By DWAIN PRICE
Star-Telegram Staff Writer

DALLAS - The first game of the Mavericks' Quest To Win The West went off Sunday afternoon with a few hitches.

The Minnesota Timberwolves outrebounded the Mavericks by 19, outscored them on second-chance points by 24 and outscored them in fastbreak points by 18. Plus All-Star forward Dirk Nowitzki left late in the game after tweaking his right ankle.

Still, the Mavericks had enough energy in their physically challenged bodies to get down and dirty during crunch time and pull out an ugly 101-94 victory in Game 1 of this best-of-five opening-round Western Conference playoff series.

Game 2 is Wednesday at 8:30 p.m. at American Airlines Center, after which the series shifts to Minneapolis for Game 3 next Sunday afternoon.