The day after their victory in New York, the Wolves no longer had the necessary resources to last 48 minutes against the vengeful Cavaliers. Slapped in OKC, Donovan Mitchell and his team won 124-117 in Minneapolis. A success built in the second half.
Before that, the Wolves had gotten off to a good start. Left alone behind the line, Anthony Edwards and Mike Conley hit 3-pointers, and Kenny Atkinson is already forced to take a timeout (15-8).
Dean Wade wakes up the Cavaliers with a huge tap, and the Garland-Mitchell duo responds with 3-pointers in first intention. But the Wolves master their subject with Naz Reid and Edwards who challenge each other in a 3-point contest (29-18). Georges Niang and Wade join them in this competition, and the Cavaliers pick up the score (32-29).
Rudy Gobert stands out in the alley-oop but the Cavaliers took control of the match. They signed a 9-0 to take control (38-36). Naz Reid may well cover Ty Jerome, the Wolves are much less dashing, and Caris LeVert takes advantage of the opportunity to widen the gap (48-43). The Cavaliers' second unit does damage, and it is under the boards that Minnesota will react. The Gobert-Randle duo signs a 7-0, and Atkinson takes a time-out again. The match is balanced, and on a back dunk, Gobert sends the two teams back to back to the locker room (60-60).
A 16-0 in three minutes!
The Frenchman, already in a double-double at halftime, lacks support, and the Cavaliers will take advantage of it. After Mitchell in the first period, it's Garland who takes the game into his own hands. With his skill and vision, the All-Star leader cuts through Minnesota's defense. Easy baskets follow one another, and Cleveland signs an 8-0 to take a seven-point lead (81-74). Jaden McDaniels stops the bleeding but Ty Jerome plants six points in a row to give a 10-point lead at the end of the 3rd quarter (89-79).
A 6-0 which turns into… 16-0 spanning both quarters! In two minutes, Jerome and Mitchell stunned the start of the 4th quarter, and the Cavaliers took a 20-point lead (99-79). Anthony Edwards launches into a “one-man show” but the Cavaliers respond with Niang, then Garland. The gap has stabilized, but the late awakening of the Wolves forces Atkinson to leave his stars on the floor, for a final success 124-117.
WHAT TO REMEMBER
– Two fewer starters. The Cavaliers arrived in Minnesota without Evan Mobley or Isaac Okoro. The first suffers from a right calf injury, while the second has a dislocated shoulder. On the Minnesota side, Donte DiVincenzo misses his second game in a row because of a sprained big toe.
– 8,000 for Edwards. In the first quarter, Anthony Edwards became the 3rd youngest player to reach the 8,000 career points mark. Only LeBron James and Kevin Durant were earlier.
– Very good Gobert. If the Wolves were in contact at half-time, it was thanks in particular to Rudy Gobert. The Frenchman had one of his best matches of the season with 17 points and 12 rebounds. Unfortunately, he was forgotten after the break… and we often saw him ask for the ball without receiving it.
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
How to read the stats? Min = Minutes; Shots = Successful shots / Attempted shots; 3pts = 3-points / 3-points attempted; LF = free throws made / free throws attempted; O = offensive rebound; D=defensive rebound; T = Total rebounds; Pd = assists; Fte: Personal fouls; Int = Intercepts; Bp = Lost balls; Ct: Against; +/- = Point differential when the player is on the field; Pts = Points; Eval: player evaluation calculated from positive actions – negative actions.
