Collin Sexton scored 26 points and Jarrett Allen collected 23 points and 18 rebounds to lift the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 100-98 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday.
Allen also had five blocks while playing in place of Andre Drummond, who sat out the contest with lower back soreness. Drummond recorded 25 points and 22 rebounds in Cleveland’s 109-104 loss to Minnesota on Sunday.
Darius Garland had 19 points and 11 assists and Cedi Osman added 10 points off the bench to send the Cavaliers to victory in the opener of their four-game homestand. Cleveland sports a 7-4 record at Quicken Loans Arena this season, as opposed to 3-7 on the road.
D’Angelo Russell scored 18 points and rookie Anthony Edwards added 13 for the Timberwolves, who have lost 15 of their last 18 games overall and eight of nine overall on the road.
Malik Beasley struggled from the floor, making just 5 of 14 shots and misfiring on all six attempts from 3-point range to finish with 10 points.
Russell sank a pair of 3-pointers and Beasley scored a basket with 6.1 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter to trim Cleveland’s lead to 98-96. Taurean Prince made a pair of free throws before Reid’s bucket with 0.3 seconds left capped the scoring.
Minnesota erased a nine-point deficit to begin the fourth quarter in quick fashion, scoring 11 of the first 12 points to secure a 78-77 lead. Naz Reid, who returned from a two-game absence due to a wrist injury, highlighted the surge with a pair of 3-pointers.
The Timberwolves’ advantage was short-lived, as Sexton bookended an 11-2 run with a floating jumper and a 3-pointer to push the Cavaliers’ lead to 88-80 with 6:16 remaining.
The teams each scored 29 points in the first quarter before Cleveland recorded 11 of the final 17 points of the second to secure a 52-44 advantage at intermission. Sexton scored nine points during the late surge, with seven coming from the free throw line.
–Field Level Media