A few days after completing a wild 22-point comeback over the Boston Celtics , the No. 1 team in the East, the Cavaliers also beat the No. 1 team in the West , the Minnesota Timberwolves , 113-104 in overtime Friday night at Rocket Morgage FieldHouse.
Dean Wade had the game of his life Tuesday night, pouring in 20 points to lead the Cavs back in the final seconds. Friday night, the Cavs were led by Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland , who dominated the overtime period.
The Cavs , were without Donovan Mitchell , Max Strus and Evan Mobley , who sprained his ankle in that game. And this time, the Cavs didn't even have the magic of the Kelce brothers on the sideline with them.
The Cavs are in one of the toughest stretches of their schedule, and they've had to grind through it without several key players. They've nearly face the No. 1 teams in both conferences, with only a loss to the Hawks in Atlanta in between those games. It's a similar story tonight on what was a nationally-televised game, this one on ESPN.
And the Cavs, meanwhile, extended their runs of wild finishes at home, with Wade's put-back dunk in the final seconds Tuesday night and Strus' buzzer-beating heave being recent examples.
Check back here throughout the game up updates and analysis.
The Cavs have beaten the top team in the East and the top team in the West in a span of four days following a 113-104 win over Minnesota in overtime Friday night.
Jarrett Allen had a superb second half and overtime period, finishing with 33 points, 18 rebounds, two steals and two blocks. It was a monster night after a very slow start.
Darius Garland finished with 34 points and eight assists.
Minnesota's Naz Reid had a monster game as well, finishing with 34 points off the bench.
Jarrett Allen has made up for a not-so-great start and has put together a really strong game. He's been the game's MVP since around halftime.
Darius Garland was fouled attempting a 3-pointer. He made the first two and then missed the third, but Allen ran out of bounds and saved it by throwing it back over his head. It eventually led to a Darius Garland floater and a five-point Cavs lead.
And while that was being typed, Allen added a layup to further extend the Cavs' lead and give him 27 points tonight.
The Cavs and Timberwolves are going to OT after Edwards, who was somehow held scoreless the entire fourth quarter, missed a shot at the buzzer.
With Gobert fouled out of the game, both sides are just about playing a bench game.
The Cavs had a chance to take the lead in the final seconds. Naz Reid switched onto Darius Garland, who tried a step-back 3 to win it, but had it blocked by Reid, who has had a Dean Wade -like game tonight. That led to a shot clock violation, and the Timberwolves will have a chance to win it with the score tied 97-97.
This final minute is setting up for another wild finish in Cleveland .
With the Cavs trailing by 1 and needing a stop, Rudy Gobert was not only called for an offensive foul while battling Jarrett Allen for a rebound, but Gobert fouled out and was then called for a techincal after giving the ref a "money" hand sign. The free throw from Garland was made to tie it 97-97.
Jarrett Allen's less-than-ideal night now includes an elbow to the ribs, though he's put together a productive night.
As Rudy Gobert backed Allen down near the basket, Gobert threw an elbow into Allen's ribs. Gobert was called for an offensive foul and then after a review, it was upgraded to a flagrant 1. Allen hit one of the two free throws to extend the Cavs' lead to 91-88 with 6:45 left.
Allen has had a nice second half, now with 20 points and 13 rebounds tonight.
Considering the Cavs are without three starters, and the Timberwolves are adjusting without Towns, both offenses are playing pretty well.
Sam Merrill 's release is just lightning quick. He just hit a 3 to tie it 86-86, and then after Jarrett Allen gave the Cavs the lead while being fouled, Merrill grabbed a rebound off of the missed free throw, which lead to a Garland floater and a four-point possession.
The Cavs are now on a 9-0 run over the last two minutes.
Naz Reid, off the bench, is torching the Cavs.
