After dispatching an undermanned Chicago Bulls squad on Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers looked to continue their momentum, this time with a road matchup at the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Cleveland got off to a roaring start as the Wine and Gold rushed out to a 20-4 lead. By the end of the first quarter, the lead sat at 14 points as the Cavaliers managed to connect on 61 percent of their shots, including hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Cleveland has had to learn how to maintain leads this season, something that hasn’t always gone well over the past few seasons. However, in the second quarter, Cleveland outscored Minnesota 31-24 to take a 21-point lead into halftime.
Overall, the Cavaliers hit 61 percent of their shots from the floor in the first half, including hitting 7-of-11 from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Cavs defense was on point for much of the first 24 minutes, as the Timberwolves shot just 33 percent overall and hit only 3-of-19 from beyond the arc.
After struggling to find his shot, Isaac Okoro had a nice first half, scoring 11 points, while Lauri Markkanen led all Cleveland scorers with 15 points as he connected on all five shot attempts, including 4-of-4 from three-point range.
Despite hitting just 43 percent in the third quarter, Cleveland’s lead held steady at 21 points. With the game no longer in doubt in the final 12 minutes, the Cavaliers reserves saw some meaningful minutes. It was vital for the Cavaliers’ starters to get a bit of rest as the Cavaliers are playing back-to-back.
It is tough to choose just one stud from this game, but one player truly impressed last night.
Cavs stud: Jarrett Allen
A key reason for the Cavaliers’ early ascension into playoff contention is the play of big man Jarrett Allen. Cleveland made sure to lock down what they hoped was their franchise center, and thus far, that investment is paying off.
As for this game in Minnesota, Allen poured in a game-high 21 points while also pulling down 10 rebounds and blocking a pair of shots.
Cleveland took advantage of a poor Minnesota defensive effort early on, and Allen was the recipient of a few lobs that he hammered home.
Darius Garland and Evan Mobley have garnered a lot of attention this season, and rightfully so, but Allen is playing at an All-Star level. In 23 games (all starts) for the Cavaliers big man, Allen is scoring 17.1 points per game while grabbing 11.3 rebounds and is blocking 1.3 shots per contest. Most impressively, Allen’s field goal percentage is one of the tops in the league.
His 70.4 shooting percentage ranks third-best in all of the league among qualified players, per Basketball Reference. Allen routinely makes defenses pay for converging on a driving guard and has displayed quite the athletic ability when throwing down alley-oops.
Allen has also shown an improving post game, and his lengthy wingspan is a plus when attempting hook shots in the lane.
If you look at the last 10 games as well, Allen is averaging 21.5 points, 11.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks while shooting 78.8 percent from the floor.
More performances like this last one against Minnesota will undoubtedly help Cleveland continue to stack wins in the win column and make them a real threat in the Eastern Conference.
Now, as for a dud from last night’s game, it is tough, but rules state I must pick one, so here we go.
Cavs dud: Ricky Rubio
Of all the Cavaliers that played meaningful minutes against the Timberwolves last night, no player stood out as a “dud,” but it was Ricky Rubio by default.
Rubio played 23 minutes and was the only Cavs’ regular rotational contributor (in their eight-man rotation) that failed to reach double figures in the scoring column. Rubio did a nice job dishing out assists, eight of them to be exact, but he did have a few turnovers to go with those assists.
This isn’t to suggest Rubio had a bad game. He didn’t fill the stat sheet quite like the rest of the rotation.
However, stuffing the stat sheet isn’t necessarily Rubio’s primary job. On a team full of young players, Rubio’s is one of the few players that provide the Wine and Gold with much-needed veteran experience.
While the Cavaliers’ future at point guard is locked down with Garland, who looks to really be taking the leap many thought he would, every good NBA team needs a quality backup point guard. Cleveland has that in Rubio.
Overall, Cleveland has gotten to 15-12 while facing one of the more challenging schedules thus far. If the Cavs can remain healthy and play at this level, the playoffs may be an obtainable goal.