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

No matter how you slice it, the Minnesota Timberwolves were in for a tough one Saturday night.

They played less than 24 hours after beating the New York Knicks in the Big Apple on Friday night, and against the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers no less. And while they kept pace with the Cavs most of the night, they lost their footing in the fourth quarter and couldn’t reach the finish line in a 124-117 loss at the Target Center in Minneapolis.

The Cavs (35-6) held the Wolves (22-20) to just 19 points in the third quarter to take an 89-79 lead into the final frame. They then scored the first 10 points of the fourth quarter to take a 20-point advantage. The Wolves caught fire late, putting up 38 points in the fourth and cutting the deficit to as few as five with 12 seconds left, but it wasn’t a true threat.

“I really thought the game came off flawlessly for us with our inability to rebound defensively,” Timberwolves coach Chris Finch said. “They had six offensive rebounds in the third quarter and it feels like they scored on every one of them.”

Minnesota struggled to limit the likes of Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland, who found pretty much everything they wanted most of the night. Mitchell finished with 36 points, eight rebounds and seven assists, while Garland knocked down five 3-pointers and finished with 29 points, six assists and five rebounds.

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 faster than anyone in franchise history, doing it in just 344 games.

The Cavs were without Evan Mobley, out with a sore calf, 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 through the first 24 minutes and went into halftime tied at 60-60.

Julius Randle also crushed the Cavs on the glass, nearly putting 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 started again in his spot and got off to a strong start, knocking down a pair of 3s in the first quarter en route 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 to shoot early but showed flashes late to finish with 12 points on 5-for-10 shooting. He had two assists.

In the end, it was a program loss for the Wolves with a brutal turnaround after playing in New York the night before. But they gave themselves opportunities early in the game to give themselves a chance and they didn’t capitalize.