Michael Beasley finished with 28 points and drove for the winning layup with five seconds left to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves over the Cleveland Cavaliers, 98-97, on Sunday.
Kevin Love added 16 points and 18 rebounds, and Luke Ridnour scored 23 points for the Timberwolves, who won on the road for just the second time this season.
Cleveland jumped out strong in the first quarter as Mo Williams knocked down 3-pointers on the first two possessions and combined with Antawn Jamison to score the first 14 points. The Cavaliers took a 28-17 lead into the second quarter but went flat before the break, allowing the Timberwolves to climb back in and take a 51-49 lead into the half.
Cleveland fought back again, pushing the lead to as much as 88-74 with 7:54 left in the fourth quarter. That’s when Minnesota went to work, using a 20-5 run to finally take the lead at 94-93 on Love’s free throws with 2:13 on the clock. It went back and forth over the final two minutes before Beasley won it.
Jamison finished with 24 points and Anthony Parker added 21 for Cleveland.
Minnesota | Cleveland | |
Michael Beasley 28 | Scoring | Antawn Jamison 24 |
Luke Ridnour 6 | Assists | Mo Williams 11 |
Kevin Love 18 | Rebounds | Anderson Varejao 12 |
Michael Beasley 6 | Free Throws Made | Mo Williams 3 |
Kevin Love 2 | Steals | Anderson Varejao 2 |
Martell Webster 2 | Blocks | Ryan Hollins 1 |
Team | Points | FG% | 3PM-3PA | FTM-FTA | Assists | Rebounds | Blocks | Steals | Turnovers |
Minnesota | 98 | 38.8 | 12-23 | 20-22 | 15 | 48 | 4 | 9 | 13 |
Cleveland | 97 | 46.0 | 10-26 | 7-13 | 30 | 45 | 4 | 5 | 17 |