It was a nightmare begin for the Minnesota Timberwolves in Monday night time’s 128-107 defeat in opposition to the Cleveland Cavaliers. An abysmal first quarter sealed the workforce’s destiny early on and left little hope of coming again.
And even Anthony Edwards’ monster 44-point efficiency wasn’t sufficient to save lots of his workforce from the disgrace.
Timberwolves’ Ice-Cold Start Sets Unwanted Record
Minnesota had it terrible to begin, not scoring a degree for greater than seven minutes. Rudy Gobert lastly ended the run with a free throw, however the workforce nonetheless hadn’t managed a degree from the sector till Anthony Edwards hit a three-pointer within the closing minute of the primary quarter. By that point, the harm was finished, in line with Sports Illustrated.
The Wolves started the sport by turning into the primary workforce for the reason that 2004 Philadelphia 76ers to start a recreation capturing 0-for-16 from the sector. Their early mishaps led to a 30-12 deficit on the finish of the primary quarter, one they might not get better from.
Turnovers and Poor Execution Compounded
It was not simply capturing that plagued the offense. Minnesota had 5 first-quarter turnovers, together with two consecutive errors that summed up their disastrous begin.
Terrence Shannon Jr. threw a foul cross to Anthony Edwards on a quick break, and Naz Reid’s miscommunication with Edwards led to a backcourt violation.
Anthony Edwards Shines Despite the Loss
The Timberwolves nonetheless misplaced, however Edwards did what he does: He scored a game-high 44 factors on 13-for-28 capturing. This marked his third straight 40-point recreation, making him the primary Timberwolves participant in franchise historical past to take action. He can be the primary NBA participant this season to document three straight 40-point outings.
However, Edwards had an evening marred by issues. He had seven turnovers and was assessed his twelfth technical foul of the season when he left the courtroom at halftime. With 16 technical fouls mechanically leading to a one-game suspension, he should be extra cautious going ahead.
Cavaliers’ Balanced Attack Overwhelms Minnesota
While Anthony Edwards dominated the scoring for the Timberwolves, the Cavaliers had a wonderful all-around offensive recreation the place Evan Mobley led the cost for the Cavaliers with 28 factors, 10 rebounds, six assists, and 4 blocks as an enormous disturbance for Minnesota’s protection.
Donovan Mitchell added 23 factors and eight assists, whereas Darius Garland added 17. A slew of different key contributors took turns to drop spectacular performances for Cleveland, together with Ty Jerome with 15 factors off the bench, and Jarrett Allen and De’Andre Hunter each ending with double digits with 14 and 12, respectively. Scoring close to the rim outlined a lot of Cleveland’s power since they scored 56 factors within the paint.
Losses in Minnesota for Young Core
The younger gamers of the Timberwolves, who had performed properly in the previous couple of video games as a result of accidents, had been unable to make a lot of an impression. Terrence Shannon Jr. scored solely two factors, whereas Rob Dillingham scored 13 however dedicated an important turnover, and Luka Garza was overwhelmed by Mobley within the pick-and-roll. Jaylen Clark added 4 factors however completed with a team-worst minus-22 plus-minus score.
Veteran level guard Mike Conley sat for the second recreation in a row with a finger harm, additional weakening Minnesota’s backcourt.
Timberwolves Look to Rebound at Home
Minnesota will look to rebound as they return house for back-to-back video games at Target Center. Their first likelihood comes on Wednesday night time in a 7 p.m. showdown in opposition to the Milwaukee Bucks.
The Wolves should regroup shortly in the event that they hope to snap their skid and regain momentum within the Western Conference standings.
Here are the field scores of the sport.
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