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Wrap-Up -- It can’t be as simple as the calendar turning to February, but, at least on Wednesday night against Minnesota, the Wine and Gold looked like the well-oiled machine that rumbled to the top of the Eastern Conference before the sluggish month of January got in the way.
The Cavaliers handed out 37 assists – their highest total since the season opener against New York – and blew past a talented young Timberwolves squad, 125-97, getting back on track in a home stopover before hitting the road for their next four.
Kyrie Irving tallied a career-high 14 helpers and LeBron James added a dozen more as Tyronn Lue’s team bounced back from a disappointing loss on Monday night in Dallas.
Both teams came out scorching from the floor, shooting 58 percent from the floor in the opening quarter. But while Cleveland stayed hot, Minnesota’s offense hit a wall – netting only 37 combined points after intermission.
Three Cavaliers notched double-doubles, Channing Frye was outstanding on both ends and Kyle Korver had his best offensive night in the wine and gold.
Irving admittedly struggled from the floor – going 5-of-18 on the night for 14 points – but he was razor-sharp distributing the basketball, handing out 10 of his 14 assists before halftime.
LeBron James was the model of efficiency – going 11-for-14 from the floor to lead both squads with 27 points, adding 12 assists, eight boards, a pair of steals and a blocked shot.
Tristan Thompson bounced back from a rough Monday night in Dallas with his 13th double-double of the season on Wednesday night – tallying 18 points and 14 boards, snagging eight of those off the offensive glass. On the night, Tristan was 7-of-11 from the floor and 4-of-5 from the stripe, adding a pair of blocks and a steal.
With Kevin Love unable to face his former team – still nursing lower back spasms that sidelined him for most of Sunday’s game against OKC and Monday’s in Dallas – Channing Frye stepped into the starting lineup and poured in 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting while taking on the unenviable assignment of guarding Minnesota’s prized big man, Karl-Anthony Towns.
Towns still finished with 26 points and a dozen boards and former Cavalier, Andrew Wiggins added 23 points in the loss. Ricky Rubio doubled-up with 14 points and a team-high 13 assists.
The Wine and Gold fill up the stat sheets as they improve to 33-15 on the season.
Cleveland also got a big performance from Kyle Korver, who rebounded from a quiet night in Dallas and came off the bench to notch 20 points – his highest scoring total as a Cavalier, going 8-for-11 from the floor, 4-of-7 from long-range. Kay Felder also impressed in a reserve role – chipping in with nine points on 3-for-5 shooting.
The Cavaliers canned 15 triples on the night, shooting 41 percent from beyond the arc overall, and took twice as many free throws as Minnesota – 22 to 10. They outrebounded the T-Wolves, 36-26, blocked 10 shots to Minnesota’s three and handed out 11 more assists.
Turning Point -- After a high-scoring first half, the Cavaliers went into the locker room leading by three – 63-60.
But only one team came out of the locker room on that same roll, as the Wine and Gold jumped all over Tom Thibodeau’s squad after intermission, going on a 16-4 run that put Cleveland completely in control.
The Cavs went into the fourth quarter up two touchdowns and didn’t stop there – improving their edge to as much as 29 points before Tyronn Lue called off the dogs with just over three minutes to play.
By the Numbers – 10 | 10 … steals and blocked shots for the Cavaliers in Wednesday’s win. The last time the Cavaliers achieved that feat was November 11, 2013 against the Sixers.
Quotable – Kyrie Irving, on the Cavs’ defensive effort on Wednesday …
”I’ve been saying all season that our staple is on the defensive end, and when we’re not playing up to our capabilities, teams take advantage of it. They make us pay and then we try to use our talent to get back in the game offensively. So for us, when we’re playing at a high level, we’re tough to beat because when we’re getting out in transition, guys can’t match up.”
Up Next -- After Wednesday’s pit stop at The Q, the Wine and Gold get right back on the open road, beginning with a big, nationally-televised matchup against the Knicks on Saturday night at the Garden. After a Super Bowl Sunday off, they take on John Wall and the Wizards on Monday and close out the trip with a back-to-back against the Pacers on Wednesday night in Indy followed by a Thursday night showdown with the Thunder.