A few days after completing a crazy 22-point comeback against the Boston Celtics, the No. 1 team in the East, the Cavaliers also beat the No. 1 team in the West, the Minnesota Timberwolves, 113-104 in overtime Friday night at Rocket Morgage FieldHouse.
Dean Wade had the game of his life Tuesday night, scoring 20 points to bring the Cavs back in the final seconds. On Friday night, the Cavs were led by Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland, who dominated the overtime period.
The Cavs were without Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus and Evan Mobley, who sprained their ankles in that game. And this time, the Cavs didn’t even have the magic of the Kelce brothers on their side.
The Cavs are going through one of the toughest stretches on their schedule, and they’ve had to get through it without several key players. They almost faced the No. 1 teams in both conferences, with only a loss to the Hawks in Atlanta between those games. It’s a similar story tonight for what was a nationally televised game, this one on ESPN.
And the Cavs, meanwhile, extended their streak of wild finishes at home, with Wade’s dunk in the final seconds Tuesday night and Strus’ heave being recent examples.
Check back here throughout the game for updates and analysis.
The Cavaliers beat the Timberwolves 113-104 without three starters
The Cavs beat the best team in the East and the best team in the West in four days after a 113-104 overtime victory over Minnesota on Friday night.
Jarrett Allen had a superb second half and overtime, finishing with 33 points, 18 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. It was a monster evening after a very slow start.
Darius Garland finished with 34 points and eight assists.
Minnesota’s Naz Reid also had a monster game, finishing with 34 points coming off the bench.
The Cavs take the advantage 105-100 thanks to the 4-play, Jarrett Allen
Jarrett Allen made up for a not-so-great start and put together a really solid match. He has been the MVP of the game since halftime.
Darius Garland was fouled while attempting a 3-point basket. He made the first two then missed the third, but Allen ran out of bounds and saved it by throwing it over his head. That ultimately led to a Darius Garland floater and a five-point Cavs lead.
And as that was being typed, Allen added a layup to further extend the Cavs’ lead and give it 27 points tonight.
Cavaliers, Timberwolves go to overtime; Anthony Edwards’ jumper at the buzzer misses
The Cavs and Timberwolves will go to overtime after Edwards, who was held in check for the entire fourth quarter, missed a shot at the buzzer.
With Gobert knocked out of the game, the two teams are set to play a bench game.
Darius Garland blocked by Naz Reid with 3.8 seconds remaining
The Cavs had the opportunity to take the lead in the final seconds. Naz Reid passed to Darius Garland, who attempted a step-back 3 to win it, but had it blocked by Reid, who had a Dean Wade-like game tonight. This led to a shot clock violation, and the Timberwolves will have a chance to win it with the score tied 97-97.
Rudy Gobert commits a foul, called for a technical foul with 27.8 seconds remaining; Cavs and Timberwolves tied 97-97
This final minute sets up for another wild ending in Cleveland.
With the Cavs trailing by 1 and needing a stop, Rudy Gobert was not only called for an offensive foul while fighting Jarrett Allen for a rebound, but Gobert fouled and was later called for a technician after making a “money” hand sign to the referee. . Garland’s free throw tied the game 97-97.
Rudy Gobert called a flagrant foul against Jarret Allen
Jarrett Allen’s less than ideal night now includes an elbow to the ribs, although he had a productive night.
As Rudy Gobert backed Allen up near the basket, Gobert threw an elbow to Allen’s ribs. Gobert was penalized for an offensive foul, then upon review, it was upgraded to 1 flagrant. Allen made one of two free throws to extend the Cavs’ lead to 91-88 with 6:45 left.
Allen had a great second half, now with 20 points and 13 rebounds tonight.
Cavs lead Timberwolves 90-86 early in fourth quarter
Considering the Cavs are without three starters and the Timberwolves are adjusting without Towns, both offenses are playing pretty well.
Sam Merrill’s release is lightning fast. He just hit a 3 to tie it 86-86, then after Jarrett Allen gave the Cavs the lead while being fouled, Merrill grabbed a rebound on the missed free throw, leading to to a Garland floater and a four-point possession.
The Cavs are now on a 9-0 run in the final two minutes.
Naz Reid with 24 points; Timberwolves lead Cavaliers 80-79 early in fourth quarter
Naz Reid, coming off the bench, sets the Cavs on fire.
Reid has a game-high 24 points and made 5 of 8 3-point attempts. Late in the third quarter, a defensive miscommunication led to an open look on Reid, who knocked away a shot. Before he even shot, Cavs guard Sam Merrill grimaced at the defensive mistake that left such a hot shot wide open.
