MINNEAPOLIS _ For at least one night, Channing Frye played like an All-Star while filling in for an All-Star. The Cavaliers needed his effort to hold off Andrew Wiggins and the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Frye matched season highs with 21 points and 10 rebounds in his first start in place of Kevin Love and the Cavs beat the Timberwolves, 116-108, for their sixth win in their last seven games. The victory came hours after the team learned they'll be without Love for up to six weeks following arthroscopic surgery on his left knee.
LeBron James had 25 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds and Kyrie Irving scored 25 points for the Cavs. Tristan Thompson scored 14 points and grabbed 11 rebounds.
Coach Tyronn Lue elected to start Frye against the Timberwolves and indicated he will start again Wednesday when the Cavs host the Indiana Pacers in the final game before the All-Star break.
The lack of a backup point guard has forced Frye to play a little differently this season. He has played more pick-and-roll with the second unit when James is the ball handler, leaving Frye to set screens and roll to the basket more instead of planting his feet around the perimeter and knocking down 3s. Moving into the starting lineup Tuesday allowed him to get back to his more natural game and the results were evident.
Wiggins was terrific again, scoring 41 points against the team that drafted him and then traded him. It was the third 40-point game of his career and all have been this season. Wiggins has done his best to punish the Cavs for the decision to trade him to Minnesota in exchange for Love prior to his rookie season. He entered averaging 27.6 points against the Cavs, his highest mark against any opponent in the league. Yet for all of his scoring, Wiggins has never beaten them.
He scored 19 in the third quarter Tuesday to bring the Wolves back after they trailed by 14 earlier in the quarter. Wiggins scored the Timberwolves' last 10 points of the third, including eight in the final two minutes. His basket from just inside the 3-point line at the quarter buzzer following a James turnover tied the game at 93 entering the fourth.
The Cavs didn't trail, however. A dunk by Derrick Williams against his former team reclaimed the lead and Frye added a long jumper to keep the Cavs in front.
Williams has played plenty of games against the team that drafted him second overall in 2011, and like Wiggins has often played some of his best games against them _ only on a much smaller scale. Williams entered averaging 12.8 points a game against Minnesota, which also ranks as his best against any opponent. He scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds Tuesday in his third game with his new team.
"It wasn't too long ago that I got drafted here," Williams said before the game. "Every time I come back, I definitely want to play well."
