Cavs stifle Timberwolves in 128-107 victory

Evan Mobley leads the way with 28 points.

The Cleveland Cavaliers offense didn’t come out particularly hot. They ended the first quarter just 1-9 from beyond the arc which is often a good barometer for how things are going for them. On this night, that didn’t matter as the Minnesota Timberwolves finished just 2 of their 21 attempts from the field during the first quarter. Cleveland never looked back from their 30-12 lead after the first quarter to run away with a 128-107 victory.

Both offenses got going after the first quarter with each scoring 30+ in the second and third frames. But you aren’t going to win a shootout with this Cavs offense if you spot them a 17-point lead.

De’Andre Hunter wasn’t the best player on the court, but he was the story of the night. He received the loudest cheer of the evening when he was announced in the starting lineup in place of the injured Max Strus.

Hunter made the most of his opportunity by playing phenomenal defense on Anthony Edwards to start the game. His long wingspan made it difficult for Edwards to get anything going early as he missed six of his first seven attempts.

Foul trouble limited how much Hunter could play in the first half. Edwards got going with Hunter on the bench and didn’t let up once he started. But it was too little too late. Edwards finished with his third straight game of 40+ points as he contributed 44 points on 13-28 shooting in the loss.

Hunter didn’t make a huge impact on the offensive end but still managed 12 points on 3-7 shooting with 1 rebound. It was a good start for Hunter’s Cavaliers’ career.

Evan Mobley was Cleveland’s best player on both ends of the floor. He came out aggressively looking for his shot and wasn’t afraid to repeatedly challenge Rudy Gobert at the rim. Mobley led the Cavs with 28 points on 12-19 shooting with 10 rebounds and 6 assists.

It was a complete performance from the Cavs. Every player in the rotation made a positive contribution. Donovan Mitchell (23 points) and Darius Garland (17 points) brought their steady scoring. Jarrett Allen did a great job of helping the Cavs win the possessions (13 rebounds). Ty Jerome (15 points), Sam Merrill, and Jaylon Tyson provided good energy off the bench for the short-handed Cavs.

The Timberwolves were dealing with their own injury issues and were missing three key contributors in this game. Still, it was impressive to see the Cavs assert their dominance to this degree against a quality Western Conference team.

The Cavs head north of the border to take on the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday. It will be their last game before the All-Star break.