Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers Game Results and Highlights: Top 5 moments

The Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers matchup on Friday night exceeded expectations, even though it was missing key players. The Timberwolves were without their All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns, who was sidelined with an injury, and their coach Chris Finch, who was ill. The Cavaliers were missing their stars Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley.

The Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers game ended in favor of the Cavs, who won 113-104.

Under assistant coach Micah Nori, the Timberwolves made a strong start, taking a 13-6 lead halfway through the first quarter. Also missing Max Strus, the Cavs struggled to find their rhythm on offense, but a late-quarter surge allowed Cleveland to lead 25-23 at the end of the opening period.

The Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers game remained tightly contested throughout, with 16 ties and 19 lead changes.

In a crucial moment in the clutch, Rudy Gobert fouled out with Minnesota leading 97-96 with 27.8 seconds remaining. After making a money gesture toward the officials, he was called for a technical foul, resulting in a Darius Garland free throw that tied the game.

Garland's attempt to win the game at the buzzer was blocked by Naz Reid, who had a career night with 34 points and five rebounds, hitting seven of his 10 attempts from beyond the arc.

Anthony Edwards had a chance to win the game at the end of regulation but missed his attempt. Edwards was held scoreless in the fourth quarter and overtime.

He ended with 19 points on 7-of-26 shooting. He went 0-for-6 from deep and had five turnovers. Gobert, meanwhile, finished with seven points and 17 rebounds for Minnesota.

Jarrett Allen had a monster double-double for the Cavs, scoring 33 points and grabbing 18 rebounds. Garland had 34 points and eight assists.

After the Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers game, the Cavaliers improved to 41-22, solidifying their position in the Eastern Conference. Meanwhile, the Timberwolves dropped to 44-20, relinquishing the best record in the Western Conference to the OKC Thunder.

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Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers Game Results and Highlights: Top five moments

The Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers game was nothing short of big plays. Below are five of the best plays from the game.

#1 Anthony Edwards posterizes Jarrett Allen

Kyle Anderson made a drive toward the basket from the corner when he spotted Anthony Edwards cutting to the hoop.

Edwards caught the pass and threw down a vicious dunk over Jarrett Allen, which led to an emotional reaction from the Ant-Man and a technical foul called against him.

#2 Naz Reid forces overtime with clutch block

Naz Reid's impact wasn't limited to offense; his defensive prowess was crucial in sending the game to overtime. He blocked Darius Garland's 3-point attempt at the end of the fourth quarter to extend the game.

#3 Rudy Gobert block leads to Anthony Edwards jam

Jarrett Allen went fancy with a Eurostep to evade his defender, but his layup was emphatically blocked by Rudy Gobert at the rim.

The rejection sparked a fast break led by Anthony Edwards, who aggressively drove to the basket and threw down a powerful dunk.

#4 Darius Garland finds Caris LeVert to cap 1st quarter flurry

Garland displayed his elite court vision by finding Caris LeVert open, who outmaneuvered the defense for an easy slam.

This play marked the end of a 16-2 run by the Cavs, which revitalized them after being down big early in the game.

#5 Garland confuses defense, dumps it to Allen for and-1

Darius Garland's playmaking ability created confusion in the defense, leading to a successful play for Jarrett Allen, who scored and drew a foul. The pivotal play gave the Cavaliers the lead in the tightly contested fourth quarter.