Donovan Mitchell hit a go-ahead midrange jumper with 1:02 remaining in overtime as the host Cleveland Cavaliers rallied from a 15-point deficit to defeat the previously unbeaten Minnesota Timberwolves 127-125 on Monday night.
Timberwolves superstar Anthony Edwards missed a wide-open 3-pointer with 3.9 seconds remaining that could have tied the game. Peyton Watson grabbed the rebound and made two free throws to push Cleveland’s lead to 127-122.
Edwards connected on a 3-pointer at the buzzer to finish with a season-high 47 points, his seventh career regular-season game with at least 47. The Timberwolves had won their first three contests by 20-plus points.
Mitchell finished with 26 points and seven assists, while James Harden had 22 points and nine assists for the Cavaliers, who improved to 2-1. Evan Mobley added 15 points and eight rebounds, and rookie Meleek Thomas scored 16 off the bench in his NBA debut.
Jaden McDaniels had 14 points and Rudy Gobert collected 19 rebounds and five points, but missed all eight of his field goal attempts for the Timberwolves. LaMelo Ball had 11 points and seven turnovers.
Edwards scored on consecutive possessions to give Minnesota a 108-104 lead with 1:45 remaining, but Harden’s floater with 10 seconds left tied the game at 113. Watson, who finished with 15 points and eight rebounds, then blocked Edwards’ attempt in the closing seconds to force overtime. The game featured four ties and 12 lead changes in the final 16 1/2 minutes.
Cleveland used a 12-0 run midway through the third, fueled by eight points from Harden, to seize a 70-69 lead. It began a wild stretch that saw nine lead changes and two ties in the final 4 1/2 minutes of the period, ending in an 86-86 deadlock.
The Timberwolves carried a 60-50 lead into the half, with Edwards pouring in 20 points, including a drive that gave them their largest lead, 54-39. Ball had nine points and Gobert grabbed eight rebounds, while Thomas had 10 to pace Cleveland.
Edwards had 11 points and McDaniels added nine in the first as Minnesota seized a 29-16 lead. Thomas had eight points in six minutes, allowing the Cavaliers to trim their deficit to 31-24 after one.
Edwards was listed as questionable due to right-knee injury management, but Minnesota coach Chris Finch said the team was evaluating it daily and did not consider it a long-term concern.
The Timberwolves played their initial back-to-back set of the season after beating the Toronto Raptors 117-94 at home Sunday.
