Game ID: 22301014
Cleveland Cavaliers @ Minnesota Timberwolves
Friday, March 22, 2024 at 8:00 PM ET
Target Center, Minneapolis, MN
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
MIN 25 21 26 32 104CLE 20 29 17 25 91
CLE @ MIN ScoutingCLE @ MIN Scouting
Welcome to the scouting desk. The coffee is cold, the film is play-by-play, and somebody has to explain what happened.
Every game has a hinge — a stretch where it was decided, usually while everyone was watching something else. Start where the evidence lives: the Lineups' face-offs say which five actually won their minutes; the Possessions ledger says who ran ahead of the night's own pace; the Shot Chart says where the points really came from, which is rarely where the highlights were. When all three agree, that is the story. When they don't — that is why this desk has a chair.
MIN availability going into 3/12 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 3 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 2 since 3/08, out tonight
BACK Anderson back 3/03 after 2, 27 min since (124% of 21)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 16 min since (150% of 11)
MIN availability going into 3/16 · 3 days' restOUT Towns missed 4 since 3/07, out tonight
OUT Morris missed 3 since 3/08, returns tonight: 10 min (78% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 16 min since (154% of 11)
NEW Reid 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 21 to 30 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 5 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Morris back 3/16 after 3, 10 min since (78% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 16 min since (153% of 11)
NEW Reid 24 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 21 to 31 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 3/19 · back-to-backOUT Gobert missed 2 since 3/16, out tonight
OUT Towns missed 6 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Morris back 3/16 after 3, 13 min since (98% of 13)
BACK McLaughlin back 3/08 after 3, 17 min since (164% of 11)
NEW Reid 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 21 to 32 min over the last 4
MIN availability going into 3/22 · 2 days' restOUT Gobert missed 3 since 3/16, returns tonight: 37 min (109% of 34)
OUT Towns missed 7 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Morris back 3/16 after 3, 16 min since (123% of 13)
NEW Reid 24 to 29 min over the last 4
NEW Alexander-Walker 24 to 33 min over the last 5
NEW Anderson 21 to 30 min over the last 4
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 19 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 8 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Gobert back 3/22 after 3, 37 min since (109% of 34)
BACK Morris back 3/16 after 3, 17 min since (126% of 13)
NEW Anderson 21 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 18 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/27 · 2 days' restOUT Towns missed 9 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Gobert back 3/22 after 3, 37 min since (109% of 34)
BACK Morris back 3/16 after 3, 17 min since (127% of 13)
NEW Anderson 21 to 29 min over the last 5
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 17 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 10 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Gobert back 3/22 after 3, 36 min since (106% of 34)
NEW Anderson 21 to 27 min over the last 5
NEW McLaughlin 11 to 17 min over the last 5
MIN availability going into 3/31 · 1 day's restOUT Towns missed 11 since 3/07, out tonight
BACK Gobert back 3/22 after 3, 36 min since (105% of 34)
NEW Reid 24 to 30 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 3/13 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 7 since 3/01, returns tonight: 28 min (78% of 36)
OUT Strus missed 5 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 4 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 2 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 24 since 1/24, out tonight
BACK LeVert back 3/05 after 2, 32 min since (114% of 28)
NEW Allen 32 to 37 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 22 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/16 · 2 days' restOUT Strus missed 6 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 5 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 3 since 3/10, out tonight
OUT Thompson missed 25 since 1/24, returns tonight: 16 min (144% of 11)
BACK Mitchell back 3/13 after 7, 28 min since (78% of 36)
NEW Okoro 26 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/18 · 1 day's restOUT Strus missed 7 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 6 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 4 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/13 after 7, 27 min since (75% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 16 min since (144% of 11)