Darius Garland has led the Cavs with 23 points so far, but he also turned the ball over five times, so it hasn’t been the cleanest game for him.
Anthony Edwards dunks on Jarrett Allen; Cavs lead Timberwolves 58-57
Jarrett Allen’s night just keeps getting worse.
Anthony Edwards had room to drive and just posterized Allen with a dunk. Edwards was called out for a technology to make fun of. The Timberwolves bench was pointing at Allen for a few minutes after the dunk.
However, it wasn’t the best night for either center. Rudy Gobert oddly has two balls inside five feet tonight.
Cavaliers lead Timberwolves 54-50 at halftime; Darius Garland has a game-high 17 points
It’s interesting to see two offenses both trying to find their footing with key players recently absent. Karl-Anthony Towns represents a huge loss for Minnesota, and the Cavs are without 60 percent of their starting lineup. Neither side seems comfortable.
Darius Garland stepped up to provide points for the Cavs with a game-high 17 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the floor, along with four assists. Georges Niang had a quality half with 11 points on efficient 4-for-6 shooting.
This is one of those games where if the Cavs want to win, with Mitchell, Strus and Mobley all out, the players normally on the bench (Niang, Wade, Okoro) will have to hit their 3s when they show up.
Jarrett Allen is having a serious off night on the offensive end, however. He’s 2-for-7 from the floor with several misses right at the rim, including a missed dunk.
The Timberwolves open the second quarter on an 11-2 run
Hey, remember all that momentum the Cavs had in the first quarter? Well, here we go.
The Cavs’ makeshift offense has lost its luster. Cleveland was down to just two points in the first five minutes of the second quarter, and Jarrett Allen narrowly missed a wide-open dunk that led to a Timberwolves fast break.
Minnesota now leads 34-27, having responded to Cleveland’s 11-2 run in the first quarter with one of their own in the second.
Cavaliers Timberwolves score: Cleveland leads 25-23 after first quarter
The Cavs offense recovered and would take a 25-23 lead into the second quarter.
Georges Niang has eight points on 3-for-4 shooting from the floor. Jarrett Allen has five points and four rebounds.
Anthony Edwards has a game-high nine points for Minnesota, despite being just 4 of 10 from the field.
The Cavaliers go on 11-2 to take the advantage over the Timberwolves
Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff took a timeout with 6:24 left and the Cavs offense was floundering. Looks like it was at the right time.
Since this timeout, the Cavs have gone on an 11-2 run to catch up and then overtake the Timberwolves, 17-15.
Georges Niang, in a damaged starting lineup, leads the way with eight points.
Timberwolves Cavaliers score: Minnesota’s top-ranked defense puts them ahead of Cleveland
The Timberwolves’ No. 1 defense gets to work, with the Cavaliers down to just six points midway through the first quarter. Rudy Gobert just threw out Jarrett Allen, leading to a Minnesota fast break.
And Anthony Edwards, coming off last night’s thriller that included a block in which he hit his head on the backboard, just threw down a dunk with a scream and a bend. It seems like energy levels are still high despite the back-to-back hits.
With 6:24 left in the first quarter, the Timberwolves lead 13-6, and a Cavs offense without Mitchell, Mobley and Strus is looking for answers.
Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch won’t coach against Cavaliers; Micah Nori will take over
There was a late addition to the injury report, but it’s not for a player.
Shortly before the announcement, it was announced that Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch was not feeling well and would not be able to coach Minnesota on Friday night. Assistant coach Micah Nori will replace Finch.
Here is some pre-match information
Timberwolves-Cavaliers injury report: Cleveland will be without Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and others; Minnesota will miss Karl-Anthony Towns
Both sides are getting hit for this one.
The Cavs will be without Donovan Mitchell (knee), Evan Mobley (ankle) and Max Strus (knee). Ty Jerome (ankle surgery) and Tristan Thompson (suspension) also remain sidelined.
The Timberwolves will be without Karl-Anthony Towns, a brutal loss for Minnesota, as he will undergo knee surgery. Monte Morris is questionable with a hamstring injury and Jaylen Clark is out with an Achilles injury.
How can I watch, stream or listen to Minnesota Timberwolves at Cleveland Cavaliers?
The Cavaliers-Timberwolves game has a national television audience and will be broadcast on ESPN and WUAB CW 43. The game will be broadcast on radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1- FM).
Ryan Lewis can be contacted at [email protected]. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis.
