Luka Doncic dominated Minnesota in the first half of the meeting between the Timberwolves and Mavericks earlier this month in Dallas.

The all-world guard had 26 points and eight assists in the first two quarters.

But the Timberwolves got the better of Doncic after the break, forcing him into five turnovers. That has been a more accurate representation of the way the matchup has played out during Doncic’s career.

No one shuts down Doncic, who is one of the very best offensive players in the world. But Minnesota has done a better job than most at making his life difficult.

For his career, Doncic is averaging 24.1 points per game against the Timberwolves, the third-lowest of all teams and lowest among Western Conference foes. He is averaging 7.8 rebounds, tied for the fifth-lowest among all opponents.

Against the Wolves, Doncic is shooting just 44 percent from the field and 28 percent from 3-point range.

On a team level, Doncic and the Mavericks are 2-5 in their past seven games with the Wolves heading into Thursday’s meeting at Target Center.

Part of the equation is Minnesota’s defensive personnel. The Timberwolves have had an array of defensive stoppers in recent years. Even Patrick Beverley had a knack for bothering Doncic.

Jaden McDaniels has proven to be the best “Luka stopper” in Minnesota’s arsenal. Most famous was the possession last spring, when McDaniels swarmed Doncic and Anthony Edwards did the same to Kyrie Irving, preventing either from getting off a shot attempt with Dallas down by three points in the closing seconds of a Wolves win.

McDaniels’ general length always seems to be a deterrent for Doncic. Doncic has gone out of his way to call McDaniels a “great defender.” McDaniels has played at an all-defense level in recent years, but some of his most notable performances seem to come against the Slovenian standout.

Doncic is perhaps the most skilled wing in the NBA, but he doesn’t have the speed necessary to get by McDaniels, which makes for a lot of long nights. And Minnesota’s breadth of potential stoppers extends beyond him.

“I think we have a lot of versatile defenders to throw at him. We can throw Nickeil at him, we can throw Ant at him, we can put me on him, Jaden,” Wolves forward Kyle Anderson told reporters ahead of their game earlier this month. “Just not let him get comfortable with the same looks and just try to make it hard on him.”

Pair those long, athletic wings with a backstop like Rudy Gobert, and there’s a reason the Timberwolves sport the NBA’s top defense this season. While some guards — such as Shai Gilgeous-Alexander on Tuesday, Dejounte Murray in Atlanta and Tyrese Maxey in Philadelphia — have found solutions for Minnesota’s defense this season, Doncic has rarely cracked the code throughout his career.

Frankly, the answer may not be him. The Timberwolves often sell out to stop Doncic, putting the onus on the guard’s teammates to make Minnesota pay. If they can’t, as history has shown, Doncic is fighting a losing battle trying to fight off a pack of ferocious Wolves.

Briefly

Karl-Anthony Towns is listed as questionable for Thursday’s game with knee soreness. He played Tuesday in Oklahoma City after missing Saturday’s game in Sacramento.

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