Anthony Edwards reaches 10,000 career points as Timberwolves top Cavaliers, 131-122, for fourth consecutive victory

Chris Hine, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jan 8, 2026

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MINNEAPOLIS — The game got a little tighter than the Timberwolves wanted, but they still came away with a quality victory over an Eastern Conference opponent, 131-122 over the Cavaliers, on Thursday, Jan. 8, at Target Center. It marked their fourth consecutive victory.

After the Wolves led by as much as 20, Cleveland cut their lead to four with 2 minutes, 56 seconds to play then again with 66 seconds left.

But the Wolves made enough buckets down the stretch to fend off the comeback.

The Wolves will want to bottle their masterful third quarter, which they won 43-22. They shot 16 for 23 from the floor, including 7 for 9 from 3-point range. It was ideal Wolves basketball, and it continued an upward trend for the team after a few wake-up call losses before the new year.

Julius Randle and Anthony Edwards were both on triple-double watch. Randle finished with with 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists, while Edwards had 25 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.

Edwards, at 24 years and 156 days, became the third-youngest player in NBA history to hit 10,000 points for his career, behind only LeBron James (23 years, 59 days) and Kevin Durant (24 years, 33 days).

What it means

Maybe the Wolves should campaign for a move to the Eastern Conference. The four-game win streak has come against four teams from the East, with another game on tap against the Cavs in Cleveland on Jan 10.

Two players the Wolves have wanted to get going offensively, Jaden McDaniels and Donte DiVincenzo, had productive nights. McDaniels had 26 points, including a runner to put the Wolves back up six with under a minute to play, and DiVincenzo had 22 on six 3s.

The Wolves getting both of those players back in a groove means good things for their offense after both went through some lulls late in December.

How it happened

The night started out fine for the Wolves, with a 17-5 lead and a standing ovation from the Target Center crowd, but Cleveland controlled the rest of the half as turnovers and fouls mounted for the Wolves. They had nine in the first half as Cleveland opened a nine-point lead in the second quarter. Each starter had either 11 or 12 points for the Wolves in the first half, as they trailed 67-63.

But the Wolves started the second half the way they started the first — then continued to pour it on. They won the third quarter with good ball movement and a commendable job cleaning up their pick-and-roll coverage on the defensive end. But behind 30 total points from Donovan Mitchell and 22 from Sam Merrill, Cleveland came back in the fourth, but Edwards and McDaniels hit enough shots down the stretch to get the win.

Let’s get physical

The officials let a lot of contact go uncalled underneath and on rebounds, and early on, it led to a confrontation between Rudy Gobert and DeAndre Hunter as Hunter pushed Gobert twice during one sequence. Officials issued technical fouls to both of them.