NEW Okoro 26 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/20 · 1 day's restOUT Strus missed 8 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 7 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 5 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Mitchell back 3/13 after 7, 27 min since (75% of 36)
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 15 min since (137% of 11)
NEW Okoro 26 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/22 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 2 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 9 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 8 since 3/06, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 6 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 13 min since (120% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 34 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 36 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/24 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 3 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 10 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Eva. Mobley missed 9 since 3/06, returns tonight: 21 min (67% of 32)
OUT Wade missed 7 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 14 min since (125% of 11)
NEW LeVert 28 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Okoro 26 to 35 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
NEW Morris Sr. 15 to 21 min over the last 3
CLE availability going into 3/25 · back-to-backOUT Mitchell missed 4 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 11 since 3/05, out tonight
OUT Wade missed 8 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Eva. Mobley back 3/24 after 9, 21 min since (67% of 32)
BACK Thompson back 3/16 after 25, 13 min since (119% of 11)
NEW Okoro 26 to 32 min over the last 5
NEW Niang 21 to 31 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 26 min over the last 5
NEW Morris Sr. 15 to 21 min over the last 4
CLE availability going into 3/27 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 5 since 3/18, out tonight
OUT Strus missed 12 since 3/05, returns tonight: 24 min (75% of 33)
OUT Wade missed 9 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Eva. Mobley back 3/24 after 9, 23 min since (73% of 32)
NEW Niang 21 to 30 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 3/29 · 1 day's restOUT Mitchell missed 6 since 3/18, returns tonight: 32 min (90% of 36)
OUT Wade missed 10 since 3/10, out tonight
BACK Strus back 3/27 after 12, 24 min since (75% of 33)
BACK Eva. Mobley back 3/24 after 9, 26 min since (81% of 32)
NEW Niang 21 to 28 min over the last 5
NEW Merrill 17 to 25 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 38 from three, 15 free throws a game; Edwards at 31 and Reid at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Gobert (3 straight), Towns (7 straight). 2 days' rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 108 a night and allowing 108, shooting 48 percent and 36 from three, 18 free throws a game; Garland at 20 and Allen at 18 a game. Without Mitchell (2 straight), Strus (9 straight), Eva. Mobley (8 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been minus-2 a night and Minnesota minus-7 and the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 12 times a game to Minnesota's 9. Call it Minnesota 112, Cleveland 108, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/12 @ LAC 118-100 — MIN notes
MIN won 118-100. MIN shot 51% (48 of 94) to LAC's 47%, 12 of 33 from three, and got to the line 14 times to LAC's 25. MIN turned it over 9 times to LAC's 18. The glass went 48-34 for them. Edwards led with 37 (15 of 29, 2 of 8 from three, 5 of 7 at the line); Alexander-Walker added 28, Conley 23. The hinge was Q3, 29-15: MIN came in trailing by 8 and left it ahead by 6, and the lead reached 22. MIN trailed 55-63 at the half and won the second half 63-37. McLaughlin was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
3/16 @ UTA 119-100 — MIN notes
MIN won 119-100. MIN shot 47% (44 of 93) to UTA's 46%, 19 of 41 from three, and got to the line 15 times to UTA's 21. MIN turned it over 8 times to UTA's 15. Edwards led with 31 (12 of 20, 5 of 7 from three); Conley added 25, Reid 22. The hinge was Q3, 34-24: from level to 10 ahead, and the lead reached 21. Anderson was the night's best plus/minus at +19.
3/18 @ UTA 114-104 — MIN notes
MIN won 114-104. MIN shot 48% (44 of 91) to UTA's 46%, 16 of 41 from three. MIN turned it over 9 times to UTA's 17. The glass went 35-47 against them. Edwards led with 32 (13 of 23, 2 of 8 from three); Reid added 17, Alexander-Walker 13. The hinge was Q4, 31-21: from level to 10 ahead. MIN trailed 53-59 at the half and won the second half 61-45. Alexander-Walker was the night's best plus/minus at +26.
3/19 vs DEN 112-115 — MIN notes
MIN lost 112-115. MIN shot 48% (42 of 88) to DEN's 52%, 12 of 35 from three. MIN turned it over 7 times to DEN's 17. The glass went 37-49 against them. Edwards led with 30 (13 of 26, 3 of 8 from three); McDaniels added 26, Conley 13. Q3 was theirs, 29-17, the deficit cut from 15 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 98-83 against them.
