Jarrett Allen’s Career Night Pushes Cavaliers Past Timberwolves
The Cleveland Cavaliers earned their third overtime victory of the season with a 113-104 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Friday night.
This win gave the Wine and Gold a victory over the number one seed in the Western Conference, three days after defeating the Eastern Conference’s top seed in the Boston Celtics.
Cleveland outscored Minnesota 16-7 in the extra period. 10 of the Cavaliers' 16 points came from Jarrett Allen.
The big man shot a perfect 3-for-3 from the field and 4-for-6 from the free-throw line in overtime, leading all players in scoring in overtime. Overall, he scored a career-high 33 points, tallying career-highs in free throws both made (15) and attempted (21).
Allen also recorded a game-high 18 rebounds, three assists, two steals, and tied a game-high with two blocks.
This was the big man’s second 30-point game this season and of his career, as he scored 30 points against the Milwaukee Bucks back on December 29.
Mar 8, 2024; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) drives to the basket against Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) during the first half at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Scoring-wise, Allen got off to a bit of a slow start in the first half. The 25-year-old scored just five points on 2-for-7 (28.6%) shooting from the field, and made one of his two free throw attempts.
But Allen then tied a game-high with 18 second-half points, shooting 4-for-9 (44.4%) from the field and grabbing four of his five total offensive rebounds in the final 24 minutes of regulation. He also got to the free-throw line a lot more often, shooting 10-for-13 (76.9%) from the stripe.
Up next, the Wine and Gold will face the Brooklyn Nets in the second game of a three-game homestand on Sunday night at 7 p.m.
