A new era in Cavaliers basketball got off to rough start. The team was booed off the court after Saturday’s loss to Chicago, their first under new coach Tyronn Lue. Things are likely to come easier against Timberwolves, who have lost eight straight on the road.
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Cleveland Cavaliers -13.5
Minnesota Timberwolves +13.5
Over/Under 198.5
It’s hard to back Cleveland as big chalk as they try to figure things out after a coaching change. The Timberwolves aren’t good or anything, but you may want to fade the Cavs while they figure things out.
LOOK AHEAD
In a surprising move the Cavaliers fired David Blatt last week, despite posting a 30-11 record and the top spot in the Eastern Conference. And after guiding the team to a NBA Finals appearance last season, his first as a head coach in the league. The Cavs certainly didn’t benefit from any bump in performance in their first game under Lue, who says it might take some time to implement his vision for an up-tempo offense. Cleveland showed little punch in Saturday’s 96-83 home loss to the Bulls, the Cavs second defeat in three games at The Q after a 15-1 start there. The Cavs have a great opportunity to get Lue his first win and put the awkwardness of the past few days behind them with games against two of the worst teams in the Western Conference visiting. Following the Timberwolves are the Phoenix Suns. Both teams enter the week with 14 wins and are better only than the Lakers in the West.
Minnesota has dropped eight straight on the road going 2-6 ATS in that span, and begins a stretch of five of six away from home with some momentum after outlasting the Memphis Grizzlies 106-101 on Saturday. The Wolves were handed a 125-99 loss by the Cavaliers when the teams met at the Target Center on Jan. 8.
INJURIES
Kevin Garnett played just nine minutes during Saturday’s win over the Grizzlies and failed to play at all in the second half due to a sore knee. It wouldn’t be surprising to see the veteran receive the night off, which would likely open up extra minutes for both Nikola Pekovic and Nemanja Bjelica.
KEY MATCHUP
The No. 1 overall pick by Cleveland in 2014, Andrew Wiggins never played for the Cavs, shipped to Minnesota in the Kevin Love deal. But he’s done his best to torment the team that drafted him. The second-year player out of Kansas has played well of late and is averaging 20.8 points per game while shooting 44.7 percent from the field. He’s scored 18 or more points in nine straight games. Wiggins averaged 31.7 points while hitting 9 of 14 from three-point range in three meetings with the Cavs after scoring a career-high 35 when the teams met earlier this month. Wiggins has a matchup advantage against J.R. Smith, who has an aversion to playing defense. If the Cavs move Iman Shumpert to defend, Wiggins will be more of a distributor. Either way, the young T-Wolves guard is likely to have another nice game.
ANALYSIS AND ODDS PREDICTION
Despite the circus-like atmosphere, Cleveland is still the best in the East for a reason. The club has the most talent and is atop the conference standings while the favorite to play in the Finals. But all that wasn’t enough for Blatt to keep his job, and the rumblings are that LeBron James was behind the coaching change. Whatever the reason, Lue is in a tough situation. The Cavs have to come out of the East and probably win the title because this move will be scrutinized the rest of the NBA season. The team did not respond well after the change and looked out of sorts Saturday in the first game since the change. Cleveland should beat Minnesota on talent alone, but they likely need some time to figure things out.
Cleveland 102, Minnesota 93
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