2-1-17 vs. TWolves

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#CavsWolves Game Photos - February 1, 2017

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After wrapping up a disappointing month of January, the Wine and Gold will try to get back on track when they take on (another) Western Conference foe on Wednesday night at The Q – welcoming Karl-Anthony Towns to the corner of Huron and Ontario.

Right now, these are two teams heading in different directions – but it’s not the usual direction for either. The Cavaliers, who still boast the Eastern Conference’s best record at 32-15, have dropped four of their previous six games, including a listless effort on Monday night against a Mavericks team without its two top point guards. In that defeat, the Wine and Gold took a brief lead in the first quarter but fell behind in the second and never bounced back – tallying as many turnovers (17) as they had assists.

The T-Wolves, on the other hand, are trending upward after a terrible start to the season – winning five of their previous six games heading into tonight’s matchup.

Cleveland has topped Minnesota in four straight games, topping the T-Wolves by an average of 17.5 points per over that stretch – topping the century mark in each while shooting 51 percent from the floor.

Over these last couple weeks, LeBron James would probably rather just focus on basketball. But the game’s greatest player has been in the middle of much off-the-court drama, most recently his feud with Charles Barkley – finally firing back after taking the high road over the years.

One off-the-court development that he was eager to address is winning the NAACP’s prestigious Jackie Robinson Award for his achievements in the pursuit of social justice, civil rights and community involvement. For all of his prolific accomplishments in the game of basketball, he’s equally transcendent off the floor – from politics to entertainment to his work with disadvantaged youth through his Family Foundation. If there’s an individual in today’s fractured society worthy of being called “the King” – it’s LeBron James.

El Rey is coming off yet another rock-solid performance – albeit in Monday’s difficult loss in Dallas, leading Cleveland in all three major categories – finishing with 23 points on 9-for-19 shooting, adding nine boards and nine assists.

James has posted five double-doubles in his last seven games and is the NBA’s only player averaging at least 25.0 points, 8.0 rebounds and 8.0 assists, while shooting .500 or better from the field.

It’s still too early to label Minnesota’s versatile big man, Karl-Anthony Towns a superstar. But it’s easy to see that he’s well on his way.

The former No. 1 overall pick leads the T-Wolves in scoring (23.0 ppg) and rebounding (11.9 rpg) and he’s also demonstrated amazing range – shooting 48 percent (14-for-29) from long-range over the last 12 games. As Minnesota continues to surge in the standings, having won eight of their last 11, Towns is averaging 28.3 points and 12.7 boards, shooting nearly 61 percent from the floor over that stretch.

Earlier this season, he went off for 47 points in a win over the Knicks and two weeks ago, dropped 37 points on the Clippers, netting 15 of those in the fourth quarter of the victory. After posting the best rookie season in Timberwolves franchise history, he’s been even better as a sophomore.

He’ll be a tall order, literally, for Tristan Thompson – who followed up arguably his best game of the season on Sunday (19 points, 12 rebounds, four steals, four blocks) with one his worst the following night in Dallas, going scoreless without attempting a single field goal in 25 minutes of play.

The Wine and Gold will need Sunday afternoon Tristan if they hope to slow down the Big KAT and the T-Wolves on Wednesday night.

January wasn’t a very productive month for the Wine and Gold, but if there was one revelation during the month, it came on Friday the 13th – when Iman Shumpert was inserted into the starting lineup.

Already known as one of the toughest perimeter defenders in the league, Shump had been outstanding on the offensive end all year – recording career-high shooting marks from the floor, the stripe and beyond the arc.

He’s only gotten better since that January 13 start against Sacramento and has notched double-figures in seven of his last nine games, averaging 12.8 points, 3.0 boards and 1.7 steals while shooting 49 percent from the floor and 51 percent from long-range over that span. He also notched a career-high 23 points against the T-Wolves in the Wine and Gold’s 125-99 win in Minnesota last January.

Shump will have his hands full on Wednesday night, taking on another of Minnesota’s rising stars – Zach LaVine. The former Slam Dunk champ has improved exponentially in each of his three seasons, averaging 19.1 points this season.

A hip injury midway through January slowed him down a little, but he’s been picking up steam of late – averaging 18.0 points per over his last three outings heading into tonight’s matchup.

As long as they’re both in the league, Kevin Love and Andrew Wiggins will be associated with one another.

After being selected with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 Draft, Wiggins barely got past Summer League with the Wine and Gold before being dealt to Minnesota in exchange for Love. Both franchises made out very well in the deal.

