Cavs score, recap from today's game vs Minnesota Timberwolves

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Cavs score, recap from today's game vs Minnesota Timberwolves

Ryan Lewis and Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sat, Jan 10, 2026 ·

8 min read

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CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers faced the Minnesota Timberwolves — again. This time, the Cavs prevailed.

The Cavs beat the Timberwolves 146-134 on Jan. 10 at Rocket Arena just days after playing in Minnesota, where Cleveland lost 131-122 to the T-Wolves .

The Cavs, still in the process of fixing their second-quarter issues , improved to 22-18 as they work toward securing a playoff spot without needing the play-in tournament.

Here is how Cavs versus Timberwolves (25-14) unfolded through our updates :

Cavs defeat Timberwolves 146-134. Cavaliers have five players score 20-plus points for just the second time in team history

The Cavs were led by five players who scored 20 or more points — guard Donovan Mitchell (28), forward Evan Mobley (24), wing Jaylon Tyson (23), point guard Darius Garland (22) and guard Sam Merrill (20). Center Jarrett Allen had a double-double with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Mitchell and backup guard Craig Porter Jr. led the Cavs with eight assists apiece.

The Cavs have had five players score 20-plus points in the same game just one other time, and it was in 1972, according to the Elias Sports Bureau.

Cavaliers column: Cavs report sighting of the Evan Mobley they need on offense | Opinion

The Timberwolves were led by guard Anthony Edwards (25 points), backup center Naz Reid (25) and forward Julius Randle (20).

The Cavs had their sixth-highest scoring total in a regular-season game.

Cavs news: Darius Garland returning to all-star form as Cavaliers pick up momentum

Jarrett Allen's highlights vs. Julius Randle help Cavs maintain control with 5:32 left in the fourth quarter vs. Timberwolves

With 5:41 left to play, Cavs center Jarrett Allen blocked a would-be dunk by Timberwolves forward Julius Randle.

Then Allen ran the floor, took a pass from guard Craig Porter Jr. and dunked as Randle unsuccessfully tried to return the favor by blocking Allen's attempt at the rim with 5:32 remaining.

Randle fouled Allen in the process. Allen made the ensuing free throw for a three-point play and a 127-110 Cleveland lead.

Cavaliers lead Timberwolves 110-103 with 8:24 left in the fourth quarter

It's been a back-and-forth start to the fourth quarter, but the Cavs still held a 110-103 advantage with 8:24 left after ending the third quarter with an eight-point lead.

Cavs forward Evan Mobley has continued his strong second half with six points early in the fourth quarter.

The Cavs will need to step up defensively to hold on. They can expect a heavy dose of Wolves guard Anthony Edwards trying to take control down the stretch.

Donovan Mitchell, Anthony Edwards battling as Cavs lead Timberwolves entering fourth quarter

Two stars are going at it, and the Cavs will take a 99-91 lead into the fourth quarter.

Donovan Mitchell and Anthony Edwards went back-and-forth for much of the last half of the third quarter. At one point, Mitchell drilled a step-back 3 before Edwards erased it with a 3 of his own at the other end.

The two have similar box scores thus far, too. Mitchell is up to 26 points, three rebound and four assists. Edwards has 25 points, five rebounds and three assists. Mitchell is 9 for 18 from the floor. Edwards is 10 for 22.

Evan Mobley gets by Rudy Gobert for dunk; Cavs take lead against Timberwolves

Evan Mobley's back-to-back dunks have the Cavs up on the Timberwolves 77-73 with 7:25 left in the third quarter.

Mobley first cleaned up a Donovan Mitchell miss with a second-chance put-back. On the defensive end, Mobley swiped the ball from Rudy Gobert. And a few seconds later, Mobley drove the lane with Gobert on his tail. Mobley faked to the baseline, hesitated as Gobert raced by him, turned the other way and dunked it, leading to a Timberwolves timeout and a four-point Cavs lead. It was one of the best sequences for Mobley this entire season.

Anthony Edwards blocks Donovan Mitchell; Timberwolves lead Cavs at halftime

Anthony Edwards had a highlight-reel block on Donovan Mitchell in the final minute, and the Timerwolves are up 65-63 at halftime.

Mitchell drove the lane, drew contact and lost momentum as Edwards forcefully blocked Mitchell's shot. It was somewhat reminiscent of LeBron James ' block of Steph Curry in Game 6 of the 2016 Finals.

