Game ID: 22500542
Minnesota Timberwolves @ Cleveland Cavaliers
Saturday, January 10, 2026 at 1:00 PM ET
Rocket Arena, Cleveland, OH
Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Final
CLE 29 34 36 47 146MIN 33 32 26 43 134
CLE vs MIN ScoutingCLE vs 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.
CLE availability going into 1/02 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 2 since 12/29, returns tonight: 15 min (71% of 21)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 15 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 26 min since (79% of 33)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 9 min since (62% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/04 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 16 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Mobley back 12/25 after 5, 27 min since (83% of 33)
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 15 min since (71% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 12 min since (84% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/06 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 2 since 1/02, returns tonight: 8 min (38% of 22)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 17 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 14 min since (95% of 14)
CLE availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Nance Jr. missed 18 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Proctor missed 2 since 1/04, out tonight
BACK Wade back 1/06 after 2, 8 min since (38% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/02 after 2, 12 min since (59% of 21)
BACK Tomlin back 12/29 after 2, 15 min since (104% of 14)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 24 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Ball missed 2 since 1/06, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 19 since 11/30, out tonight
OUT Bryant missed 2 since 1/06, returns tonight: 3 min (24% of 11)
OUT Proctor missed 3 since 1/04, returns tonight: 3 min (27% of 10)
BACK Wade back 1/06 after 2, 8 min since (38% of 22)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/12 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 2 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Ball missed 3 since 1/06, out tonight
OUT Nance Jr. missed 20 since 11/30, out tonight
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 3 min since (24% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 3 min since (27% of 10)
NEW Porter Jr. 16 to 23 min over the last 5
CLE availability going into 1/14 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 3 since 1/08, out tonight
OUT Ball missed 4 since 1/06, returns tonight: 14 min (68% of 21)
OUT Nance Jr. missed 21 since 11/30, returns tonight: 5 min (41% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 3 min since (24% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 3 min since (27% of 10)
CLE availability going into 1/16 · 1 day's restOUT Wade missed 4 since 1/08, out tonight
BACK Ball back 1/14 after 4, 14 min since (68% of 21)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/14 after 21, 5 min since (41% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 4 min since (34% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 4 min since (38% of 10)
CLE availability going into 1/19 · 2 days' restOUT Wade missed 5 since 1/08, returns tonight: 16 min (74% of 22)
BACK Ball back 1/14 after 4, 13 min since (62% of 21)
BACK Nance Jr. back 1/14 after 21, 5 min since (41% of 12)
BACK Bryant back 1/10 after 2, 4 min since (34% of 11)
BACK Proctor back 1/10 after 3, 6 min since (61% of 10)
MIN availability going into 1/03 · 2 days' restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 3 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/04 · back-to-backOUT Shannon Jr. missed 4 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/06 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 5 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/08 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 6 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/10 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 7 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/11 · back-to-backOUT Shannon Jr. missed 8 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/13 · 1 day's restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 9 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/16 · 2 days' restOUT Shannon Jr. missed 10 since 12/27, out tonight
MIN availability going into 1/17 · back-to-backOUT Edwards missed 2 since 1/13, returns tonight: 40 min (116% of 35)
OUT Shannon Jr. missed 11 since 12/27, out tonight
NEW DiVincenzo 30 to 35 min over the last 5
I Know — the desk, before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 119 a night and allowing 116, shooting 51 percent and 37 from three, 22 free throws a game; Mitchell at 32 and Garland at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 7 a night. Without Ball (2 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 124 a night and allowing 114, shooting 51 percent and 36 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 30 and Randle at 21 a game. That is 4 straight wins. It has won the glass by 7 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, in a game with no one edge to lean on. Call it Minnesota 118, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/02 vs DEN 113-108 — CLE notes
CLE won 113-108. CLE shot 50% (43 of 86) to DEN's 43%, 16 of 39 from three, and went to the line 19 times to DEN's 13 — 11 points from the stripe to their 11. CLE turned it over 16 times to DEN's 8, and DEN turned those into 8 steals. The glass went 55-32 for them. Mitchell led with 33 (14 of 24, 5 of 12 from three); Garland added 18, Hunter 16. The hinge was Q4, 25-11: CLE came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 5. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +12.
