Juan Carlos Blanco, RotoWire
LAS VEGAS — Kelan Martin scored 23 points off the bench to lead the Minnesota Timberwolves to a 108-82 victory against the Dallas Mavericks in the Las Vegas Summer League quarterfinals Saturday night at Thomas & Mack Center.
The Mavericks were within striking distance after a high-scoring first half ended with the Timberwolves leading 50-42. But the tide turned in a third quarter as Minnesota outscored Dallas, 31-18, leading to the comfortable victory.
The Timberwolves (5-0) shot 52.2 percent from the field and held the Mavericks to 37.3 percent shooting. Long-distance shooting was especially pivotal in the runaway win, as Minnesota hit 46.4 percent (13 of 28) from downtown while Dallas (3-2) made only 20 percent (5 of 25).
Minnesota’s bench, led by Martin who also had five rebounds, scored 72 of the team’s points. Reserves Barry Brown Jr. and Jordan Murphy scored 14 and 12 points, respectively. Naz Reid and Mitchell Creek led the starters with 12 points each.
Antonius Cleveland led the Mavericks with 17 points, adding six rebounds. Josh Reaves had 15 points and Daryl Macon finished with 11 points and four assists.
The Timberwolves will play the Brooklyn Nets in the semifinals Sunday.
