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Wrap-Up -- After surprising a pair of Playoff teams in back-to-back nights over the weekend, the young Cavaliers came back down to earth on Monday.
A pair of the elements that had elevated the Wine & Gold over the weekend were missing on Monday, as the Timberwolves took an early edge and held the Cavaliers off the rest of the way to hold on for a 102-95 victory at The Q.
In a departure from Cleveland’s two previous wins, Collin Sexton struggled in the starting lineup and Jordan Clarkson couldn’t replicate his fourth-quarter magic as the Cavaliers struggled on the offensive end against Minnesota – shooting just 42 percent from the floor, including 32 percent from long-range.
The game was nip-and-tuck through the first quarter before Minnesota took a two-touchdown lead midway through the second. But the Cavaliers cut the Wolves lead in half by intermission and stayed within striking distance the rest of the way.
In the fourth quarter, the Cavs kept Minnesota’s lead to single-digits for most of the period – with Kyle Korver’s triple cutting the lead to just four, 99-95, in the final minute before the T-Wolves sank their free throws to seal the deal.
Korver had his best game of the season, leading the Cavaliers with 22 points in just under 22 minutes off the bench – going 6-of-9 from beyond the arc and 7-for-12 from the floor overall.
Rodney Hood notched his second 20-point performance in the last three games – following up with 20 points on 8-for-16 shooting, adding three assists, a pair of boards and a steal.
The beat went on for Tristan Thompson, who notched his eighth double-double in his last 10 games – finishing with 16 points on 7-for-10 shooting to go with a game-high 11 boards, adding three assists, a steal and a block.
Five Cavs score in double figures in loss to Wolves.
After averaging 26.0 points over his previous two outings, Collin Sexton struggled on Monday night – going 5-of-19 from the floor for 11 points to go with seven boards and four assists.
Larry Nance Jr. – inserted into the starting lineup after David Nwaba was a late scratch – had a nice all-around floor game against Minnesota, chipping in with 12 points, eight boards, a game-high seven assists and a pair of blocked shots.
Minnesota had four starters tally double-figures, with Robert Covington and Karl-Anthony Towns combining for 45 points and Towns adding a team-high 10 boards in the win.
Turning Point -- The Cavaliers have been staying with teams by getting off to solid starts, and that was the case through the first quarter on Monday night.
But a temporary lapse of focus early in the second allowed the Timberwolves to make enough of a run to get themselves the cushion they’d rely on the rest of the night.
With Cleveland trailing by three less than a minute into the second period, the Wolves went on a quick 11-0 run – capped by Robert Covington’s floater to make it 42-28.
The Cavaliers closed the gap over the remainder of the night, but were never able to get over the hump.
By the Numbers – 6 … games this season in which the Cavaliers have shot better than 90 percent from the free throw line, including Monday’s 13-for-14 performance. As a team this season, the Cavs are shooting .791 from the stripe – good for third in the Eastern Conference.
Quotable – Rodney Hood, on Monday’s loss to Minnesota at The Q …
"I think offensively, we played a little sluggish at times. Defensively, I think we guarded well in the half court, but they turned us over a little bit. They were good with their hands, swiping down and they got out in transition. But I think offensively, we’ve just got to play a little faster, especially when a team locks in like that."
Up Next -- After falling to the T-Wolves on Monday night, the Wine & Gold hit the road for a pair – traveling to Oklahoma City for a Wednesday night matchup against Russell Westbrook and the Thunder before heading back east for a date with Kyrie Irving and the Celtics on Friday night. On Saturday, the Cavaliers tip off the month of December when they welcome Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors to Cleveland for the first time this year. The Cavs travel to Brooklyn the following Monday before coming home for a three-game homestand – welcoming the Warriors, Kings and Wizards to The Q.