Diving deeper into Cavs 127-125 overtime win over Timberwolves

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers erased a 15-point deficit to squek out a 127-125 overtime win over a quality Minnesota Timberwolves team.

Three stars of the game

First star: Anthony Edwards

47 points, 4 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks

Edwards is a professional scorer. He has the athleticism and explosive first step to wreck defenses anytime he puts the ball on the floor. And now that he can play off-ball more with the addition of LaMelo Ball, defenses aren’t able to load up on his side of the court as easily as they have in previous seasons.

That scoring was on display when the Timberwolves needed it most. Edwards poured in 11 points in the fourth quarter to help send this game to overtime, and then threw in 11 more points in the extra frame. He missed a three that would’ve tied it up at the end of overtime, but this was still a fantastic outing.

Second star: Donovan Mitchell

26 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals

Mitchell wasn’t the best shooting guard on the court, but he was good enough to pull the Cavs across the finish line. He made big shots when the team needed it, took care of the ball, and dished out seven helpers, which included two nice lobs to the bigs.

It was a quality performance.

Third star: James Harden

22 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 2 steals

This has been a difficult start of the season for Harden. He’s mostly gotten to his spots on the floor, but hasn’t been able to consistently convert. That continued through the first half tonight as he went 1-for-6 from the field, which included missing some point-blank looks.

Things might’ve been worse defensively. Minnesota’s guards hunted mismatches against him and took advantage when they got them.

Yet, Harden hung in there.

The Cavs turned the game around when Harden did. He got the ball rolling by pouring in eight points in the third quarter. Then in the fourth, he registered seven points and four assists — which included two helpers on three pointers — and he recorded the game-tying field goal with 10 seconds left to help send the game to overtime. Harden followed that up with five points in the extra frame and put the game away at the free-throw line.

This was a rough start from Harden. Maybe the Cavs don’t fall behind by 15 if Harden is better in the first half. That said, this team has no chance of completing this impressive comeback if Harden doesn’t step up like he did.

The Cavs offense is built on protecting the ball, putting pressure on the rim, and spraying out to shooters when the defense collapses. They need Harden at his best to do that. This was a nice reminder of how good the offense can be when he’s playing well.

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Dud of the game

LaMelo Ball

11 points, 6 assists, 0 rebounds, 7 turnovers

Turnovers were the difference in this game. Cleveland’s starting backcourt combined for just four giveaways. Minnesota’s combined for 11 — which is one more than the Cavs had as a team. Ball was the main culprit here with seven turnovers. On top of that, Ball provided nothing as a rebounder and wasn’t much of a threat as a scorer.

Edwards just needed one more teammate to help him close out this game, and Ball was missing in action for large stretches. This was a departure from Ball’s first three games with the Timberwolves.

Cavaliers who deserve shoutouts

Meleek Thomas

16 points on 6-of-10 shooting

Getting your first-ever NBA minutes against one of the hottest teams in the league is a tall task, but Thomas handled it well. He came in and made an immediate impact as an off-ball scorer, which is something neither Craig Porter Jr. nor Tyrese Proctor could do in the first two games.

More importantly, Thomas held his own defensively. He did a good job of getting his hands in passing lanes, and he forced Ball into a traveling violation. Thomas’s teammates credit him for getting them going in this one.

“It’s very rare to ride the coattails of a rookie,” Mitchell said. “We didn’t have energy, we’re flat, we’re playing the wrong way, we weren’t doing the right things. For him to be the spark in his first game of the year is not normal.”

This was a solid debut for the second-round pick. Thomas showed he’s worthy of rotation minutes in the short term at the very least. The Cavs don’t complete this comeback without his efforts.

Peyton Watson

15 points, 8 rebounds, 4 blocks, 3 steals, 1 assist

This was the first time we got to see how the ideal version of Watson could really help the Cavs.

Offensively, Cleveland trusted him to initiate more actions, particularly whenever Minnesota showed ball pressure on one of the starting guards. This allowed Watson to attack some off the dribble, and more importantly, alleviated some of the responsibilities on Cleveland’s overburdened backcourt.

Watson was solid defensively. His weak-side rim protection was much needed on a night that Minnesota was able to continually get into the paint. Watson struggled to stay in front of Edwards at times. That said, I’m not sure if anyone in the league could’ve stayed in front of Edwards on a night like this.

“At the end of the day, Ant’s Ant,” Mitchell said. “But making it tough on him, that’s what Peyton did all night. We ended up getting the stops we needed most, and that’s truly all that matters.”

Overall, this was a clear step in the right direction for a player who has struggled to find his place in a new starting lineup in his first two games.

Play of the game

Plays like this show how impactful Thomas can be. He contested and eventually ended a defensive possession on one end, then created an easy basket on the other with his speed and hustle. Sequences like this go a long way for someone we know is a skilled scorer when he has the ball.

Quote of the game

“Just stay ready, and your moment will come cause you can’t really keep a star in the closet for too long.”

– Meelek Thomas on how he was able to stay ready despite playing in his first two games.

Stat of the game

The Cavs were in the 94th percentile for offensive turnover percentage.

Turnovers have been the biggest issue plaguing the Cavs in their first two games. It wasn’t a problem tonight as they surrendered possession just 10 times. They won the points-off-turnover battle 21-8.

This game will be remembered for Meleek Thomas’s debut

Thomas had an exceptional start to his NBA career. He made a high impact as a scorer and defender against a title contender in his pro debut. Starts like that are rare from second-round picks.

We’ll find out in time what this means for Thomas’s role this season. One good game doesn’t mean he will be a permanent member of the rotation or that he’s going to develop into a high-quality player. That said, it’s difficult not to be encouraged after a night like this.

“I think we definitely got lucky with him being able to come to us,” Mitchell said of Thomas. “I tell him he has set a high precedent for himself, but I’m excited for him. We’re excited, and he was a big part of why we ended up getting this win.”