3/22 vs CLE 104-91 — MIN notes
MIN won 104-91. MIN shot 48% (41 of 85) to CLE's 42%, 14 of 27 from three. Conley led with 21 (8 of 15, 3 of 6 from three); Reid added 18, Edwards 16. The hinge was Q3, 26-17: MIN came in trailing by 3 and left it ahead by 6. MIN trailed 46-49 at the half and won the second half 58-42. McDaniels was the night's best plus/minus at +15.
3/24 vs GSW — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 16 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Conley at 17 a game. Without Towns (8 straight). One day's rest. Golden State comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 117 a night and allowing 118, shooting 48 percent and 38 from three, 15 free throws a game; Curry at 24 and Kuminga at 21 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 102 a night to Golden State's 118 and the glass, where Golden State has been plus-4 a night and Minnesota minus-2. Call it Minnesota 117, Golden State 109.
3/27 vs DET — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 104, shooting 48 percent and 45 from three, 17 free throws a game; Edwards at 26 and Reid at 19 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Towns (9 straight). 2 days' rest. Detroit comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 122, shooting 43 percent and 28 from three, 22 free throws a game; Ivey at 15 and Wiseman at 15 a game. That is 5 straight losses. Without Cunningham (2 straight), Duren (3 straight). One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 45 percent from three to Detroit's 28 and the defense, Minnesota allowing 104 a night to Detroit's 122. Call it Minnesota 118, Detroit 104, Minnesota by 14.
3/29 @ DEN — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Denver comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 106, shooting 49 percent and 37 from three, 21 free throws a game; Jokić at 29 and Porter Jr. at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 5 a night. Without Murray (3 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 110 a night and allowing 102, shooting 49 percent and 41 from three, 17 free throws a game; Edwards at 22 and Reid at 19 a game. That is 3 straight wins. Without Towns (10 straight). One day's rest.
So: Denver wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Denver has been plus-5 a night and Minnesota minus-3 and the arc, Minnesota at 41 percent from three to Denver's 37. Call it Denver 110, Minnesota 109, Minnesota keeping it close.
3/31 vs CHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 101, shooting 49 percent and 40 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 21 and McDaniels at 17 a game. That is 4 straight wins. Without Towns (11 straight). One day's rest. Chicago comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 116, shooting 49 percent and 35 from three, 22 free throws a game; DeRozan at 26 and Dosunmu at 19 a game. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the defense, Minnesota allowing 101 a night to Chicago's 116 and the arc, Minnesota at 40 percent from three to Chicago's 35. Call it Minnesota 114, Chicago 107.
3/13 @ NOP 116-95 — CLE notes
CLE won 116-95. CLE shot 51% (47 of 92) to NOP's 44%, 20 of 45 from three, and got to the line 3 times to NOP's 26. Garland led with 27 (10 of 16, 6 of 10 from three); Allen added 17, Niang 16. The hinge was Q3, 34-23: a lead of 8 became 19, and the lead reached 27. Merrill was the night's best plus/minus at +30.
3/16 @ HOU 103-117 — CLE notes
CLE lost 103-117. CLE shot 45% (37 of 82) to HOU's 48%, 12 of 38 from three, and went to the line 20 times to HOU's 12 — 17 points from the stripe to their 8. CLE turned it over 15 times to HOU's 9, and HOU turned those into 9 steals. LeVert led with 21 (8 of 14, 1 of 4 from three); Niang added 14, Mitchell 13. Q4 was theirs, 30-19, the deficit cut from 25 to 14, but the other 3 periods went 98-73 against them. Niang's -17 in 29 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/18 @ IND 108-103 — CLE notes
CLE won 108-103. CLE shot 48% (38 of 80) to IND's 46%, 12 of 32 from three, and went to the line 28 times to IND's 16 — 20 points from the stripe to their 10. LeVert led with 23 (7 of 15, 1 of 5 from three, 8 of 11 at the line); Allen added 23, Morris Sr. 14. The hinge was Q2, 29-20: CLE came in trailing by 9 and left it level. LeVert was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
3/20 vs MIA 104-107 — CLE notes
CLE lost 104-107. CLE shot 47% (35 of 75) to MIA's 46%, 15 of 42 from three. Allen led with 25 (10 of 13, 5 of 6 at the line); Garland added 20, Niang 18. Q4 was theirs, 29-24, the deficit cut from 8 to 3, but the other 3 periods went 83-75 against them. LeVert's -9 in 37 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/22 @ MIN 91-104 — CLE notes
CLE lost 91-104. CLE shot 42% (34 of 81) to MIN's 48%, 7 of 29 from three. Garland led with 19 (8 of 21, 0 of 6 from three); LeVert added 16, Allen 15. Q2 was theirs, 29-21, turning a 5-point deficit into a 3-point lead, but the other 3 periods went 83-62 against them. Allen's -18 in 33 minutes was the worst on the floor.
