Timberwolves Vs. Mavericks: Kevin Love Returns, But Dirk Nowitzki Reigns As Dallas Knocks Minnesota Back Below .500

The Minnesota Timberwolves are finally sitting at .500, with a 13-13 record on the season. They actually experienced a moment of being on the positive side on Tuesday when they bested the Sacramento Kings to move to 13-12, after having tried to get to .500 on five different occasions this season. A loss in their last outing to Memphis put them back down to .500 though, and they'll try to avoid going negative on Friday when they host the defending champion Dallas Mavericks.

Dallas has had a tough run over its last four games, dropping three-straight to start February, but picking up their first win in the month on Feb. 8. That was their last outing, a 105-95 victory over the Denver Nuggets. The losing streak was preceded by a three-game winning streak, which itself was preceded by a loss and another three-game winning streak. Dallas has been all about streaks this year, so Minnesota will need to play hard to pick up this win and stop them from getting to that streak.

Minnesota is also shooting for .500 at home, already boasting a winning record on the road. They've also beat Dallas twice in a row this season, and they'll have Kevin Love back in the lineup. Love has 56 points and 28 rebounds against the Mavericks this season, but he might be a little bit rusty after missing two games with a suspension.

It will be an interesting game, as Minnesota looks to continue the recent trend of besting Dallas, while the Mavericks showed in their last outing that they weren't going to lay down for any team, as Dirk Nowitzki had 25 points to snap their losing skid. The game is set for 8:00 p.m. ET.

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