Minnesota Timberwolves Ride Hot Shooting To 131-122 Victory Versus Cleveland Cavaliers
It was a battle of the offenses in Minneapolis on Thursday night as the Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers in a 131-122 shootout to collect their 25th win of the season.
Timberwolves Offense Hits On All Cylinders
While rain wasn’t in the forecast on a chilly night in the Minneapolis area, the Timberwolves made sure those projections would end up wrong by raining in threes all game against Cleveland. The Timberwolves ended the game with 20 made threes at a very efficient 53% clip in the win.
The dynamic duo of Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards led the way on offense for Minnesota, as both players finished with 28 points and 25 points, respectively. They also showed off their all-around abilities as well, with Edwards finishing with 7 rebounds and 9 assists, and Randle grabbing 11 rebounds and dishing out 8 assists.
Besides the great performance, it was also a special night for Edwards, who achieved a career milestone in the win. The three-time All-Star became the third-youngest player in NBA history to score 10,000 career points. Edwards also became the 8th player to score 10,000 points before the age of 25.
Although it wasn’t just Edwards and Randle who starred for the Timberwolves, as all 5 starters scored in double figures for Minnesota in a total team effort on the offensive end of the floor.
Cavaliers’ Worst Start In 5 Years Continues With Another Bad Loss
It was another solo effort for Cavaliers star Donovan Mitchell, as almost every other player on Cleveland seemingly left their offensive games at home in the loss. The six-time All-Star finished with 30 points, 8 rebounds, and 7 assists as the offense only seemed to function well with Mitchell in the game.
The only other player to play well outside of Mitchell was backup Shooting Guard Sam Merrill, who scored 22 points while also making 5 of the Cavs’ 11 threes on the night. This loss now puts the Cavaliers at just 21-18 on the season, a huge fall-off from their 34-5 record through the first 39 games last season.
One of the biggest factors in the Cavaliers’ slow start this season is the team’s defense taking a big step back. Despite having tremendous rim protectors in Jarrett Allen and last year’s Defensive Player of the Year, Evan Mobley, the Cavs rank just 18th in defensive rating. That ranking puts the Cavs in the same tier of rebuilding teams like the Charlotte Hornets and Memphis Grizzlies.
Timberwolves and Cavaliers Will Meet Again On Saturday
Thankfully for the Cavaliers, they’ll have a second chance at avenging the loss as they face off against the Timberwolves on Saturday in Cleveland. That game will also be more than just pride riding on it, as a second straight loss will put the Cavaliers 3 games behind the Orlando Magic for the sixth seed.
The Timberwolves will also have a bit to play for on Saturday as well, as they currently sit in the 4th seed in the Western Conference, with a chance to move up to the third-place spot as they sit just a game behind the Nuggets. Given how both offenses played, NBA fans could expect to see some of the same fireworks between these two teams come Saturday.