Love was instrumental in the Cavaliers’ winning last year’s NBA Championship and he’s having his best season in Cleveland this year – earning All-Star honors for the fourth time in his career after hitting the halfway mark as the only player in the Eastern Conference to average at least 20.0 points and 10.0 boards.

Unfortunately, he’ll be sidelined for tonight’s head-to-head matchup after suffering lower back spasms on Sunday afternoon. An MRI revealed no structural damage, but the Cavaliers will still be cautious with their star forward.

Wiggins has emerged as one of the league’s bright young talents – averaging 22.1 ppg so far this season. During the T-Wolves’ recent heater – winning five of six – Wiggins has been very good, scoring at least 20 points in all six contests, averaging 25.5 points per over that span.

And the former Kansas standout loves playing against the squad that drafted him. Only Michael Jordan (30.6) has a higher scoring average than Wiggins’ 28.8 ppg mark against the Cavaliers.

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KeyBank Five Keys: Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves

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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.

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Wine and Gold Return to Form, Blast T-Wolves

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Breaking Down The 'W' - February 1, 2017

Before embarking on a four-game road trip, the Cavs square off against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night at The Q. Tipoff is at 7:00 p.m. (ET).

Despite falling to the Mavericks - 104-97, in Dallas on Monday - the Wine and Gold enter Wednesday's matchup with the best record in the Eastern Conference at 32-15.

CAVS TO DON WINE JERSEYS.
        From where to catch all the action to Wednesday's game notes, Cavs.com has you covered.

Get into the conversation with other die-hards.

Cleveland connected on 12 three-pointers in Monday’s game at Dallas and has made at least 12 trey in six of the last seven games.

The Cavaliers will hope to keep their sharp-shooting rolling as they head back to Cleveland. The Cavs have scored over 100 points in 23 of 26 homes games this season, including their last five at The Q. The Cavs are averaging 113.3 points at home, which is tops in the Eastern Conference among home teams and 4th in the league.

The Wine and Gold own the Conference’s best home record and 2nd-best home mark in the NBA at 21-5 (.808). The Cavs have also been victorious in 29 of their last 35 home games against the Western Conference (9-3 in 2016-17).

Those stats don't bode well for the traveling TWolves who enter Wednesday's contest having won five of their last six games. However, Minnesota hasn't had recent success against Cleveland, dropping four straight contests against the Cavs.

The young Timberwolves are led by a pair of emerging stars in Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns.

In his third-year out of Kansas, Wiggins is averaging a career-high 22.1 points while the second-year Towns is putting up averages of 23.0 points to go along with 11.9 rebounds.

Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega

For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.

Status Update: (Cavs) - J.R. Smith, (Right Thumb Fracture, Out), Chris Andersen, (Right Knee ACL Tear, Out), Kevin Love, (Lower Back Spasms, Out)

Status Update: (Timberwolves) - Nikola Pekovic, (Right Ankle, Out)

The Cavs have won four straight contests over the Timberwolves by an average margin of 17.5 points (117.5-100.0).

Cleveland has scored over 100 points in all four previous meetings, including two contests in which they have poured in 125 points.

Overall, the Cavaliers are shooting .510 from the field and .404 (46-114) on three pointers in their last four games against Minnesota.

This is the first matchup between the two teams this season, who will also meet again in Minnesota on February 14.

Black Heritage Celebration presented by Hennessy: The Cleveland Cavaliers 13th annual Black Heritage Celebration (BHC) presented by Hennessy tips off on Wednesday, February 1st at the Cavs vs. Minnesota Timberwolves game at Quicken Loans Arena at 7:00 p.m. The BHC, a salute to Black History Month in February, recognizes the extraordinary past achievements of African Americans throughout history and celebrates those making a difference in the Cleveland community today. MORE INFO

After Wednesday's contest, the Wine and Gold embark on a four-game junket beginning with a Saturday night showdown against the Knicks in New York. On Monday night they travel to the nation’s capital to take on the surging Washington Wizards before wrapping up with a back-to-back against the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday followed by a matchup with the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. VIEW FULL SCHEDULE

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#CavsWolves Game Preview - February 1, 2017

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2‑1‑17 vs. TWolves

#CavsWolves Game Photos - February 1, 2017

KeyBank Five Keys: Cavaliers vs. Timberwolves

Wine and Gold Return to Form, Blast T-Wolves

Breaking Down The 'W' - February 1, 2017

#CavsWolves Game Preview - February 1, 2017