Tipoff: Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, 7 p.m.
Records: Cavaliers 16-10; Timberwolves 5-21.
TV: FOX Sports Ohio (Cavaliers Live pregame at 6:30). Radio: WTAM 1100-AM, WMMS 100.7-FM; Cavaliers Radio Network.
Projected Starters
Timberwolves: C Gorgui Dieng; PF Thaddeus Young; SF Shabazz Muhammad; SG Andrew Wiggins; PG Zach Lavine.
Cavaliers: C Anderson Varejao; PF Kevin Love; SF LeBron James; SG Mike Miller; PG Kyrie Irving.
Injury Report
Cavaliers: None to report.
Timberwolves: SG Kevin Martin (wrist) out; C Nikola Pekovic (ankle) out; Ricky Rubio (ankle) out.
Dribbles
1. Well, here it is: Kevin Love vs. his former team. Wolves forward Anthony Bennett vs. his -- and to a much lesser extent, Andrew Wiggins vs. his, too.
2. As Wiggins said in reference to being drafted first overall by the Cavs, followed by his summer-league stint with the team: "I was there for like three minutes." In other words, if the guy has an emotional attachment, it sure isn't showing.
3. Wiggins has been solid, occasionally dynamic, in his first couple months as a pro. He has issues, but most rookies do. He does look like, at the very least, he'll be a good defender at this level. Offensively, his shot is iffy (38 percent) and his ball skills are weak. He loses his dribble way too often. But those are things that can be cleaned up eventually. Right now, Wiggins is averaging a pedestrian 12.5 points.
4. Meanwhile, Love is at 16.8 points and 10.6 rebounds. His scoring average is down 10 points per game from last season. But when LeBron James and Kyrie Irving are on your team, well, a decrease in numbers comes as no surprise.
5. Love's departure was hardly LeBron announcing his decision to leave for South Beach. Love was traded (as opposed to splitting via free agency), and the Wolves received some nice players in return. But he still made it clear he wanted out of Minnesota. So as Wolves coach Flip Saunders pointed out, Wolves fans aren't exactly warm and fuzzy about Love these days.
6. Love admitted playing for a winning outfit, and a team that could be going places, has made him happier. "It's a different feeling in the locker room, the plane, the bus ride, practice," he told the Minneapolis StarTribune. "It's just a different feeling when you're around a winning atmosphere. To be around that -- especially those eight in a row and eight of our last nine at home -- it's definitely different. It feels good. We just want to keep it going. It makes me happy."
7. Saunders on Love: "Minnesota people are pretty loyal. You turn on Minnesota, they don't forgive you."
