Final Score: Cleveland Cavaliers down Minnesota Timberwolves 113-104 in overtime

The Cleveland Cavaliers took down the Eastern Conference’s top-seeded Boston Celtics three days ago. Today, the Cavs did the same to the best in the West — knocking down the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime. Let’s recap what happened.

Nightly Notables

Jarrett Allen worked his way to a career-high 33 points by applying maximum pressure to the rim all night. His assault on the basket didn’t register too many field goals, converting just 9-19 attempts, but Allen’s aggressiveness led to 21 trips to the free throw line.

Setting the table for Allen was Darius Garland, who finished with 8 assists and likely would have had a double-double if Allen finished a few more of his opportunities around the rim. But I don’t think anyone is complaining about the result.

Garland also scored 34 points on 11-16 shooting inside of two-point range. This was a strong performance for Garland who has struggled to score inside the perimeter recently. Tonight, that was no problem as he diced Minnesota in the in-between game.

Garland and Allen tag-teaming the best defensive team in the NBA was a sight for sore eyes and felt reminiscent of the Cavaliers’ breakout year in 2021.

Well, that happened…

It’s not every day you see someone airball a dunk… or, whatever this was from Rudy Gobert.

But while Gobert had a relatively rough night in Cleveland, it was the Cavaliers’ defense on Anthony Edwards that truly turned heads. Edwards shot just 7-27 from the floor and went scoreless in the fourth quarter and overtime.

Big Picture

Things haven’t been great since the All-Star break. A handful of head-scratching losses and multiple injuries across the roster will dampen anyone’s optimism. Yet, key wins against two of the best teams in the league should raise your spirits.

The Cavs are hopeful they will return to full strength shortly. With fewer than 20 games remaining before the playoffs, every game is an opportunity to sharpen their iron. Not to mention, the Cavs remain deadlocked with the Milwaukee Bucks in a race for the two-seed.