Cleveland's week has been about the second half. In the opener in Philadelphia, the Cavs led by as many as 29 in the first half and lost 114-106. Tyrese Maxey scored 32, and LeBron James had 17 points and 10 rebounds in what ESPN called the biggest comeback win of his career. Donovan Mitchell matched Maxey with 32 of his own, so the scoring wasn't the issue. Holding a lead was.
The home opener against Brooklyn was supposed to settle things, and it mostly did. Cleveland led 68-54 at halftime and 96-80 after 3 quarters. Then the Nets scored 41 in the 4th and made it a 4-point game before the Cavs closed out a 125-121 win. That's 2 games in a row with a fade after halftime, and the second came against a Brooklyn team that hasn't led after a single quarter this season. Minnesota's best quarter in Orlando was the 3rd, which is exactly where Cleveland has been giving games back.
So the matchup comes down to whether Cleveland's rest beats Minnesota's momentum. The Cavs are healthy, rested and at home, with Mitchell scoring at a 30-point clip through the first week. The Wolves have been the cleaner team for 48 minutes, but they'll be playing their second game in 2 nights after a flight from Minneapolis. If Edwards finds his shot and the Wolves bring the same 3rd-quarter push, Cleveland's second-half problem gets tested hard. If Minnesota's legs are gone by the 4th, the Cavs finally get a game they can close without a scare.