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Anthony Edwards (40 points), Wolves too strong for Mavs

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NBA: Dallas Mavericks at Minnesota TimberwolvesFeb 20, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) talks with referee Suyash Mehta (82) in the second quarter against the Dallas Mavericks at Target Center. Mandatory Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Anthony Edwards scored 40 points on 16-for-30 shooting, and the Minnesota Timberwolves held on for a 122-111 win over the Dallas Mavericks on Friday night in Minneapolis.

Rudy Gobert notched a double-double with 22 points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota, which won its third game in a row as it returned from the All-Star break. Naz Reid scored 21 points off the bench, and Julius Randle contributed 13 points.

Khris Middleton scored 18 points to lead Dallas, which lost its 10th consecutive game. Naji Marshall and Marvin Bagley III finished with 15 points apiece.

Edwards shined throughout the game, including the final minutes with the Timberwolves’ lead in the single digits. He scored seven points in the last 2:27 on a floating jump shot, a pull-up jumper from the elbow and a 3-pointer from the left corner.

The Timberwolves closed the game on an 11-4 run after Dallas cut the deficit to four.

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Earlier in the fourth quarter, Dallas went on a 12-2 run to tie the score at 103-all with 6:55 to go.

Minnesota led 69-57 at the half.

The Timberwolves jumped to a 40-25 lead at the end of the first quarter. Donte DiVincenzo buried a trio of 3-pointers in the first six minutes to help Minnesota grab the early lead.

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Reid provided a highlight-reel dunk late in the first quarter. He dribbled behind his back before elevating for a thunderous right-handed slam over a leaping Daniel Gafford, who stands 6-foot-10 but was overpowered by the leaping Reid.

The Mavericks played without star rookie Cooper Flagg, who remained sidelined because of a sprained foot. The injury forced Flagg to miss the NBA All-Star activities last weekend.

Gobert picked up a flagrant foul after striking Bagley during a battle for a rebound in the second quarter. He surpassed the limit for flagrant fouls on the season and will be suspended for Sunday’s home game against the Philadelphia 76ers unless the league reassesses the call and downgrades the flagrant foul violation before then.

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–Field Level Media

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Evaporate pursues maiden Group 1 in 2026 Futurity Stakes

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The Lindsay Park-trained Evaporate remains without a Group 1 win to date, but his handlers are convinced that top-tier glory awaits the four-year-old soon.

Ben, Will and J D Hayes have the galloper primed for an autumn opener in Saturday’s Group 1 Futurity Stakes (1400m) at Caulfield.

Evaporate is a more seasoned athlete this preparation, as per Ben Hayes, setting him up nicely for what lies ahead.

He boasts five prior Group 1 runs, achieving podium finishes thrice: third in the Caulfield Guineas, second place in the Toorak Handicap, and third most recently in the C F Orr Stakes behind Jimmysstar.

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In his younger days as a three-year-old, Lindsay Park entered him in the Cox Plate, where Via Sistina beat him comprehensively, and he ran fourth behind Mr Brightside in last year’s Futurity Stakes before heading overseas to New Zealand.

Following the Orr placing, Evaporate took a quick spell before the customary Lindsay Park two jump-outs leading into Saturday.

“I think he’s trialled up very well this time around,” Hayes said.

“What we really like is he seems a lot more relaxed and has shown us a really good turn of foot in both his jump-outs and his work at home.

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He’s a horse that has always shown us above average ability and it’s a race he can run very well in.

“He has already shown that he is capable at weight-for-age before and he’s a more hardened horse now.”

Co-trainer Hayes sees Evaporate tougher now, but Treasurethe Moment represents a tough hurdle on Saturday.

She resumed victorious in the Group 1 Memsie Stakes last spring, at Caulfield over 1400m, upsetting Mr Brightside.

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“It would be nice to get that Group 1 on his CV,” Hayes said of Evaporate.

“He’s a Group 1 horse, but we’re going to run into a horse like Treasurethe Moment who was amazing last spring campaign.

“But I think we’ve improved, which we have to, to beat her.”

Discover competitive betting markets for the race ahead of the Futurity Stakes.

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Gamecocks HC Dawn Staley gives Joni Taylor the biggest “bouquet of flowers” after Texas A&M HC receives a valuable honor

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Joni Taylor is the 2026 recipient of the Kay Yow Heart of a Coach Award. The Texas A&M women’s basketball coach received the award after a unanimous vote from the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

South Carolina coach Dawn Staley took to X to give Taylor her flowers.

“@CoachJoniTaylor, there’s not a big enough bouquet of flowers to celebrate you for who you are and what you represent to us! Congrats! Congrats! Congrats! Much deserved!” Staley wrote.

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Joni Taylor started her coaching career as an assistant at Troy. She took up the job shortly after graduating from Alabama, where she starred as a power forward and center.

Taylor had other stints as an assistant, namely with Louisiana Tech, Alabama, LSU and Georgia. She became the Georgia Bulldogs coach in April 2015. Taylor spent seven seasons in the role, posting winning records each year.

Taylor became the Texas A&M coach on March 23, 2022. She’s looking to guide the program to success in the uber-competitive SEC. The Aggies are currently 11-11 (4-9) in the 2025-26 season. They’re fresh off an 82-74 win against the No. 21-ranked Tennessee Vols, and their next game is against the Arkansas Razorbacks.

Dawn Staley and Joni Taylor made history in 2021

History was made at the 2021 Southeastern Conference Tournament Championship game between the South Carolina Gamecocks and Georgia Bulldogs. That game was the first time two Black women head coaches met in a Power Five conference tournament championship.

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Dawn Staley coached the Gamecocks to a win over Joni Taylor’s Bulldogs. The duo embraced before and after the showdown.

“You can’t dream what you can’t see,” said Taylor after the game.

“So (the SEC title game) was a chance for people to dream something that they haven’t seen before.”

Taylor has since taken her talent to Texas A&M, while Staley remains South Carolina’s coach. The latter is vying for a winning season, while the latter is aiming for yet another national championship to add to an impressive haul.