The Cleveland Cavaliers dominated the Minnesota Timberwolves 128-107 on Monday night, overcoming a 44-point effort from Anthony Edwards. Evan Mobley led the way with 28 points as Cleveland improved to an Eastern Conference-best 43-10 record.
Cleveland set the tone early, opening the game with a 16-0 run while holding Minnesota scoreless for nearly six minutes. The Timberwolves struggled offensively, missing their first 16 shots and scoring just 12 points in the first quarter.
Donovan Mitchell added 23 points and eight assists, while Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 14 points and 13 rebounds. De’Andre Hunter made his Cavs debut, scoring 12 points while replacing the injured Max Strus in the starting lineup.
Edwards carried Minnesota’s offense, shooting 13-of-28 from the field and knocking down eight three-pointers. However, the Timberwolves could not recover from their slow start and never got closer than 15 points the rest of the way.
Hunter’s three-pointer in the second quarter extended Cleveland’s lead to 40-16, and the Cavs never looked back. The team improved to 25-4 at home and is now 21-3 when Mobley scores at least 20 points.
Minnesota, now 30-24, dealt with off-court distractions as well. Before the game, an arbitration panel ruled that controlling owner Glen Taylor must transfer team ownership to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez.
Despite the loss, Edwards’ 44-point outing was his highest-scoring performance of the season. However, the Timberwolves’ overall 40% shooting and 16 turnovers made a comeback nearly impossible.
