NBA: Timberwolves top Mavericks in preseason opener in Abu Dhabi

Josh Green of the Dallas Mavericks guards Karl-Anthony Towns of Minnesota Timberwolves during a preseason NBA game between Dallas Mavericks and Milwaukee Bucks Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates, Thursday, Oct. 6, 2023. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili)

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates— Karl-Anthony Towns scored 20 points in 17 minutes, Naz Reid added 16 and the Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Dallas Mavericks 111-99 in the first NBA preseason game of the year Thursday.

Luka Garza and Shake Milton each scored 12 points for the Timberwolves, who led by as many as 29 and never trailed.

Luka Doncic scored 25 points in 17 first-half minutes for Dallas, and Jaden Hardy added 13.

Most of the top players from each team didn’t play in the second half, and Minnesota’s Anthony Edwards didn’t play at all. He was held out with an ankle issue.

It was the first of two games that the teams will play in Abu Dhabi, with the rematch on Saturday before the teams return to the U.S.

This trip marks the third time in a year that NBA players have played in Abu Dhabi. The league sent Atlanta and Milwaukee to the United Arab Emirates for a pair of preseason games last season, and a number of NBA players took part in a series of games in the UAE before this summer’s World Cup — with the U.S., Greece and eventual World Cup champion Germany all participating in those exhibitions.