3/24 @ MIA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Miami comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 102, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 17 free throws a game; Butler III at 20 and Adebayo at 18 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Herro (14 straight), Robinson (2 straight), Richardson (17 straight). One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 105, shooting 47 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Garland at 18 and Allen at 18 a game. Without Mitchell (3 straight), Strus (10 straight), Eva. Mobley (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Miami wins, and the game turns on the turnovers, Cleveland giving it away 12 times a game to Miami's 9 and the arc, Cleveland at 35 percent from three to Miami's 31. Call it Miami 107, Cleveland 106, Cleveland keeping it close.
3/25 vs CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 98 a night and allowing 110, shooting 45 percent and 32 from three, 22 free throws a game; Allen at 16 and LeVert at 16 a game. That is 3 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 6 a night. Without Mitchell (4 straight), Strus (11 straight), Wade (8 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Charlotte comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 97 a night and allowing 112, shooting 45 percent and 28 from three, 16 free throws a game; Bridges at 20 and Micić at 17 a game. That is 4 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the line, where Cleveland takes 22 free throws a game to Charlotte's 16. Call it Cleveland 110, Charlotte 106, Charlotte keeping it close.
3/27 @ CHA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Charlotte comes in 0-5 over its last five, scoring 94 a night and allowing 115, shooting 43 percent and 27 from three, 17 free throws a game; Bridges at 17 and Miller at 16 a game. That is 5 straight losses. It has lost the glass by 8 a night. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 100 a night and allowing 105, shooting 46 percent and 35 from three, 20 free throws a game; Allen at 18 and Garland at 15 a game. Without Mitchell (5 straight), Strus (12 straight), Wade (9 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 35 percent from three to Charlotte's 27 and the defense, Cleveland allowing 105 a night to Charlotte's 115. Call it Cleveland 110, Charlotte 105.
3/29 vs PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 101 a night and allowing 108, shooting 47 percent and 36 from three, 17 free throws a game; Allen at 18 and Garland at 15 a game. Without Mitchell (6 straight), Wade (10 straight). One day's rest. Philadelphia comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 104 a night and allowing 108, shooting 44 percent and 35 from three, 18 free throws a game; Maxey at 22 and Harris at 16 a game. Without Embiid (27 straight), Melton (15 straight), Covington (41 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Cleveland 110, Philadelphia 107, Philadelphia keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MINAE A. Edwards
JM J. McDaniels
JM J. McLaughlin
KA K. Anderson
MC M. Conley
MM M. Morris
NA N. Alexander-Walker
NR N. Reid
RG R. Gobert
CLECL C. LeVert
DG D. Garland
GN G. Niang
IO I. Okoro
JA J. Allen
MM M. Morris Sr.
