National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Cleveland 98, Minnesota 87
When: 8:00 PM ET, Friday, January 6, 2012
Where: Target Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota
Officials: #24 Mike Callahan, #71 Rodney Mott, #28 Tommy Nunez Jr.
Attendance: 16943
By SportsDirect Inc.

Antawn Jamison had 22 points and Kyrie Irving had 14 points, five assists and five rebounds as the Cavaliers beat the Minnesota Timberwolves 98-87 Friday to take the initial matchup between phenom rookie point guards.

The night was supposed to feature Irving and Ricky Rubio, the only two rookies to make the All-Star ballot, but the two rarely squared off because Irving is a starter and Rubio comes off the bench.

Rubio had 10 points and five assists and four fouls -- three of which Irving drew in a matter of minutes in the second quarter.

The Cavs shot 8 of 17 on 3-pointers and limited the Timberwolves to 4 of 20 from outside.

Kevin Love had 29 points and 14 rebounds, but shot just 8 of 19 for the Timberwolves.

Derrick Williams, selected No. 2 overall behind Irving in last summer's NBA Draft, added 12 points and four rebounds in defeat.
Top Game Performances
 
Cleveland   Minnesota
Antawn Jamison 22 Scoring Kevin Love 29
Ramon Sessions 6 Assists Luke Ridnour 6
Anderson Varejao 12 Rebounds Kevin Love 14
Ramon Sessions 5 Free Throws Made Kevin Love 10
Anderson Varejao 4 Steals Ricky Rubio 3
Antawn Jamison 2 Blocks Derrick Williams 2
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Cleveland 98 46.2 8-17 16-22 20 45 7 11 15
Minnesota 87 39.2 4-20 21-31 15 43 4 8 16
Upcoming Games
  • Minnesota will play their next game on the road against Washington. The Timberwolves have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .250 after a loss.
  • Cleveland will play their next game on the road against Portland. The Cavaliers have a W/L % of .333 after a win and .750 after a loss.