1/04 vs DET 110-114 — CLE notes
CLE lost 110-114. CLE shot 44% (35 of 80) to DET's 41%, 14 of 42 from three, and went to the line 30 times to DET's 21 — 26 points from the stripe to their 21. Mitchell led with 30 (10 of 21, 3 of 10 from three, 7 of 9 at the line); Garland added 16, Mobley 15. Q1 was theirs, 28-19, but the other 3 periods went 95-82 against them. Ball's -18 in 10 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/06 @ IND 120-116 — CLE notes
CLE won 120-116. CLE shot 56% (49 of 88) to IND's 46%, 10 of 26 from three. CLE turned it over 19 times to IND's 11, and IND turned those into 10 steals. The glass went 48-32 for them. Garland led with 29 (14 of 23, 1 of 4 from three); Mobley added 20, Allen 19. The hinge was Q4, 36-23: CLE came in trailing by 9 and left it ahead by 4. CLE trailed 53-60 at the half and won the second half 67-56.
1/08 @ MIN 122-131 — CLE notes
CLE lost 122-131. CLE shot 53% (48 of 91) to MIN's 57%, 11 of 33 from three. CLE turned it over 12 times to MIN's 17. Mitchell led with 30 (10 of 20, 2 of 8 from three, 8 of 9 at the line); Merrill added 22, Mobley 19. Q4 was theirs, 33-25, the deficit cut from 17 to 9, but the other 3 periods went 106-89 against them. Allen's -29 in 30 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/10 vs MIN 146-134 — CLE notes
CLE won 146-134. CLE shot 60% (55 of 92) to MIN's 57%, 15 of 31 from three. CLE turned it over 9 times to MIN's 15. Mitchell led with 28 (9 of 21, 4 of 10 from three, 6 of 7 at the line); Mobley added 24, Tyson 23. The hinge was Q3, 36-26: CLE came in trailing by 2 and left it ahead by 8, and the lead reached 18. CLE trailed 63-65 at the half and won the second half 83-69. Allen was the night's best plus/minus at +22.
1/12 vs UTA — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 121, shooting 53 percent and 39 from three, 23 free throws a game; Mitchell at 30 and Garland at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 4 a night. Without Wade (2 straight), Ball (3 straight). One day's rest. Utah comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 113 a night and allowing 131, shooting 47 percent and 32 from three, 18 free throws a game; Markkanen at 30 and George at 17 a game. It has lost the glass by 7 a night. Without Kessler (33 straight), Bailey (2 straight), Nurkić (2 straight). One day's rest.
So: Cleveland wins, and the game turns on the glass, where Cleveland has been plus-4 a night and Utah minus-7 and the arc, Cleveland at 39 percent from three to Utah's 32. Call it Cleveland 126, Utah 117.
1/14 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 109, shooting 48 percent and 33 from three, 26 free throws a game; Maxey at 30 and Embiid at 27 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 2-3 over its last five, scoring 122 a night and allowing 124, shooting 51 percent and 39 from three, 21 free throws a game; Mitchell at 27 and Garland at 21 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Wade (3 straight), Ball (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the defense, Philadelphia allowing 109 a night to Cleveland's 124 and the arc, Cleveland at 39 percent from three to Philadelphia's 33. Call it Philadelphia 120, Cleveland 115.
1/16 @ PHI — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Philadelphia comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 114 a night and allowing 110, shooting 46 percent and 31 from three, 27 free throws a game; Maxey at 27 and Embiid at 24 a game. One day's rest. Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 127 a night and allowing 122, shooting 53 percent and 41 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 28 and Garland at 22 a game. Without Wade (4 straight). One day's rest.
So: Philadelphia wins, and the game turns on the arc, Cleveland at 41 percent from three to Philadelphia's 31 and the defense, Philadelphia allowing 110 a night to Cleveland's 122. Call it Philadelphia 119, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/19 vs OKC — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Cleveland comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 122, shooting 52 percent and 43 from three, 19 free throws a game; Mitchell at 25 and Garland at 20 a game. It has lost the glass by 4 a night. Without Wade (5 straight). 2 days' rest. OKC comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 118 a night and allowing 108, shooting 50 percent and 35 from three, 25 free throws a game; Gilgeous-Alexander at 30 and Mitchell at 16 a game. It has lost the glass by 5 a night. Without Hartenstein (11 straight). One day's rest.
