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DALLAS – In four games leading to Friday's game against the Mavericks, Timberwolves star guard Jimmy Butler shot 18-for-54 from the field, including Wednesday's 2-for-13, six-point game in a victory over San Antonio.

Friday, Butler said he isn't worried in the least.

Neither is Wolves coach Tom Thibodeau.

"It happens," Butler said before the game. "It probably won't be the last time it happens this year. I've put in entirely too much work to worry about my shot falling. As long as we're winning, I really don't have a problem with it. I know eventually I will have games where I can't miss. I'm just waiting for that to happen. I've been in this league long enough to know that stuff happens."

He then scored 21 points on 8-for-19 shooting in a 111-87 victory over Dallas. "It's going to come," he said afterward. "As soon as I get a rhythm and get to rolling, I'll be just fine. But all in all, it was a win, no matter what."

Butler averaged 20 points a game in his last four road games before Friday's. He made 14 free throws in one of those games, nine in another while his shots from the field flattened. Butler is third on the team in scoring, averaging 15.8 points per game, behind Karl-Anthony Towns' 21.1 and Andrew Wiggins' 18.9.

"Every player goes through ups and downs in the course of a season," Thibodeau said. "The thing about Jimmy is, he can play great without shooting well. He can score in a lot of different ways. He can beat you with the pass. He can run the floor. He's going to command a lot of attention, which will open other things up."

Playing with pain

His streak of consecutive games played done at 175 when he sat out Saturday at Phoenix, Wolves center Gorgui Dieng returned Friday after missing three games because of a sprained index finger on his shooting hand. He said a bone chipped in his hand when Golden State's Nick Young hit it last week.

"It can't get worse," Dieng said. "I might as well play through the pain the whole season and after the season, it will heal."

Patton progressing

Wolves rookie center Justin Patton has moved to the next phase of his recovery from July foot surgery and is participating in some 3-on-3 contact play. The No. 16 overall pick needs to return to live 5-on-5 practice work before he can play again.

"So he's probably two steps away, but he's making good progress," said Thibodeau, who didn't say how long those steps will take. "When he's ready, he's ready. We like where he is."

The dish on Dirk

With a second-quarter basket, Mavericks superstar Dirk Nowitzki moved past Hakeem Olajuwon and into eighth place on the NBA's all-time list for career field goals made. He has 10,754 after going 6-for-12 Friday.

Nowitzki is 39 and in his 20th NBA season, all with Dallas. Wolves veteran Jamal Crawford is 37 and in his 18th.

"At this point, the foundation of who you are is your love for the game," Crawford said. "If you're not in love with it, you don't take care of your body and do the things you need to do. Dirk, he's still in love with the game and to be in love with the game that long, that's impressive. That's a feat in itself."

Tom (Thinks He's) Terrific

Thibodeau and his staff watched Dallas rookie point guard Dennis Smith Jr. work out at home in Raleigh, N.C., last summer while preparing for the NBA draft. Thibodeau said he would have seriously considered selecting him seventh overall if the Wolves hadn't swapped picks with Chicago in the draft-night Butler trade.

"I think he's terrific," Thibodeau said. "He has a pro game. He's athletic. He'll get better and better. I liked him a lot. I had a chance to talk to him and I liked his approach to the game."