Cleveland @ Minnesota preview

Last Meeting ( Feb 14, 2017 ) Cleveland 116, Minnesota 108

The Minnesota Timberwolves bounced back from a pair of tough road losses at Eastern Conference opponents by trouncing the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday, but a date with another tough East squad looms. The Timberwolves will try to put together back-to-back wins when they host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday.

Minnesota held its fifth straight opponent under 100 points on Friday and got things settled on the other end as well while shooting 48.9 percent and totaling 26 assists in a 116-98 triumph over the New Orleans Pelicans. "Our offense was a lot better today," Timberwolves coach Tom Thibodeau told reporters after the win. "The defense has been moving in the right direction. I thought the willingness to move the ball, keep it moving, making plays for each other, was terrific." The Cavaliers added to an already explosive offense with the addition of point guard Isaiah Thomas, who sat out the first 36 games with a hip injury and made his first start on Saturday, scoring 19 points on 7-of-13 shooting in 21 minutes. "I felt pretty good out there," Thomas, who came off the bench in his season debut on Tuesday before sitting out Wednesday, told reporters. "Coach (Tyronn Lue) and the guys put me in a position to be successful, so I just tried to make plays. But, my body felt a lot better. I got more of a rhythm."

TV: 8 p.m. ET, FS Ohio (Cleveland), FS North (Minnesota)

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (26-13): Thomas was a key factor in Saturday's 131-127 triumph over the Orlando Magic, but the biggest piece, as usual, was LeBron James. The superstar forward fell an assist shy of a triple-double while collecting 33 points, 10 rebounds, nine assists and six steals in his first 30-point performance of 2018. Cleveland also got a solid bounce-back performance from power forward Kevin Love, who went for 27 points on 8-of-17 shooting after scoring a season-low two points on 1-of-11 shooting in a 102-82 setback at Boston on Wednesday.

ABOUT THE TIMBERWOLVES (25-16): Minnesota is in the middle of the pack in the NBA in average assists (22.5) but had seven players collect multiple assists on Saturday. "It's awesome when we move the ball like that," power forward Taj Gibson, who recorded three assists, told the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "When everybody plays unselfish, it makes the game so much easier." The Timberwolves managed all of that unselfishness without starting point guard Jeff Teague, who sat out his sixth straight game with an MCL sprain and is not expected back for at least another week.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Cavaliers PF Jae Crowder is 3-of-19 from the field, including 0-of-10 from 3-point range, over the last two games.

2. Timberwolves C Karl-Anthony Towns recorded a double-double in each of the last five games to bring his league-leading total to 33.

3. James averaged 26 points, 13 assists and eight rebounds in a pair of wins over Minnesota last season.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 110, Timberwolves 107