Up 14 With 8 Minutes Left, Cavaliers Wilt Late In Loss To T-Wolves

Michael Beasley finished with 28 points and hit the go-ahead bucket late in regulation, as Minnesota recorded its second road win of the season with a 98-97 decision over the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

Luke Ridnour contributed 23 points and six assists, and Kevin Love provided 16 points and 18 rebounds for the Timberwolves, who snapped a seven-game skid and improved to 2-17 away from home.

Antawn Jamison scored a team-high 24 points but missed a potential game-winner at the buzzer for Cleveland, which has dropped 13 of its last 14 games. Anthony Parker added 21 points and seven assists in defeat.

Cleveland appeared to pull away early in the fourth, as J.J. Hickson’s layup capped a healthy run for an 88-74 lead with less than eight minutes to play.

Minnesota answered with a barrage of three-pointers a little later, hitting three straight from long distance to pull within 91-90 on a Ridnour three-ball with 3:50 showing.

The game remained a one-possession contest down the stretch, and two Love free throws with 24.3 seconds remaining gave the Timberwolves a 96-95 advantage.

At the other end, Jamison took Beasley off the dribble and made a driving floater with 10.6 to go. Beasley returned the favor, getting into the lane with a cross-over and finishing over Jamison with 6.9 left.

“It gives the guys a lot of confidence,” Timberwolves coach Kurt Rambis said. “It’s a continual learning process for us. In the last sequence, we talked about driving to the open side and that’s where he was able to score, get to the basket and make his right-handed layup. Those are things he has to learn and grow with.”

Jamison then tried going to the same spot where he converted the possession before, but Beasley cut him off near the foul line, forcing an off-balanced attempt that rolled off the rim to end the game.

“This one stings a little bit more than almost, probably, any one this season,” Cavs coach Byron Scott said. “That one stung. We had it with three minutes left in the game. We really had the game won. Defensively, we allowed them to step into some threes. (We) just gave them too many easy shots and it ended up biting us in the butt at the end.”

It was a tale of two quarters in the first half. Cleveland started strong and led 28-17 after one frame, only to have Minnesota take the lead heading to the break, as Ridnour’s late three-pointer provided a 51-49 edge.

A closely-played third ended with the hosts holding a slim, 73-70, lead.

Cavaliers guard Daniel Gibson missed the game because of the flu…Cleveland guard Mo Williams logged 17 points and 11 assists for his fifth straight double-double…The Timberwolves shot just 38.8 percent from the floor but made 20-of-22 free throws…The Cavs made just seven of their 13 attempts from the foul line.

Cavaliers Return Home To Face Timberwolves

 

 The road-weary Minnesota Timberwolves seek to end a seven- game slide when they make a stop in Cleveland tonight to take on the Cavaliers at Quicken Loans Arena.

The Timberwolves are just 1-17 away from the Twin Cities this season and are coming off Wednesday's 112-107 home loss versus the Utah Jazz. Kevin Love had 25 points and 19 rebounds, while Michael Beasley provided 24 points and 10 boards for Minnesota, which was coming off an 0-6 road trip.

"It's easy to quit. A lot of teams that have been in this situation have quit. That's the easy thing to do," said Minnesota's Martell Webster. "So it really shows you character that guys continue to do the things they did when we're winning."

Minnesota's last win on the road was on Nov. 10 in Sacramento. It is winless in the past 12 contests as the guest. Wolves forward Darko Milicic (ankle/foot) is probable for Sunday, while guard Sebastian Telfair is questionable with a balky right foot.

Cleveland will begin a two-game homestand versus Minnesota and Orlando Sunday at the Q, and has dropped two straight and 12 of 13 games.

In Wednesday's 98-84 loss at Atlanta, Antawn Jamison led the way with 23 points and Mo Williams had his fourth straight double-double with 18 points and 11 assists for the Cavaliers, who will try to work on their 5-8 home ledger.

"We ran into a little bit of a buzzsaw," Cleveland head coach Byron Scott said of the Hawks. "We played pretty good defense and they just hit shots."

Daniel Gibson finished with 12 points and has scored in double figures in nine of his last 10 games, averaging 14.7 points in that span. Jamison is averaging 17.4 points and 5.9 rebounds over his previous 11 games.

The Cavs are averaging only 13.0 turnovers per game, the fewest in the league.

Minnesota defeated Cleveland, 129-95, back on Dec. 4 this season at the Target Center to snap a nine-game skid in the series, as Love scored 20 of his 28 points in the first half and also pulled down 19 rebounds. The Cavs are 10-3 in the past 13 meetings between the teams.

The Timberwolves are winless in their last four games at Quicken Loans Arena.