Kyrie Irving, LeBron James power Cavaliers past Timberwolves
Kevin Love recorded his 15th double-double this season, scoring 20 points and registering 10 rebounds, to help the Cleveland Cavaliers blow out the Minnesota Timberwolves, 125-104. The Cavaliers had a strong shooting performance, finishing 44-84 (52.4%) from the field, including 12-24 (50.0%) from beyond the arc. Cleveland (17-10) has now won three consecutive games.
Love went 5-11 and converted 9-11 from the free throw line. Andrew Wiggins had a big game for Minnesota in the loss, putting up 27 points on 9-16 shooting (3-3 on 3-point attempts), in addition to going 6-8 from the free throw line. Shabazz Muhammad added 18 points and six rebounds and Thaddeus Young finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
As the numbers predicted, the high-powered offense of Cleveland (ranked fourth in the NBA in offensive efficiency) took advantage of the bottom-tier defense of Minnesota (ranked 29th in defensive efficiency), putting up 1.20 points per possession. Along with their eFG% of 59.5%, the Cavaliers connected at a rate of 50.0% from 3-point range. On the season, they are undefeated (5-0) when they record marks above 55% and 40% in those respective categories. Conversely, the Timberwolves are 1-6 when allowing their opponents to reach those percentages.
Minnesota (5-22) has now dropped their last six straight games.
Coming up, the Cavaliers square off against the Miami Heat, who are 13-15 on the season. The Timberwolves go up against the Denver Nuggets, currently sitting at 12-16 this year.
