- 1 Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves: a +23.5 margin on a back-to-back against a Cavs team that keeps leaking leads
- 2 Cleveland Cavaliers: Mitchell scores 27 a game, but the Cavs have given back 51 points of leads
- 3 Minnesota Timberwolves: Edwards averages 30 and the defense has held two teams under 107
- 4 Free NBA Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves
- 5 About our free predictions
- 6 No commitment from us
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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves: a +23.5 margin on a back-to-back against a Cavs team that keeps leaking leads 
Minnesota has outscored its first two opponents by 23.5 points per game. The Timberwolves won 131-106 in Miami and 115-93 in Orlando, allowing an average of 99.5 points, and they host Toronto on Sunday night before flying to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers host Minnesota on Monday, October 26, at Rocket Arena, with tip-off at 7pm ET. Cleveland is 1-1 and didn’t play on Sunday, while the Wolves play the second night of a back-to-back. Sunday’s result against the Raptors wasn’t known at the time of writing.
Cleveland’s two games have followed one script. The Cavs led Philadelphia by 29 on opening night and lost 106-114. On Saturday they led Brooklyn by 22 in their home opener and held on 125-121 after the Nets got 28 points and nine rebounds from Michael Porter Jr. and 23 from Julius Randle.
That’s a combined 51 points of leads turned into one win and a four-point escape. Donovan Mitchell has scored 32 and 22, and he’s averaging 27 points, but the Cavs have allowed 117.5 per game.
The two teams split last season’s series. Minnesota won 131-122 at home on January 8, 2026, and Cleveland answered 146-134 at home two nights later. Both games came before Cleveland traded Darius Garland to the Clippers for James Harden on February 3, and before Randle and Naz Reid left Minnesota in July.
I’ll say it plainly: the back-to-back is the only thing that makes Cleveland the more comfortable side here. Everything the Wolves have shown in the first week points the other way.
Cleveland Cavaliers: Mitchell scores 27 a game, but the Cavs have given back 51 points of leads 
Mitchell scored 32 in Philadelphia and still lost, as Maxey matched him with 32 and Embiid added 24. Jaylen Brown scored 21, and LeBron James posted 17 points and 10 rebounds in a 76ers win built on a 29-point comeback.
The win over Brooklyn showed what the Cavs look like when the frontcourt clicks. Jarrett Allen scored 21 with eight rebounds, Evan Mobley had 20 and 10, and Mitchell added 22. Allen is shooting 72.2% from the field and blocking two shots a game.
Mobley is averaging nine rebounds and has made 42.9% of his threes, the kind of shooting that stretches a defense built around a traditional center. Harden is at six assists per game and had 12 points, eight rebounds and seven assists against the Nets.
The roster turned over again in August. A five-team trade on August 20 brought in Peyton Watson and Cam Whitmore, with Dennis Schroder heading to Charlotte and Max Strus to the Clippers. Thomas Bryant was re-signed in July and Mario Hezonja signed on July 31.
Injuries are light. Nae’Qwan Tomlin is out with a back problem, and Khalifa Diop is day-to-day with a knee issue, so coach Kenny Atkinson has Mitchell, Harden, Mobley and Allen all available.
The Cavs score 115.5 points per game, which is enough. The issue is the second half. Philadelphia closed a 29-point gap and Brooklyn cut a 22-point lead to four, and Minnesota has more scoring than either of those teams showed late.
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Minnesota Timberwolves: Edwards averages 30 and the defense has held two teams under 107 
Anthony Edwards scored 45 points with 10 rebounds in Miami on opening night, outscoring Giannis Antetokounmpo’s 35. He followed it with 15 in Orlando, where the Wolves didn’t need more, and he’s averaging 30.0 points and three steals a game.
LaMelo Ball has fit in quickly. Minnesota acquired him from Charlotte on July 10 in a four-team trade that sent Randle to Brooklyn and Reid to Charlotte, and he had 21 points and six assists in his debut. McDaniels scored 17 in Miami and 15 in Orlando.
The rebounding has been the foundation. Minnesota is pulling down 56.5 boards per game, Gobert grabbed 15 in Miami and is averaging 12, and rookie Joan Beringer matched Gobert’s nine in Orlando. Ayo Dosunmu, re-signed on July 10, handed out 10 assists against the Magic and averages 6.5.
The one absence is significant on the perimeter. Donte DiVincenzo is out with an Achilles injury and isn’t expected back until around April 2. Coach Chris Finch also signed Trey Lyles from Real Madrid on July 11 and traded for John Konchar and Cody Williams on August 29.
Minnesota is shooting 45% from the field and scoring 123.0 points per game. Orlando’s Wendell Carter Jr. had 20 points and nine rebounds against them, and nobody else on the Magic got going.
The worry is fatigue. Sunday’s home game against Toronto starts at 7pm ET, and the Wolves then fly to Ohio for a 7pm tip less than 24 hours later. How many minutes Edwards and Gobert log on Sunday will shape Monday.
Probable lineup Cleveland Cavaliers: Not announced at time of publication
Probable lineup Minnesota Timberwolves: Not announced at time of publication
Free NBA Prediction: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Minnesota Timberwolves
Our prediction: Minnesota Timberwolves to win
The back-to-back is real, and it’s the reason this game will likely open close. But Minnesota has won its two games by 25 and 22, both on the road, and it has done it with a defense allowing 99.5 points and a rebounding edge that travels.
Cleveland has the better rest and the home floor, and Mitchell can win a game on his own. The Cavs have also let two big leads evaporate in two games, against teams with less depth than this Minnesota roster. Edwards scoring 30 a night with Ball beside him is a different problem from the one Brooklyn posed.
No line had been posted at the time of writing, since Minnesota plays on Sunday. I’d back the Timberwolves to win, and I’d re-check their injury news after the Toronto game before tip-off.
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