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The suddenly crippled Cleveland Cavaliers travel West to take on the also injury-hampered Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday. Cleveland will be without Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Max Strus and Dean Wade when they try to sweep the season series against the hosts. Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff will lean on Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen to pull them through.
The Timberwolves will not have Karl-Anthony Towns in the rematch against the Cavs. They might also miss Anthony Edwards, Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid. Jaden McDaniels, Mike Conley and every healthy body on Minnesota’s roster will have to punch their weight to defend their home court.
Cleveland will not have its cavalry when they visit the Timberwolves. Old reliables Allen, Garland and Caris LeVert will have to lead the team. Georges Nian and Sam Merrill will also be counted on to deliver outside sniping to help the remaining stars.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves: Preview, prediction betting tips
Target Center will host the showdown between the Cleveland Cavaliers and Minnesota Timberwolves. Bally Sports North and Bally Sports Ohio will cover the game locally at 8:00 p.m. EST as it will not be on national TV.
Moneyline: Cavaliers (+190) vs. Timberwolves (-230)
Spread: Cavaliers (+5.5) vs. Timberwolves (-5.5)
Total (O/U): Cavaliers (o209.5 -110) vs. Timberwolves (u209.5 -110)
Editor’s Note: The odds could change closer to the game. The odds listed were as per available information at the time of the writing.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves: Game preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been battling hard despite injuries to key players but getting wins has been tough.
They are only 5-6 in March, and things are not going to get easy. Cleveland’s remaining stars will have to put up another gutsy performance and hope to win at the Target Center.
The Minnesota Timberwolves will have Anthony Edwards on Friday along with Rudy Gobert and Naz Reid.
As the big men are cleared to play along with Edwards, the home team will be big favorites. Even with the big man return, the Timberwolves will have to count more on everybody to prevent the Cavs from leaving the building with a win.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves: Starting lineups, subs and rotations
SF - Georges Niang, SF - Isaac Okoro, C - Jarrett Allen, PG - Darius Garland and SG - Caris LeVert will open the game for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
J.B. Bickerstaff has had to think outside the box with his substitution patterns due to his team’s injuries. He could have Sam Merrill come in early if LeVert is misfiring or have Marcus Morris replace Niang for rebounding and defense.
C- Rudy Gobert PF - Naz Reid, SF - Jaden McDaniels, PG - Mike Conley, SG - Anthony Edwards could start for the Minnesota Timberwolves.
With Gobert and Reid available to play, Anderson will hop off the starting lineup to and would be a part of the second team with Allen.
Editor’s Note: These are predicted starting lineups, which could change depending on the availability of players uncertain to play.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves: Betting tips
If Anthony Edwards is cleared to play, he gets a 29.5 over/under points prop on Friday. “Ant-Man” has a dislocated middle finger but didn’t seem affected against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. He has averaged over 30 PPG in his last four games. Cleveland’s crippled lineup could allow him another big scoring night.
Darius Garland has a 20.5 over/under points prop. The Cleveland Cavaliers, in their injury crisis, almost always lose if Garland doesn’t go over 20 points. He will have to be more aggressive and score more to help his team win.
Minnesota’s defense, even without Gobert, remains tough to score on. Garland could find it hard to go over his points prop on Friday.
Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves: Prediction
The Cavaliers may be injury-riddled, but they are scrappy and resilient. If “Ant-Man” is inactive, they could win the game. If the All-Star guard is available for the Minnesota Timberwolves, the Cavaliers could lose but cover the +5.5 spread.
