Minnesota Timberwolves vs Cleveland Cavaliers Prediction: Cavs play tough, Wolves have improved

The NBA Regular Season is on and the midseason has been looming around as we get closer to the trade deadline. There are a bunch of rumors floating around and many teams can pull the plug on substantial names. This is a great period to diagnose where teams are heading and predict where they will head, but yes, in the NBA, predictions can be decimated easily. Keeping that in mind, let us jump into the game between the Minnesota Timberwolves and the Cleveland Cavaliers.

The Timberwolves come into this game after taking care of business against the Phoenix Suns, winning 121:116 as Anthony Edwards collected 31 points. The Wolves have won five of their six games and this is a much better performance than earlier when they had lost six in a row. Due to that long losing streak, they remain a game under the 50% win mark with 22 losses and 21 wins. Their best win was against the Nuggets, a team on top of the West whereas they have taken advantage of either short-handed or struggling squads.

Anthony Edwards has led the way in absence of Karl Anthony-Towns but his average is 23 points compared to over 25 on a much lesser shooting percentage. This indicates that the offense has been not only reliant upon him and that is because of D’Angelo Russell’s improvement. Apart from that, the rest of the players have stepped up too, with three to four players figuring in 10+ points range consistently.

The Cavaliers come into this game after beating the Trail Blazers 119:113 as Donovan Mitchell rolled in 26 points. The Cavs have won five out of the last seven games, splitting two games thus far on their Western Conference road trip. The Cavs have elevated their game this season as they have won 27 and have lost 16 games. They have one of the best defenses in the league and they know when to keep it tight. Having Evan Mobley helps a lot in that regard.

The Cavs were a competitive team last season too but they had a Forward logjam and needed a high-scoring off-guard. And they did get an elite player this season, giving up Lauri Markkanen to get Donovan Mitchell in a trade that has worked for both Cavs and the Jazz. The backcourt of Darius Garland and Mitchell has complemented each other well. Jarrett Allen, Evan Mobley, and Isaac Okoro make for a formidable defensive frontline whereas Caris LeVert’s shift to the bench has actually improved the balance. Ricky Rubio is back and the bench looks decent too with veteran Kevin Love also providing strong rebounding.

• Timberwolves: OUT: Karl Anthony-Towns, Jordan McLaughlin;
• Cavaliers: OUT: Dylan Windler, Dean Wade.

• Expected Leading Scorers: Donovan Mitchell(30-35 Points), Anthony Edwards(23-26 Points);
• Expected Leading Rebounders: Rudy Gobert(12-14 Rebounds), Jarrett Allen(8-11 Rebounds);
• Expected Leading Playmakers: Darius Garland(8-11 Assists), D’Angelo Russell(5-7 Assists).

The Timberwolves have been playing much better but they will run into a Cavs squad that can slice through leads with ease. Defensively, the Cavaliers are a much better squad but the Wolves have a more dependable offense. The Wolves played last night whereas the Cavs had a one-day rest but playing away from home even with a break is challenging. However, I see the Cavs beating the road disadvantage and predict a scoreline of 118:108 in favor of the Cavaliers.