Wolves run out of gas against Cavs on second night of back to back

The Minnesota Timberwolves just ran out of gas.

Playing less than 24 hours after beating the New York Knicks in the Big Apple Friday night, the Wolves were always going to be in for a long night against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday. And while they kept up with the Cavaliers for most of the night, they eventually ran out of gas in a 124-117 loss at Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Cavs (35-6) finally gained some separation in the third quarter and led 89-79 going into the final frame. Cleveland then scored the first 10 points of the fourth to gain a 20-point edge. The Wolves (22-20) caught fire late to cut their deficit to as few as five with 12 seconds remaining, but they never truly threatened to upset the Cavs Saturday night.

Anthony Edwards scored 11 of his team-high 28 points in the first quarter as Minnesota led 32-29 after 12 minutes. In the process, Edwards became the third-youngest player to reach 8,000 career points, trailing only LeBron James and Devin Durant. Edwards accomplished the feat quicker than anyone in franchise history, doing so in just 344 games.

The Cavs were without Evan Mobley, out due to calf soreness, and as a result the Wolves were dominant on the glass early. Rudy Gobert got off to a particularly strong start, scoring 15 of his 17 points in the first half. He had 12 rebounds.

The Wolves and Cavs traded blows throughout the opening 24 minutes, going into the break knotted at 60-60.

Julius Randle also crushed the Cavs on the glass and nearly put together a triple-double, finishing with 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists. He was efficient, shooting 7 for 12 from the field for the game.

The Wolves played without Donte DiVincenzo, out with a toe injury, for the second straight night. Mike Conley once again started in his place and got off to a strong start, knocking down a pair of 3s in the first quarter on his way to nine points and three assists on the night. DiVincenzo's absence led to more extended minutes for rookie point guard Rob Dillingham, who struggled shooting early but showed flashes late to finish with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting. He also had an assist.

While Minnesota had a strong night offensively, it struggled to contain the Cavs defensively, with Donovan Mitchell in particular getting whatever he wanted. Mitchell finished with a game-high 36 points, eight rebounds and seven assists. Darius Garland hit five 3s on his way to 29 points. Georges Niang and Ty Jerome finished with 15 points each.

Ultimately, it was a schedule loss for the Wolves with a brutal turnaround after playing in New York the night prior. But they gave themselves opportunities early in the game to give themselves a chance, and didn't capitalize.