Cavs at Timberwolves preview and gamethread

Donovan Mitchell and the Cavaliers look to get back on track in Minneapolis.

The Cavaliers played their worst game of the season against the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. They’ll look to bounce back against another Western Conference opponent.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (34-6) at Minnesota Timberwolves (22-19)

Where: Target Center – Minneapolis, MN

When: 9 p.m. – Friday, January 18

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, NBA League Pass

Line: Cavs -6.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen.

Cavs injury report: Evan Mobley – QUESTIONABLE (calf), Isaac Okoro – QUESTIONABLE (shoulder), Emoni Bates – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)

Expected Timberwolves starting lineup: Mike Conley, Anthony Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Julius Randle, Rudy Gobert

Timberwolves injury report: Not yet submitted

What to watch for

Coming off of an emotional game

The Cavs are coming off of a disheartening loss to the Thunder. They’ve put a lot of mental focus into those two matchups. It would be natural to be discouraged after getting beaten as badly as they did on Thursday.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves have had a rough season compared to their expectations. They’ve struggled to make their offense function without Karl-Anthony Towns as it becomes more and more clear that they completely lost that trade on the court. Minnesota did however win the trade for one night as they defeated KAT and the New York Knicks 116-99 at Madison Square Garden on Friday night.

The last outcome was different for both teams, but the mental toll contests like that take aren’t too dissimilar. We’ll see if either team can put their best foot forward on Friday night.

A breakout Donovan Mitchell game

Mitchell took the blame for Thursday’s loss against the Thunder and he hasn’t quite looked like himself since the New Year. In January, he’s averaging 17.8 points on .388/.341/.895 shooting splits with just 3.3 assists per game. His 35 points against the Pacers was an outlier in a month where he otherwise hasn’t been able to crack the 20-point threshold.

The Cavs have been great this season because of how their core players have all taken a step up under Kenny Atkinson. Still, Mitchell is the best scorer on the team. They need him to be at his best in the playoffs for them to reach their ceiling. The playoffs aren’t around the corner, but you’d like to see him break out of this funk sooner rather than later.