Reid has a game-high 24 points and has hit 5-of-8 attempts from 3-point range. Late in the third quarter, a defensive miscommunication led to an open look for Reid, who knocked down shot. Even before he shot it, Cavs guard Sam Merrill grimaced at the defensive miscue to leave such a hot shooting wide open.
Darius Garland has led the Cavs with 23 points thus far, but he's also turned the ball over five times, so it hasn't been the cleanest of games for him.
Jarrett Allen's night keeps getting worse.
Anthony Edwards had room to drive and just posterized Allen with a dunk. Edwards was called for a tech for taunting. The Timberwolves bench was pointing at Allen for a couple of minutes after the dunk.
Although, it hasn't been the best night for either center. Rudy Gobert weirdly has two airballs from inside of five feet tonight.
It's interesting to watch two offenses both trying to find their footing with key players recently out. Karl-Anthony Towns is such a massive loss for Minnesota, and the Cavs are without 60 percent of their starting lineup. Neither side looks comfortable.
Darius Garland has stepped up to provide some scoring for the Cavs with a game-high 17 points on 8-for-15 shooting from the floor, along with four assists. Georges Niang had a quality half with 11 points on an efficient 4-for-6 shooting.
This is one of those games where if the Cavs are to win, with Mitchell, Strus and Mobley all out, players normally on the bench (Niang, Wade, Okoro ) will need to hit their 3s when presented with opportunities.
Jarrett Allen is having a serious off night on the offensive end, though. He's 2-for-7 from the floor with several misses from right at the rim, including a missed dunk.
Hey, remember all that momentum the Cavs had in the first quarter? Well, it's gone.
The Cavs' makeshift offense has lost its luster. Cleveland has just two points in the first five minutes of the second quarter, and Jarrett Allen somehow just missed a wide-open dunk that led to a Timberwolves fast break.
Minnesota now leads 34-27, as they've answered Cleveland's 11-2 run in the first quarter with one of their own in the second.
The Cavs offense recovered and will take a 25-23 lead into the second quarter.
Georges Niang has eight points on 3-for-4 shooting from the floor. Jarrett Allen has five points and four rebounds.
Anthony Edwards has a game-high nine points for Minnesota, though he's just 4-for-10 from the floor.
Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff took a timeout with 6:24 left and the Cavs offense floundering. It looks like that was properly timed.
Since that timeout, the Cavs have gone on an 11-2 run to catch and then overtake the Timberwolves, 17-15.
Georges Niang, in the banged-up starting lineup, is leading the way with eight points.
The Timberwolves' No. 1-ranked defense is putting in work, as the Cavaliers have mustered just six points nearing the midway point of the first quarter. Rudy Gobert just rejected Jarrett Allen, which led to a Minnesota fast break.
And Anthony Edwards, coming off of last night's thriller that included a block in which he hit his head on the backboard, just threw down a dunk with a yell and a flex. It seems the energy levels are still high despite the back-to-back.
With 6:24 left in the first quarter, the Timberwolves are up 13-6, and a Cavs offense without Mitchell, Mobley and Strus is searching for some answers.
There was a late addition to the injury report, but it's not for a player.
Shortly before tip-off, it was announced that Timberwolves head coach Chris Finch wasn't feeling well and won't be able to lead Minnesota Friday night. Assistant coach Micah Nori will fill in for Finch.
Here is some pregame information
Both sides are banged up for this one.
The Cavs will be without Donovan Mitchell (knee), Evan Mobley (ankle) and Max Strus (knee). Ty Jerome (ankle surgery) and Tristan Thompson (suspension) remain sidelined as well.
The Timberwolves will be without Karl-Anthony Towns , a brutal loss for Minnesota, as he'll undergo surgery on his knee. Monte Morris is questionable with a hamstring injury, and Jaylen Clark is out with an achilles injury.
The Cavaliers-Timberwolves game has a national TV audience and will be shown on ESPN and WUAB CW 43. The matchup will be broadcast on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs vs Timberwolves live updates with Towns, Mitchell sidelined
