Los Angeles (United States) (AFP) – The Cleveland Cavaliers overcame a 44-point display from Anthony Edwards to maintain their grip on the NBA Eastern Conference with a 128-107 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Wolves ace Edwards put on a scintillating individual performance with eight three-pointers from 13-of-28 shooting, but his effort was in vain as Cleveland romped to a wire-to-wire win. The Cavaliers improved to 43-10 to remain 5.5 games clear of the second-placed Boston Celtics, who were comfortable 103-85 winners over the Miami Heat elsewhere on Monday.
Evan Mobley led the Cavs’ scoring with 28 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, and four blocks on a night when six Cleveland scorers cracked double figures. Donovan Mitchell had 23 points, with Darius Garland scoring 17. The Cavaliers set the tone for a blowout victory in the first quarter, rattling off 16 unanswered points straight from the tip-off, building a hefty lead that Minnesota never clawed back. “We just came out ready to play, that was the main focus tonight,” Mobley said. “We just came out with energy, especially on the defensive end.”
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In Miami, the reigning NBA champion Celtics fought back from an early 11-point deficit to outgun the Heat. Jayson Tatum finished with 33 points to lead the Boston scoring. Boston improved to 38-16 with the victory.
In Washington, Victor Wembanyama warmed up for the coming All-Star weekend with a dazzling performance in the San Antonio Spurs’ 131-121 win over the Wizards. French star Wembanyama finished with 31 points, 15 rebounds, two steals and three blocks, while new San Antonio signing De’Aaron Fox finished with 30 points.
Meanwhile, all eyes in the NBA on Monday were turning to Los Angeles, where Luka Doncic was set to make his first start for the Lakers since his jaw-dropping trade from the Dallas Mavericks on February 1. The Slovenian star has not played since late December after suffering a calf injury and will be given only limited minutes by Lakers head coach J.J. Redick on Monday. “The medical team feels like it’s best to ease Luka back in,” Redick said. “If it was up to Luka, he’d probably want to play 48 minutes but we’re thinking long term here. We just want to be safe.”
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