On Saturday January 18th the 34-6 Cleveland Cavaliers traveled to Minneapolis Minnesota to play the 22-19 Minnesota Timberwolves at the Target Center. The Cavaliers last game was a 134-114 loss in Oklahoma City to the Thunder last Thursday. The Timberwolves won their last game 116-99 in New York against the Knicks last Friday. Out for the Cavaliers was Emoni Bates, both Isaac Okoro and Evan Mobley were listed as questionable for the game, and they did not play. Minnesota was without Donte DiVincenzo, Jesse Edwards, Tristen Newton, and Terrence Shannon Jr for the game. The hope for the Cavaliers and their fans was to bounce back from their worst loss of the season.

In the first quarter it was a close game, and the Timberwolves led after one quarter of play 32-29. In the second quarter, the game remained close. And the score was tied at halftime 60-60.  In the third quarter the Cavaliers started to pull away from the Timberwolves. After three quarters of play the Cavaliers led the Timberwolves 89-79.  In the fourth and final quarter the Cavaliers held their lead to win their 35th game of the season 124-117.

The Cavaliers’ leading scorer was Donovan Mitchell with 36 points in 34 minutes. Georges Niang had his first double-double of the season with 15 points and 10 rebounds in 30 minutes of play. He stepped up nicely in Evan Mobley’s absence. Up next for the 35-6 Cleveland Cavaliers is a holiday matinee showdown with the 21-20 Phoenix Suns on Monday January 20th at 3 pm eastern time, at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse, for a Martin Luther King Day Holiday feature game. The Cleveland Cavaliers got a much-needed bounce back win on the road in Minnesota. Let’s see if they can continue to build another win streak.