Minnesota Timberwolves: Towns and Covington lead Wolves over Cavs

The Minnesota Timberwolves defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers by a score of 102-95 on Monday night behind solid performances from Karl-Anthony Towns and Robert Covington.

Go ahead and make that a 6-2 record since trading Jimmy Butler.

The Minnesota Timberwolves won their third-straight game and sixth out of eight since Butler was traded and swept the season series with the Cavaliers with a 102-95 win on Monday evening in Cleveland.

Karl-Anthony Towns had another strong performance, tallying 21 points and 10 rebounds while Robert Covington scored 24 points on 12 shots and contributed seven rebounds, two steals, and two blocks.

Exciting Cavaliers rookie Collin Sexton struggled, shooting just 5-of-19 from the floor in 39 minutes en route to 11 points and four turnovers to go along with his four assists.

The Wolves built a few early leads and led by double figures for much of the second quarter before the Cavs climbed back into things. They hung around all the way until late in the fourth quarter as Kyle Korver came off the bench and got hot, ultimately making six of his nine 3-point attempts on the night and scoring 22 points when it was all said and done.

But Covington’s defense and 3-point shooting and Towns’ consistent night was enough to seal the deal. Once again, the duo were the best players on the floor for Minnesota while Jeff Teague (13 points) and Derrick Rose (12 points) played important supporting roles.

While the wins have come against three likely non-playoff teams in Brooklyn, Chicago, and Cleveland, three wins in four days including two road games is nothing to sneeze at.

Wolves fans no doubt remember the team’s struggles against inferior Eastern Conference competition a year ago. These games matter, too, and it’s good that the Wolves are finally taking care of business against the teams they should beat.

Video of the Night

Player of the Game

Robert Covington: 24 points (8-12 FG, 4-7 3P, 4-5 FT), 7 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 blocks, one assist

Covington bounced back from an uncharacteristic 1-of-18 shooting night on Saturday with an ultra-efficient performance on Monday. He had a couple of pretty steals, too, and is clearly a next-level defender that is tying the Wolves together nicely on that end of the floor.

Notable Timberwolves Box Score Lines

• Karl-Anthony Towns: 21 points (9-19 FG, 2-7 3P, 1-2 FT), 10 rebounds, one assist, one steal
• Jeff Teague: 13 points (5-12 FG, 0-2 3P, 3-5 FT), 6 assists, 3 blocks, 2 rebounds, one steal
• Derrick Rose: 12 points (6-13 FG, 0-2 3P), 4 assists, one rebound, one block
• Dario Saric: 9 points (4-10 FG, 0-3 3P, 1-1 FT), 6 rebounds
• Andrew Wiggins: 11 points (4-11 3P, 1-4 3P, 2-2 FT), 3 rebounds, 3 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks

Teague was great early on and helped the Wolves build their initial lead. Rose scored 10 of his 12 points in the fourth quarter and put on a bit of a clinic in scoring in the half court.

Saric was solid throughout and Wiggins struggled again from the field but did contribute in a few other areas in this one.

What’s Next?

The Timberwolves head back home after yet another one-game road trip. They’ll host the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday night at Target Center at 7 p.m. The Spurs won the first meeting, by four points in the season opener back on Oct. 17.