The Minnesota Timberwolves head into Monday night’s matchup with the Cleveland Cavaliers with a clean-looking injury sheet - at least compared with the home team’s situation - as the two sides meet at Rocket Arena at 7 p.m. ET.
Minnesota lists only one player on its report: Donte DiVincenzo, who is out with an Achilles injury.
Cleveland, meanwhile, enters at 1-1 with two injured players listed.
On paper, the Cavaliers still bring plenty of firepower. Donovan Mitchell leads their group with 27.9 points per game, 5.7 assists and 3.2 made threes per contest.
James Harden follows at 23.6 points and 8.0 assists a night, while Evan Mobley adds 18.2 points and 9.0 rebounds. Jarrett Allen is producing 15.4 points and 8.5 boards, and Peyton Watson chips in 14.6 points.
The Cavaliers’ numbers from last season show a team built to score and share the ball. Cleveland finished fourth in the NBA in points per game at 119.5 and ranked eighth in assists with 28.3 per game. The Cavs also placed eighth in 3-pointers made at 14.3 per game, though they were fifth-worst in the league in both 3-pointers allowed per game and opponent 3-point percentage.
Minnesota’s top end looks every bit as dangerous. Anthony Edwards is pacing the Timberwolves at 28.8 points per game, along with 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 threes.
LaMelo Ball has 20.1 points and 7.1 assists per game, Ayo Dosunmu is at 14.8 points, and Jaden McDaniels is also averaging 14.8 points while adding 4.2 rebounds and 1.0 block. DiVincenzo, before the injury designation, was listed at 12.2 points and 3.0 made threes per game.
Minnesota’s team profile from last season points to a balanced club. The Timberwolves averaged 118.0 points per game, good for seventh in the league, while allowing 114.6 points, which ranked 11th.
They finished 12th in rebounds at 44.1 per game and 16th in assists at 26.1. Minnesota also ranked 13th in threes made per game at 13.8 and sixth in three-point percentage at 37.0%.
Defensively, the Timberwolves stood out most from deep, ranking best in the NBA by allowing just 12.1 made threes per game. They also held opponents to 35.5% shooting from three, which ranked 12th.
In Other News...
Anthony Edwards Had 47 But Wolves Still Blew A Winnable Game
Anthony Edwards turned in a huge scoring night, pouring in 47 points and giving Minnesota plenty of chances to take control, but the Timberwolves could never quite turn the game into a finish they could trust. Cleveland stayed close throughout, with Donovan Mitchell pacing the Cavaliers at 26 points and help coming from James Harden and Evan Mobley as the matchup stayed tight late.
The Wolves had enough stretches to make this feel winnable, yet the little things kept stacking up against them. Minnesota gave the ball away 18 times and struggled to make enough threes to fully cash in on Edwards brilliance, leaving the game hanging in the balance when it should have been out of reach. [Read more 🡒]
Timberwolves 3-0 Start Is Fueling Real Belief In Their Depth
The early returns have done more than pad the standings for the Timberwolves. A 3-0 start against playoff-caliber Eastern Conference teams has given this group something it had to earn the hard way, which is proof that the roster can hold up even when the spotlight shifts away from the stars. What has stood out most is how the bench has already tilted games, with role players stepping into real minutes and giving Minnesota a different kind of edge than the one most teams expect in October.
Ayo Dosunmu, Terrence Shannon Jr. and Trey Lyles have all helped shape that feel, while Jonathan Kuminga has settled in as a complementary starter who fits cleanly alongside the main pieces. The bigger question now is whether this is a hot opening stretch or the start of a deeper identity, because the Timberwolves have already shown enough to make people believe their second unit can carry weight when the matchups get tougher. [Read more 🡒]
Anthony Edwards Is Giving Wolves Fans One Reason To Worry
Anthony Edwards keeps giving the Timberwolves the kind of production they can build around, and Fridays 117-94 win over Toronto was another reminder of how high the ceiling can be when he is rolling. Minnesota moved to 3-0 behind Edwards team-high 26 points, and the early-season start has the fan base feeling good about where this group is headed.
Still, there was a little unease after Edwards showed signs of right knee pain during the game, enough to put a minor cloud over an otherwise clean night. Timberwolves president Tim Connelly has already addressed the knee situation this offseason, but the more immediate concern is how the team handles it as the schedule moves on and Edwards availability becomes part of the conversation. [Read more 🡒]