Anthony Edwards added 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while becoming the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points, following LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Edwards, who is 24 years and 156 days old, hit the five-digit mark with a 13-foot fadeaway jumper midway through the fourth quarter. Only seven players ever have hit the five-digit mark before 25.
Randle scored 13 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves built a 20-point lead while outscoring the Cavaliers 43-22 to match the team’s season high for points in any period. Jaden McDaniels had 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting, and Donte DiVincenzo went 6-for-10 from three-point range to finish with 22 points as Minnesota fended off a late Cavaliers surge.
The Timberwolves (25-13) improved to 15-5 since Thanksgiving Day, the best record in the NBA over that span. They started the game on a 17-5 run and finished with season highs in field goal shooting (51-for-89, 57 per cent) and three-point shooting (20-for-38, 53 per cent) percentages.
Sam Merrill had 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a three-pointer with 2:56 left for Cleveland that cut the deficit to four. Donovan Mitchell had 30 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers (21-18), who played without forward Dean Wade after he left their previous game with a bruised left knee.
The Timberwolves held a pre-game moment of silence for Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot in her car on Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
The Cavaliers and Timberwolves finish their two-game season series with the rematch in Cleveland on Saturday afternoon.