So: OKC wins, on the road, and the game turns on the defense, OKC allowing 108 a night to Cleveland's 122 and the arc, Cleveland at 43 percent from three to OKC's 35. Call it OKC 118, Cleveland 117, Cleveland keeping it close.
1/03 @ MIA 125-115 — MIN notes
MIN won 125-115. MIN shot 54% (46 of 85) to MIA's 47%, 11 of 38 from three. Edwards led with 33 (10 of 19, 2 of 8 from three, 11 of 14 at the line); Reid added 29, Randle 23. The hinge was Q4, 35-29: a lead of 4 became 10, and the lead reached 21. DiVincenzo was the night's best plus/minus at +24.
1/04 @ WAS 141-115 — MIN notes
MIN won 141-115. MIN shot 56% (55 of 98) to WAS's 49%, 11 of 37 from three, and went to the line 27 times to WAS's 19 — 20 points from the stripe to their 17. MIN turned it over 14 times to WAS's 19. The glass went 51-35 for them. Edwards led with 35 (14 of 21, 6 of 10 from three); Randle added 22, Gobert 18. The hinge was Q3, 35-21: a lead of 15 became 29, and the lead reached 37. Gobert was the night's best plus/minus at +32.
1/06 vs MIA 122-94 — MIN notes
MIN won 122-94. MIN shot 46% (45 of 98) to MIA's 36%, 14 of 39 from three, and went to the line 23 times to MIA's 16 — 18 points from the stripe to their 12. MIN turned it over 12 times to MIA's 17. The glass went 63-50 for them. Edwards led with 26 (8 of 18, 5 of 8 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); McDaniels added 19, Randle 15. The hinge was Q4, 29-17: a lead of 16 became 28, and the lead reached 31. Reid was the night's best plus/minus at +21.
1/08 vs CLE 131-122 — MIN notes
MIN won 131-122. MIN shot 57% (51 of 89) to CLE's 53%, 20 of 38 from three. MIN turned it over 17 times to CLE's 12, and CLE turned those into 9 steals. Randle led with 28 (10 of 21, 3 of 7 from three, 5 of 6 at the line); McDaniels added 26, Edwards 25. The hinge was Q3, 43-22: MIN came in trailing by 4 and left it ahead by 17, and the lead reached 20. MIN trailed 63-67 at the half and won the second half 68-55. Randle was the night's best plus/minus at +31.
1/10 @ CLE 134-146 — MIN notes
MIN lost 134-146. MIN shot 57% (51 of 89) to CLE's 60%, 16 of 32 from three. MIN turned it over 15 times to CLE's 9, and CLE turned those into 10 steals. Edwards led with 25 (10 of 24, 4 of 9 from three); Reid added 25, Randle 20. Q1 was theirs, 33-29, but the other 3 periods went 117-101 against them. They led by as many as 12. Randle's -20 in 31 minutes was the worst on the floor.
1/11 vs SAS — 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 131 a night and allowing 118, shooting 54 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 29 and Randle at 22 a game. It has won the glass by 10 a night. Second night of a back-to-back. San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 109 a night and allowing 104, shooting 43 percent and 27 from three, 23 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 22 and Fox at 17 a game. Without Vassell (6 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: Minnesota wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 39 percent from three to San Antonio's 27 and the defense, San Antonio allowing 104 a night to Minnesota's 118. Call it Minnesota 118, San Antonio 113.
1/13 @ MIL — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Milwaukee comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 112 a night and allowing 110, shooting 49 percent and 38 from three, 20 free throws a game; Gia. Antetokounmpo at 31 and Porter Jr. at 16 a game. Without Prince (31 straight), Sims (4 straight), Nance (8 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 116, shooting 52 percent and 39 from three, 22 free throws a game; Edwards at 27 and Randle at 20 a game. It has won the glass by 9 a night. One day's rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the glass, where Minnesota has been plus-9 a night and Milwaukee plus-0 and the defense, Milwaukee allowing 110 a night to Minnesota's 116. Call it Minnesota 116, Milwaukee 115, Milwaukee keeping it close.
