By ASSOCIATED PRESS
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Julius Randle had 28 points, 11 rebounds and eight assists to help the Minnesota Timberwolves hang on to beat the Cleveland Cavaliers, 131-122, on Thursday night, Jan. 8, for their fourth consecutive victory.
Anthony Edwards added 25 points, nine assists and seven rebounds while becoming the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 10,000 career points, following LeBron James and Kevin Durant. Edwards, who is 24 years and 156 days old, hit the five-digit mark with a 13-foot fadeaway jumper midway through the fourth quarter. Only seven players ever have hit the five-digit mark before 25.
Randle scored 13 points in the third quarter as the Timberwolves built a 20-point lead while outscoring the Cavaliers 43-22 to match the team’s season high for points in any period. Jaden McDaniels had 26 points on 11-for-14 shooting, and Donte DiVincenzo went 6 for 10 from 3-point range to finish with 22 points as Minnesota fended off a late Cavaliers surge.
The Timberwolves (25-13) improved to 15-5 since Thanksgiving Day, the best record in the NBA over that span. They started the game on a 17-5 run and finished with season highs in field goal shooting (51 for 89, 57%) and 3-point shooting (20 for 38, 53%) percentages.
Sam Merrill had 11 of his 22 points in the fourth quarter, hitting a 3-pointer with 2:56 left for Cleveland that cut the deficit to four. Donovan Mitchell had 30 points and eight assists for the Cavaliers (21-18), who played without forward Dean Wade after he left their previous game with a bruised left knee.
The Timberwolves held a pregame moment of silence for Renee Good, the 37-year-old woman who was fatally shot in her car on Wednesday by a U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officer.
Meanwhile, Lauri Markkanen had 33 points and seven rebounds and the Utah Jazz snapped a five-game losing streak with a 116-114 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.
Keyonte George added 19 points and seven assists. Brice Sensabaugh scored 14 points and Kevin Love chipped in 10 points and 10 boards.
Cooper Flagg had 29 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists to lead Dallas. Klay Thompson made six 3-pointers and scored 23 points off the bench. Anthony Davis added 21 points and 11 rebounds for the Mavs.
Utah scored 25 points off 21 Dallas turnovers and outscored the Mavericks 64-46 in the paint.
Dallas scored baskets on four straight possessions, culminating in Max Christie’s 3-pointer, to take a 107-100 lead with 4:39 left. Utah then held the Mavericks without a basket for nearly four minutes and surged into the lead.
Markkanen scored three straight baskets to fuel a 12-0 run that gave the Jazz a 112-107 lead with 1:41 left. Utah scored on seven of its final nine possessions to secure the victory.
Utah’s willingness to attack the rim early paid off. The Jazz scored 24 of their 34 first-quarter points in the paint. It sparked a 22-6 run that helped Utah to a 27-17 lead. Cody Williams fueled the run with three dunks over four possessions.
The Jazz led by as many as 14 points in the second quarter, going up 53-39 after Markkanen capped a 15-5 run with a dunk.
Dallas chipped away at the deficit and took a 61-60 lead after Naji Marshall and Christie hit back-to-back 3-pointers to open the third quarter.
