. But they will have to start winning road games soon, which they have not done yet.

There would be no better time to send a scary message to everybody than Tuesday night.

Here’s a few other things to know about the Mavericks-Timberwolves matchup:

• Kyrie Irving had 23 points, nine assists and six rebounds on Monday in the Mavericks’ 110-102 victory over the Utah Jazz. The Mavericks now are 15-1 over the past two seasons when Irving has at least 15 points, five rebounds and five assists.
• It’s the first back-to-back of the season for the Mavericks. Last season, the Mavericks were 5-2 on the second night of back-to-backs when the game was on the road. However, one of the losses was in late December at Minnesota.
• The Timberwolves lost their opener at the Los Angeles Lakers, but have since won at Sacramento and in their home-opener against Toronto. Against the Raptors, Randle had 24 points and nine rebounds. Anthony Edwards also had 24 points.
• The Mavericks are trying to do to the Wolves what the Phoenix Suns did to the Mavericks last week. The Mavericks were waiting in Phoenix when the Suns were playing in Los Angeles. They returned home and knocked off the Mavericks 114-102 on the second night of a back-to-back. The difference, of course, is the Mavericks are traveling for a road game after playing Utah at home Monday night.
• Luka Dončić was not happy with his 5-of-22 shooting Monday night against Utah, but the win more than covered up for any anger about his offensive output.
• The Wolves have one of the top young stars in the league in Anthony Edwards, who is off to a solid start, averaging 27.7 points through three games. He has shot 40 three-pointers already this season. He’s made 15 (37.5 percent). The Wolves have shot more three-pointers (128) than they have two-point shots (126).

MAVERICKS (2-1) at MINNESOTA TIMBERWOLVES (2-1)

When: 6:30 p.m., Tuesday

Where: Target Center, Minneapolis

TV: KFAA-29, MavsTV Stream, TNT

Radio: KEGL 97.1 FM The Eagle, 99.1 FM Zona MX (Spanish)

X: @ESefko