Mitchell has 14 points on 5-for-12 shooting from the floor, to go with two assists. Edwards has 11 points on 4-for-13 shooting. Jarrett Allen is already on the cusp of a double-double with nine points and nine rebounds at the half.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert on Jan. 10, 2026, in Cleveland.

Cavs trim Timberwolves' lead to 3 in second quarter

A 15-8 run led by Sam Merrill and Jarrett Allen has the Cavs to within one possession of the Timberwolves, 55-52, with 2:55 left in the first half.

Merrill has six points and a steal in this quarter. Allen is at five points, two rebounds and an assist in the last several minutes alone. Allen has also started muscling around in the paint a bit after the Cavs were pushed around for most of the first half.

Jan 10, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cavs, Timberwolves score: Minnesota opens up double-digit lead

The Cavs look like they're being bullied in the paint, and the Timberwolves have out-scored Cleveland 14-6 to open up a 47-35 lead with 8:13 left in the second quarter.

At one point Rudy Gobert swiped the ball from Evan Mobley, which led to a Timberwolves basket, and then Craig Porter Jr. drew some contact but lost the ball, this time leading to a Naz Reid 3 and a quick timeout from Kenny Atkinson.

Cavs trail Timberwolves 33-29 at the end of the first quarter

The Cavs trailed the Timberwolves 33-29 at the end of the first quarter. Cavs wing Jaylon Tyson made an open corner 3-pointer on an assist from forward Evan Mobley to end the scoring in the opening quarter with 16.1 seconds left.

Tyson came off the bench and led the Cavs with eight points in the first quarter, followed by guard Donovan Mitchell with seven points and Mobley with six.

Forward Julius Randle led the Wolves with seven points, followed by guard Anthony Edwards and center Rudy Gobert with six apiece.

Jan 10, 2026; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark (22) during the first half at Rocket Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-Imagn Images

Cavs trail Wolves 22-19 with 3:23 remaining in the first quarter

Timberwolves center Naz Reid lost the ball, and Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell secured it. Then Mitchell led wing Jaylon Tyson down the court for a fast-break layup with a nice pass. With the play, Cleveland cut Minnesota's lead to 22-19 and sent the Wolves into a timeout with 3:23 left in the opening quarter.

Timberwolves star guard Anthony Edwards was quiet in the infancy of the game, but then he made back-to-back 3-pointers to put Minnesota ahead 22-17 with 4:40 left in the first quarter.

Cavs trail Timberwolves 14-11 with 6:55 left in the first quarter

The Cavs trailed the Timberwolves 14-11 during a Cleveland timeout with 6:55 left in the first quarter.

Guard Donovan Mitchell started the game 3-of-5 shooting from the field for seven points.

The Timberwolves had a more balanced attack out of the gate. Four of their starters have scored thus far, with star guard Anthony Edwards being the exception. Of course, the Cavs cannot count on Edwards being quiet the rest of the game.

Below is some pregame information .

Cavs injury report vs Timberwolves. Will Julius Randle, Anthony Edwards play?

Timberwolves big man Julius Randle and star Anthony Edwards are both available to play, the team has announced. Both players entered the day listed as questionable.

For the Cavs, forward Dean Wade is out with a knee injury, though Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson noted that there's no structural damage and the team doesn't foresee this being a long-term injury. Max Strus remains out as he recovers from offseason foot surgery.

Cavs starting lineup vs. Wolves

The Cavs announced they will start the following players against the Timberwolves:

Point guard Darius Garland
Guard Donovan Mitchell
Guard Sam Merrill
Forward Evan Mobley
Center Jarrett Allen

Timberwolves starting lineup vs. Cavs

The Timberwolves announced they will start the following players against the Cavs:

Guard Donte Divincenzo
Guard Anthony Edwards
Small forward Jaden McDaniels
Forward Julius Randle
Center Rudy Gobert

Cavaliers unveil city edition uniforms

The Cavs unveiled their new City Edition uniforms Nov. 11.

How can I watch/stream/listen to the Cavs vs Timberwolves game?

The Jan. 10 Cavs-Timberwolves game can be watched on Prime Video. It can heard on the radio on 100.7 WMMS, 1100 WTAM and S: LA MEGA 1300.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavs score, recap, highlights vs Minnesota Timberwolves

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