Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen lead Cavs past Wolves in OT

Field Level Media|published: Fri 8th March, 22:52 2024

Mar 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against against the Minnesota Timberwolves during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. credits: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports

Darius Garland scored 34 points and dished eight assists, and the Cleveland Cavaliers outlasted the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves for a 113-104 overtime win Friday night.

Jarrett Allen added 33 points and 18 rebounds for the Cavaliers. Georges Niang contributed 16 points and shot 4-for-7 from beyond the arc.

Naz Reid finished with 34 points on 10-for-18 shooting, including 7-for-11 on 3-pointers, to lead Minnesota. Anthony Edwards scored 19 points but shot only 7-for-27 from the field and 0-for-7 from deep.

The Cavaliers outscored the Timberwolves 16-7 in overtime to secure the victory.

Timberwolves coach Chris Finch missed the game and stayed at the team hotel because of an illness. He was replaced by assistant coach Micah Nori.

Both teams had a chance to close out the game during regulation.

The Cavaliers tied the score at 97-97 with 27.1 seconds left after Rudy Gobert fouled out and drew a technical foul. Gobert rubbed his fingers to make a money signal at the referees, and Garland calmly made the technical-foul free throw to even the score.

Garland had a chance for a go-ahead 3-pointer in the final seconds, but Reid blocked his shot.

The ball then went to Minnesota, but Edwards missed a shot at the buzzer.

The Timberwolves led 80-79 at the end of the third quarter.

Reid made a trio of 3-pointers in the final 5:20 of the third quarter. His final trey ended the scoring in the period and gave Minnesota a one-point edge.

Cleveland led 54-50 at the half.

The Timberwolves jumped to a 15-6 lead to start the game. Edwards had nine of Minnesota's first 15 points during the early outburst.

The Cavaliers closed the first quarter on a 19-8 run to seize a 25-23 lead. Niang started the run with a 3-pointer off an assist from Caris LeVert.

Cleveland inched to a four-point lead at the break after outscoring Minnesota 29-27 in the second quarter. The Cavaliers closed the first half with six straight points thanks to back-to-back 3-pointers from Niang and LeVert.

—Field Level Media

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