1/16 @ HOU — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
Houston comes in 1-4 over its last five, scoring 103 a night and allowing 110, shooting 41 percent and 25 from three, 26 free throws a game; Durant at 27 and Thompson at 23 a game. It has won the glass by 11 a night. Without Eason (3 straight), Finney-Smith (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back. Minnesota comes in 4-1 over its last five, scoring 126 a night and allowing 114, shooting 53 percent and 44 from three, 19 free throws a game; Edwards at 25 and Randle at 21 a game. It has won the glass by 8 a night. 2 days' rest.
So: Minnesota wins, on the road, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 44 percent from three to Houston's 25 and the line, where Houston takes 26 free throws a game to Minnesota's 19. Call it Minnesota 116, Houston 112, Houston keeping it close.
1/17 @ SAS — I Know, the desk before tip-off
Written before tip-off, from the five games each side brought in.
San Antonio comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 105 a night and allowing 102, shooting 43 percent and 31 from three, 25 free throws a game; Wembanyama at 21 and Fox at 16 a game. Without Vassell (9 straight). One day's rest. Minnesota comes in 3-2 over its last five, scoring 123 a night and allowing 117, shooting 53 percent and 45 from three, 22 free throws a game; Randle at 26 and Edwards at 24 a game. It has won the glass by 6 a night. Without Edwards (2 straight). Second night of a back-to-back.
So: San Antonio wins, and the game turns on the arc, Minnesota at 45 percent from three to San Antonio's 31 and the defense, San Antonio allowing 102 a night to Minnesota's 117. Call it San Antonio 115, Minnesota 112, Minnesota keeping it close.
Who is who
the initials in the Players column
MINAE A. Edwards
BH B. Hyland
DD D. DiVincenzo
JB J. Beringer
JC J. Clark
JI J. Ingles
JJ J. Juzang
JM J. McDaniels
JR J. Randle
LM L. Miller
NR N. Reid
RD R. Dillingham
RG R. Gobert
CLECP C. Porter Jr.
DG D. Garland
DH D. Hunter
DM D. Mitchell
EM E. Mobley
JA J. Allen
JT J. Tyson
NT N. Tomlin
SM S. Merrill
TB T. Bryant
TP T. Proctor
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
Donovan Mitchell scores 28 points as Cavaliers beat Timberwolves 146-134
CLEVELAND -- — Donovan Mitchell scored 28 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers took control in the second half for a 146-134 victory over Minnesota on Saturday that snapped the Timberwolves' four-game winning streak.
Mitchell also had four 3-pointers as the Cavaliers had five players score at least 20 points for the second time in franchise history. Evan Mobley had 24 points, Jaylon Tyson scored 23 off the bench and Darius Garland added 22.
Sam Merrill had 20 points and set a franchise record with at least five 3-pointers in four straight games.
The last time the Cavaliers had five players with at least 20 points was on March 14, 1972, against the Baltimore Bullets, according to Sportradar.
The 146 points are the fourth most the Cavaliers have scored in a regulation game. They scored 148 in a 33-point victory over Washington on Nov. 7.
Cleveland — which has won five of seven — was 55 of 92 from the field, and shot a season-best 59.2%, It was also 15 of 31 from beyond the arc.
Anthony Edwards and Naz Reid scored 25 points apiece for Minnesota, which defeated Cleveland 131-122 on Thursday night. Julius Randle had 20 points.
Despite the loss, the Timberwolves shot a season-best 57.3% from the field, going 51 of 89.
Cleveland trailed 65-63 at halftime before going on a 12-0 run during a 2:18 span midway through the third quarter to take the lead. Merrill had a pair of 3-pointers and Mobley provided two dunks. Jarrett Allen 's floating jumper made it 82-73 with 6:00 remaining.
Allen had 16 points, marking the 11th time this season all five Cleveland starters scored in double figures.
There were 10 lead changes and one tie during the first quarter before Minnesota jumped out to a 47-35 advantage.
Cleveland rallied late in the first half before it made its charge in the second half.