(Photo by Hannah Foslien/Getty Images)
MINNEAPOLIS -- A month after Jimmy Butler requesting a trade, the Minnesota crowd did not give Butler a warm welcome. The arena filled with boos as Butler was announced as a starter, but shortly after the crowd was silenced by Butler's incredible performance. Dominating on both offense and defense, Butler poured on 33 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, and an eye-opening 4 steals.
Andrew Wiggins pitched in 22 points, and Anthony Tolliver stroked 3 3-pointers off of the bench. Third year forward out of Kentucky ,Karl Anthony-Towns, was held to only 12 points and 9 rebounds.
The Cavaliers dug themselves into a deep hole in the 1st half, being outscored 71-54. The Cavs came out of the second half on fire, scoring 41 points in the third quarter. Despite the big third quarter, it wasn't enough as the Timberwolves cruised to a 131-123 final.
Kevin Love seemed very comfortable leading the new-look Cavaliers, adding 25 points and 19 rebounds against his former team. While the Cavaliers have a long way to go before becoming a contender again, they saw a lot of good things from their youngsters. Cedi Osman played with confidence, scoring 22 points and dropping 8 assists. Jordan Clarkson and Collin Sexton provided a much needed spark off of the bench, scoring a combined 33 points.
The Cavaliers will look for their first win of the season, as they will face off against the Atlanta Hawks for the Cavaliers home opener. Tip-off is set for 6:00 pm at Quicken Loans Arena.