It’s never easy for these Timberwolves.

But they’ll take a win anyway they can get it.

Minnesota snapped a three-game losing streak with its 105-99 win over the Mavericks on national television in a Western Conference Finals rematch. It’s a win the Wolves needed, and one that will serve them well by season’s end.

But it did not come pretty. Well, for two and a half quarters it did.

Dallas lost superstar Luka Doncic for the day to an injury early in the second quarter, and from there, Minnesota grinded the Mavericks’ offense to a pulp for the next frame and a half. In the 16 minutes following Doncic’s departure, Dallas scored 25 points total.

That, paired with a more cohesive, well-paced offense helped Minnesota build a 28-point lead. And then the wheels fell off as Minnesota (15-14) dropped all of the good habits that helped it create the large lead and fell into its worst habits.

For the next 12 minutes, Minnesota stopped moving the ball entirely on offense and lacked attention to detail defensively. Kyrie Irving scored 15 of his 39 points in the fourth quarter and the Mavericks (19-11) had the ball down just two in the final minute.

“Phenomenal player,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch told reporters of Irving. “Brought them back into the game almost singlehandedly.”

The Wolves held on to produce enough stops when they desperately needed them, and Anthony Edwards — a major culprit in the offensive shutdown that led to the Wolves scoring just 15 points over the final frame — scored twice in the final 77 seconds, including a drive to the rack to put Minnesota up four and effectively put the game on ice with 18 ticks to play.

“We should’ve closed the third better, and that gave them life. Then we just struggled to finish and make shots to start the quarter, and then it became a lot of iso stuff,” Finch told reporters. “But we made just enough plays to win.”

Minnesota extended its drought to 15 straight games of not scoring 110-plus points in regulation, but it certainly wasn’t all doom and gloom. There were reasons Minnesota built such a large cushion.

The Wolves seem to have accepted the pace with which they must play to be a successful offensive team, as shown through the game’s first three quarters.

They also have found lineup combinations that seem to function in more unison, including getting Julius Randle more minutes with the reserves, who are willing to run alongside him while he pushes the ball up the floor.

Edwards finished with 26 points, eight rebounds and five assists. Randle had 23 points, 10 rebounds and eight dimes.

Rudy Gobert had a double double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Minnesota shot 47 percent from the field and 44 percent from deep while committing only 10 turnovers.

“Pace, extra pass, good spacing, just understanding what the concept of the plan of attack was,” Finch said.

That is a good formula for success for this team, on both ends of the floor.

Its ability to execute it for 48 minutes remains to be seen.