Chris Finch was concerned about how his Timberwolves would handle back-to-back games coming off a road trip — and doing it against one of the NBA's hottest teams Saturday night at Target Center.

The Timberwolves were coming off an emotionally charged victory Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers off a rare loss Thursday.

The Wolves showed early carryover from Friday's 17-point payback victory at the New York Knicks, posting a double-figure first-quarter lead Saturday, but that spark wasn't sustainable in a 124-117 loss against the league-leading Cavaliers.

"We've got to find ways to keep getting better," said center Rudy Gobert, who finished with 17 points and 12 rebounds. "This was also a game I think where we were a bit fatigued in the second half. We can't be focusing on that. We got to still be able to play through fatigue."

Julius Randle, who finished one assist shy of a triple-double with 20 points, 14 rebounds and nine assists, has liked how the Wolves (22-20) are looking offensively, but they were outrebounded 19-8 and outscored 29-19 in the third quarter.

"We're scoring a lot of points," Randle said. "But we just have to do a better job of cleaning it up. We kind of let their movement take us out of position on the rebounds."

The Cavaliers (35-6) showed up at the end of a three-game road swing exuding the same "youthful spirit" that was part of the team's identity during its surprising start this season, Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson noticed in morning shootaround.

Anthony Edwards had a team-high 28 points, but he didn't appear to have the same juice after an 11-point first-quarter performance that made him the third-youngest player in NBA history to reach 8,000 points. The other two players were LeBron James and Kevin Durant, which put a smile on his face when Edwards watched the graphic pop up on the video board at halftime.

The joy in his expression didn't last into the second half, though, after a missed dunk attempt on Jarrett Allen failed to draw a foul. Edwards barked at the nearest official for a few seconds before Cleveland drilled a three-pointer on the other end.

The Cavaliers, who set a franchise record with a 15-0 start this year, had lost back-to-back games only once this season, to the Atlanta Hawks in late November.

But the Wolves jumped out to an 11-point lead late in the first quarter Saturday after they shot 7-for-15 from three-point range, including Edwards' 3-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc.

Minnesota finally cooled off with eight straight three-point misses. The Cavs put together a 23-7 run to briefly take control in the second quarter behind Donovan Mitchell, who had 22 of his 36 points in the first half.

Cleveland threatened to go into halftime with a slight advantage, but Naz Reid connected with a wide-open Gobert for a reverse slam to tie it 60-60 at the break. Gobert had 15 points and 10 rebounds through two quarters, but the Wolves weren't as effective scoring inside and rebounding in the second half.

"I don't know if it was fatigue or what," Finch said. "But bottom line is we have to keep moving and keep staying in the play. And we'll be able to chase those down."

Following a scoreless second quarter, Edwards made his first basket of the second half at the 10:25 mark in the third quarter. Randle soon after helped give the Wolves their last lead. He had five points during a 7-0 run capped by his layup that gave Minnesota a 74-73 lead with 5:20 remaining in the third quarter.

On the ensuing possession, the Wolves twice forced errant shots, but they couldn't finish with a rebound. Darius Garland, who had 29 points, scored after two offensive boards and put the Cavs up for good, 75-74.

Then Cleveland pulled away with a 26-5 run, which included taking a 99-79 lead at about the 10-minute mark in the fourth quarter on a Mitchell jumper.

The Cavs were playing without starters Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro, who were active in Thursday's 134-113 loss at the Oklahoma City Thunder.

It was the second straight game for Minnesota without injured guard Donte DiVincenzo, who had 28 points in last week's home loss against the Golden State Warriors. Rookie guard Rob Dillingham had 12 points in 18 minutes off the bench Saturday.

Technical taken back

A technical foul called on Edwards at the end of the second quarter of the New York game was rescinded after league office review earlier Saturday.

The Wolves' All-Star guard has nine technical fouls this season. He nearly picked up his 10th Saturday while twice staring down officials after heavy contact in the third quarter.