In almost every Timberwolves game, there comes a point at which the opposing team stops playing around and decides to get serious.
Wednesday night, that time came at the start of the fourth quarter. LeBron James scored 14 of his 32 points in the deciding stretch to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to a 93-70 win. King James exited with 3:20 to play, having staked the Cavs (21-4) to an 84-65 lead that was more than enough to ensure their sixth straight win over Minnesota and fourth in a row at Target Center.
Delonte West added 21 points for Cleveland, which has won 12 of its past 13 games and is off to the best start in franchise history.
Al Jefferson had 20 points and 11 rebounds to lead the Wolves (4-21), who lost their 11th straight game and dropped to 0-6 under Kevin McHale.
For anyone who's scoring at home, that makes it 19 days between victories for the Wolves, who haven't won since a 105-103 triumph at Oklahoma City with the Houston Rockets (16-9) next up Saturday.
Mike Miller had the hot hand early for the Wolves, scoring six of their first 10 points in staking his team to a two-point lead.
James bided his time for the Cavs, but he had a pretty reverse layup and free throw to give them a 15-12 edge with five minutes left in the quarter.
James added a block of Ryan Gomes and former Wolf Wally Szczerbiak hit a three-pointer as Cleveland ended the first period with a 24-21 lead.
A Miller three-pointer and steal and layup by Kevin Ollie pulled the Wolves to within 26-25 early in the second quarter, but Szczerbiak hit three-pointers to start and finish a 14-2 Cavs run.
Down 40-27, that didn't finish the Wolves, who got five straight points from Craig Smith and a Jefferson tip to cut it to 44-38 at the half.
James hit a buzzer-beating three and a hanging jumper to give the Cavs their third nine-point lead of the third quarter at 57-48.
The Wolves got it down to one when Jefferson hit a turnaround jumper with 3:30 to play in the period, but Cleveland ran off the next six points, capped by a James throwdown, to take a 63-56 lead into the final 12 minutes.
Then James went to work, hitting a short jumper and a free throw and adding a driving layup and a three-pointer that made it 78-62.
James hit two more jumpers to push the lead to 84-65 before calling it a night with 3:20 to play.
Anderson Varajeo backed up James and West with 13 points for the Cavs and Szczerbiak added 10.
Miller had 14 points for the Wolves and Craig Smith and Kevin Ollie added 12 apiece.