SM S. Merrill
TT T. Thompson
MIN/CLE the team itself, not a player
-- the feed named nobody
What
What happened
the codes in the Events column
M2 / M3 made 2 / made 3
X2 / X3 missed 2 / missed 3
FT / X1 free throw made / missed
AST assist
OR / DR offensive / defensive rebound
STL steal
BLK block
TO turnover
FL foul
OF offensive foul — ends the possession
VIOL violation
JUMP jump ball
TM timeout
IR instant replay
HE heave at the buzzer, filed to the team
END the clock ran out, ball in hand
Where
Where a shot came from
the middle field of M3.LW.25
RM at the rim inside 4 ft
RC right corner
RW right wing
SO straight on
LW left wing
LC left corner
M3.LW.25 made 3, left wing, 25 ft
X2.RM.01 missed 2, at the rim, 1 ft
When
When it happened
the Offset column
one number per event, in the Events order:
whole seconds from the start of the
possession to that event
Events FL X3.RC.23 OR M2.RM.01
Offset 0 18 22 24
the foul opens the possession at 0s;
the putback ends it at 24s, which is
the possession's own Dur
Timberwolves top Cavaliers 104-91 behind Conley's 21 points and fan favorite Reid's 18
MINNEAPOLIS -- — Mike Conley scored 21 points and fan favorite Naz Reid added 18 points on his beach towel giveaway night, leading the Minnesota Timberwolves past the Cleveland Cavaliers 104-91 on Friday.
Anthony Edwards had 16 points and 13 rebounds, Rudy Gobert grabbed 15 rebounds and Jaden McDaniels added 15 points, three steals and two blocks for the Timberwolves (48-22), who shot 52% from 3-point range (14 for 27) and kept pace with first-place Oklahoma City (49-20) in the Western Conference playoff race after the Thunder won at Toronto.
The Wolves are third, one game behind Denver (49-21). They matched their best 70-game record in franchise history and already have their most wins in 20 seasons.
“We’ve been able to get the ball going,” Conley said. “It’s been humming around the horn, and everybody’s getting good looks.”
Darius Garland led the Cavaliers with 19 points, Caris LeVert added 16 and Jarrett Allen had his 35th double-double of the season with 15 points and 13 rebounds, but banged-up Cleveland lost for the fifth time in seven games.
The Cavs played without All-Star Donovan Mitchell for the third straight game because of a broken nose.
“The ball got sticky for us in the second half,” LeVert said. “It was tough to score against their defense.”
Reid exited the concussion protocol after missing the last game and moved into the starting lineup with immediate success. Gobert was back, too, after a rib injury sidelined him for the three previous games.
Reid got hot at the ideal time as the crowd proudly raised the blue towels down the stretch in his honor. He opened the fourth quarter with a 3-pointer and a few minutes later finishing a fast break with a ferocious dunk for a game-high 84-70 lead.
With 2:26 to go, Reid drained a corner 3-pointer for a 12-point lead before a Cavs timeout. Gobert patted him on the shoulders on their way to the bench as the crowd chanted “Naz Reid!” over and over again.
“That’s something that you dream about, definitely at this level in the NBA,” Reid said. “That’s love.”
The role players did the bulk of the dirty and glamorous work for the Wolves on this night, playing again without All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns as he sat on the bench with a wide smile and backward baseball cap in his eighth consecutive absence recovering from a torn meniscus in his left knee.
The Wolves put on 3-point shooting show in the first half in honor of their absent ace, hitting seven of their first 11 tries with a career high-tying four makes by Jordan McLaughlin .
“J-Mac is playing otherworldly right now,” coach Chris Finch said.
The Cavs surged back in front with an 18-5 run for a three-point lead at the intermission after 10 points in the second period by sharpshooting sub Sam Merrill .
The Cavs (43-27) won 17 out of 18 during one stretch earlier this winter and remain in third place in the Eastern Conference, two games behind Milwaukee for the No. 2 seed and one game ahead of fourth-place Orlando. They beat the Wolves in overtime two weeks ago without Mitchell behind a career-high 33 points and 18 rebounds from Allen, but the injuries might be catching up to them a bit. Starters Evan Mobley (sprained ankle, nine games) and Max Strus (strained knee, 10 games) have been sidelined, too.
“We just got stagnant. There wasn't a lot of movement,” coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “Give them credit for being good defensively, but I just think we weren’t as attack-minded to get to the paint.”