The Cleveland Cavaliers survived a 47-point performance from Anthony Edwards to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-125 in overtime on Monday night at Rocket Arena, improving to 2-1 with their second consecutive home win to open the 2026-27 NBA season.
Donovan Mitchell led Cleveland with 26 points, seven assists and five rebounds, scoring five points in overtime. His 19-foot fadeaway jumper with 48 seconds remaining gave the Cavaliers the lead for good after Edwards had tied the game at 121 with a three-pointer.
James Harden added 19 points and nine assists, including two free throws with 13 seconds left that extended Cleveland’s lead to three. Evan Mobley contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds, while rookie Meleek Thomas scored 16 points in his NBA debut. The 34th overall pick in June’s draft shot 6-of-10 from the field and made four of his five three-point attempts.
Edwards delivered one of the season’s biggest individual performances, finishing with 47 points on 19-of-34 shooting, including five three-pointers. He also recorded four rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocks. It was the seventh 47-point game of his five-year career and his highest-scoring performance against Cleveland.
However, Edwards missed a wide-open three-pointer in the closing seconds after Harden’s late free throws had put the Cavaliers ahead. Peyton Watson then made both free throws with 3.9 seconds remaining to help seal the victory.
Minnesota had led by as many as 15 points in the second quarter and held a 60-50 advantage before Cleveland mounted a 12-0 run, with Harden scoring eight points during the surge. The Timberwolves entered the fourth quarter with a 95-86 lead, but Cleveland rallied to force overtime. Harden tied the game at 113 with a seven-foot floater with 10.4 seconds left in regulation.
Jaden McDaniels scored 14 points for Minnesota before fouling out, while Terrence Shannon Jr. added 14 off the bench. Rudy Gobert grabbed 20 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass, despite going scoreless from the field.
The Timberwolves host the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday, while the Cavaliers welcome the Washington Wizards.
