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Wiggins, Butler lead 127-99 Wolves romp past James, Cavs
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Jan 8, 2018
MINNEAPOLIS -- The Minnesota Timberwolves, like so many lesser opponents over the years, have been largely unsuccessful in trying to best LeBron James.
This time, they built a lead on Cleveland as big as 41 points before the end of the third quarter. It was just another example of the difference Jimmy Butler has made on this promising team.<iframe class="teads-resize" style="box-sizing: border-box; width: 565px; height: 0px !important; min-height: 0px !important; border-width: initial !important; border-style: none !important; margin: 0px !important; padding: 0px !important; display: block !important;"></iframe>
Andrew Wiggins had 25 points in three quarters, Butler pitched in 21 points and tight defense on James, and the Timberwolves cruised to a 127-99 victory over the Cavaliers on Monday night.
"We did what we're supposed to do at home," Butler said. "We're a really good team. They're a really good team. They missed a lot of shots that they normally make. We all know that. We'll see them again down the road, and hopefully we play the same exact way."
Karl-Anthony Towns (19 points, 12 rebounds) and Taj Gibson (16 points, 13 rebounds) were tenacious around the basket for the Timberwolves, who outrebounded the Cavs 56-37, their largest advantage of the season. The Wolves had a 60-42 edge in points in the paint, and every starter but Towns took the whole fourth quarter off.
With their 116-98 win over New Orleans on Saturday, the Wolves have enjoyed a ferocious start to this five-game homestand.
"We just came out the last two games with a certain mentality, a certain focus," Towns said.
James had just 10 points on 4-for-8 shooting, taking his first loss at Minnesota in 13 games since Feb. 17, 2005. He posted a career-worst minus-39 rating.
"I've won a game and had a bad plus-minus before, so what does that matter?" James said. "I don't give a damn about no damn plus/minus."