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Posted by on Feb 14, 2017 in Archive

NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers at Minnesota Timberwolves

NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers at Minnesota Timberwolves

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the road on Valentine’s day to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves. The was a rough first month of 2017 for Cleveland, but they have gotten back on track in February. Cleveland has started out the month winning five of their first six games, with the only loss coming at Oklahoma City.

The Previous Matchup

Cleveland had no trouble handling Minnesota earlier this month, winning that one at home 125-97. LeBron James led the way for the Cavs with 27 points, while grabbing eight boards and dishing out 12 assists. Kyrie Irving also managed a new career high in assists with 14.

On the Timberwolves side, Karl Anthony-Towns finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins contributed 23 points of his own.

The Wolves had trouble on the defensive end of the floor that night in Cleveland. Not only did they allow Cleveland to score 125 points, but they allowed them to shoot nearly 54 percent of their field goals while shooting 40 percent from behind the arc.

Team Statistics

  • Points Per Game- Cavaliers: 111.2, Timberwolves: 104.6
  • Field Goal Percentage- Cavaliers: 46.4, Timberwolves: 46.4
  • Rebounds Per Game- Cavaliers: 44.1, Timberwolves: 42.4
  • Assists Per Game- Cavaliers: 22.3, Timberwolves: 23.3
  • Current Streak- Cavaliers: W1, Timberwolves: W1
  • Last Ten Games- Cavaliers: 7-3, Timberwolves: 4-6

What to Watch For

Anytime Cleveland is in town, fans flock to watch their team go up against LeBron, Kyrie, and Kevin Love. However Timberwolves fans will only see two of the three in action tonight.

Former Timberwolves and current Cavaliers All-Star forward Kevin Love will miss the next six weeks after undergoing a successful, yet minor knee surgery. The last time these two teams met Love was unavailable to go due to back spasms.

Cleveland will also be without Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith who are both dealing with their own injuries. Meanwhile the Timberwolves will be without two-time slam dunk champion Zach Lavine, who is out with a torn ACL.

Tipoff is set for 8:00 PM and will be broadcasted on NBATV.