Wolves vs. Cavaliers: Statistical Preview

We preview Wednesday's tilt with Cleveland by looking at how both teams stack up statistically to the rest of the NBA.

Team offense
- Wolves (24) (NBA Rank): Minnesota averages 94 points per game, but in its last two, have only managed 85.5. The Wolves' season-high came in their only win, a 108-103 decision in which they shot 53.2 percent from the field.
- Cavs (12) (NBA Rank): Behind balanced scoring (more on that later), Cleveland has consistently put up 100 points (seven of their first 11), even in three of its six losses.

Team defense
- Wolves (24): As a team, Minnesota is surrendering 102.8 points per contest, perhaps due to the fact that the Wolves are forcing a league-worst 14 turnovers per game. Over their last three, the Wolves are surrendering 52.0 percent from the field.
- Cavs (23): The Cavs are able to make up for any defensive deficiency (averaging 102.7 points against) in their high-powered half-court offense and transition game.

Rebounding
- Wolves (24): After eight games, Minnesota is grabbing 41.4 boards per game. On the stat sheet, 24th in the league really isn’t impressive … until you look at opponents’ rebounding numbers. The Wolves outrebounded New Orleans on Saturday 44-33, their second double-digit cushion of the homestand (41-26 vs. Sacramento on Nov. 14). The Wolves have held the rebounding edge in five of their first eight games and also are third in the league in rebounding percentage (.526).
- Cavs (2): Like the Wolves, the Cavs are a great rebounding team. Not only do they grab boards themselves, but Cleveland’s opponents are averaging only 37.9 rebounds per game, compared to amassing 46.6 of its own.

Free-throw disparity
- Wolves (30): A familiar story … the struggle to get to the foul line. Minnesota ranks dead last in the charity stripe department (20.1 attempts per game). However, in two of its last three, Minnesota has shot more free throws than their opponents (22 and 27 against Sacramento and Washington, respectively).
- Cavs (10): It helps that LeBron James alone shoots 10 per game.

3-ball percentage
- Wolves (6): When they go up, there’s a good chance they’re going to go in … but the problem is getting them up in the first place. Minnesota is nailing 38.5 percent of its threes. However, the Wolves rank 26th in three-point attempts (only 17 per game).
- Cavs (18): Thanks to Daniel Gibson’s astonishing 54.5 percent from behind the arc on 24-of-44 shooting (sixth in the NBA), Cleveland manages to stay in the middle of the pack.

The big boys
- LeBron and Co.: Obviously, LeBron is a handful, whether you're the Spurs or you're a young team like the Wolves. The last meeting between the two teams came on April 3 of last year and he went for 31, leading all scorers. Before that, he canned 37 (Nov. 17). And if go back to two years ago, James has averaged just over 35 points in his last four meetings with the Wolves. And who said LeBron was selfish? In addition to his league-leading 29.2 points, he is averaging a seventh-best eight assists per night. Let's not forget the supporting cast that LeBron has in place: Zydrunas Ilgauskas most often follows James in the boxscore (16.0 per game, second on the team) and averages a double-double (12.1 rebounds); and Drew Gooden, who is averaging 10.10 boards per game and 14.3 points.
- Jefferson and McCants: Minnesota's newest star has carried the Wolves thus far behind eight-straight double-doubles, averaging 19.5 points (28th) and 11.1 rebounds (9th). Rashad McCants has shown his prowess early by leading the team in scoring in three of its first eight.