Anthony Edwards Drops 47 — and Cleveland Still Steals It in Overtime, 127–125

CLEVELAND

The perfect start died the hard way. Minnesota came into Rocket Arena on Monday night having won its first three games by 20-plus points — only the third team in NBA history to open a season that way — and for two quarters this looked like the fourth blowout. Anthony Edwards, cleared late after being listed as questionable with right knee management, had 11 points in the first quarter and 20 by halftime. His drive gave Minnesota its biggest lead, 54–39, and the Timberwolves carried a 60–50 lead into the break on the second night of a back-to-back.

Edwards finished with a season-high 47 points — the seventh game of his career with at least 47, and the most he has ever scored against Cleveland. It was not enough, because Cleveland spent the entire second half taking the game back one possession at a time.

The comeback

The turn came midway through the third. Minnesota was up 69–58 with 7:31 left in the quarter when the Cavaliers ripped off 12 straight points, eight of them from James Harden, to lead 70–69. From there the game never settled: the third quarter ended 86–86, and there were 15 lead changes and five ties in the last 21½ minutes.

Cleveland did it by committee. Donovan Mitchell led the Cavaliers with 26 points, 5 rebounds and 7 assists. Harden added 19 points and 9 assists. Evan Mobley scored 18 with 10 rebounds, and Peyton Watson — who made the game’s biggest defensive play — finished with 15 points and 8 rebounds. And the spark that kept Cleveland alive early came from its bench: Meleek Thomas, the 34th pick in June’s draft, scored 16 points in his NBA debut, 10 of them in the first half while Edwards was threatening to run away with the night. Mitchell gave him the credit afterward: “It’s not many times you follow a rookie, you know what I mean? He was the spark when we didn’t have anything in the first half.”

The finish

Edwards still nearly closed it himself. He scored on consecutive possessions to put Minnesota up 108–104 with 1:45 left in regulation. Harden answered, tying the game at 113 on a floater with 10.4 seconds left. Edwards drove for the win and Watson blocked him, and the game went to overtime.

Overtime swung the same way — Edwards first, Cleveland last. His three-pointer, confirmed on review, tied it at 121 with 1:03 left. Mitchell answered with a 19-foot fadeaway with 48 seconds remaining to give Cleveland the lead for good. Harden’s two free throws with 13 seconds left made it 125–122. LaMelo Ball then missed both free throws with 9.2 seconds to go, Edwards grabbed the chance and missed a wide-open three from the top of the key, and Watson’s two free throws with 3.9 seconds left sealed it. Edwards hit a three at the buzzer for the final margin — his 47th point, in a loss.

By the numbers — the duel

Edwards: 47 PTS, 19-for-34 FG, 5-for-15 from three, 4 REB, 4 AST in 41 minutes. Mitchell: 26 PTS, 10-for-21 FG, 5 REB, 7 AST, 5 of his points in overtime including the winner. Around them, Minnesota’s strange night told the story: Rudy Gobert grabbed 20 rebounds and scored 5 points without making a field goal, Ball had 11 points and 6 assists but 7 turnovers and those two missed free throws, and Jaden McDaniels scored 14 before fouling out. Joan Beringer went 6-for-6 for 12 off the bench and Terrence Shannon Jr. added 14.

The Sports Desk’s read: Minnesota falls to 3–1 and hosts Golden State on Wednesday. Cleveland, 2–1, has now won four straight home games against the Timberwolves — and this one, down 15 with the league’s hottest team in the building, is the one that says the Cavaliers are real.

Elsewhere Tonight

• Charlotte Hornets 110, Washington Wizards 103 — Brandon Miller scored a career-high 39 for Charlotte; Anthony Davis had 29 and 10 for Washington.
• Boston Celtics 134, Chicago Bulls 99 — Payton Pritchard scored 28 off the bench with 7 threes; Jayson Tatum added 23, 7 and 6.
• Dallas Mavericks 113, Miami Heat 109 — Cooper Flagg had 29 points, 6 rebounds and 11 assists; Giannis Antetokounmpo’s triple-double (29 points, 14 rebounds, 11 assists) came in the loss as Miami stayed winless.
• Milwaukee Bucks 110, Indiana Pacers 102 — Tyler Herro had 23 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists for Milwaukee’s first win; Tyrese Haliburton led Indiana with 22 points and 9 assists.
• Oklahoma City Thunder 125, Phoenix Suns 114 — Ajay Mitchell scored 30 and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander 26 for the injury-hit Thunder; Devin Booker was held to 3 points.
• Houston Rockets 120, Atlanta Hawks 110 — Alperen Sengun had 29 points, 9 rebounds and 9 assists as Houston stayed unbeaten; Jalen Johnson led Atlanta with 21.
• Memphis Grizzlies 110, Utah Jazz 105 — Memphis won with balance, Cedric Coward leading six scorers in double figures with 16; Keyonte George scored 26 in the loss.
• Golden State Warriors 134, Denver Nuggets 114 — Rookie Yaxel Lendeborg had 31 points, 12 rebounds and 6 assists and outscored Stephen Curry, who had 24 on a perfect 8-for-8 shooting night, as Golden State got its first win.

Full box score, linescore and play-by-play: Gamecast — Timberwolves at Cavaliers. More: NBA hub · Stats Hub