All-Stars Evan Mobley, Donovan Mitchell pace Cavs to 128-107 win over slow-starting Timberwolves

CLEVELAND (AP) — Evan Mobley scored 28 points, fellow All-Star Donovan Mitchell added 23 and the Cleveland Cavaliers broke out to a big early lead and had little trouble against Minnesota, beating the Timberwolves 128-107 on Monday night.

The East-leading Cavs scored the game's first 16 points. They welcomed new addition De'Andre Hunter and improved to 25-4 at home.

The versatile Hunter, who gives Cleveland a much-needed wing defender for the playoffs, was acquired last week from Atlanta. He started his Cavs debut in place of an injured Max Strus and finished with 12 points in 23 minutes.

All-Star Anthony Edwards scored 44 to pace Minnesota, which missed its first 16 shots and scored just 12 in the first quarter.

Hunter's 3-pointer — his first basket for Cleveland — put the Cavs ahead 40-16 in the second quarter.

The Timberwolves didn't get closer than 15 the rest of the way.

Mitchell went 10 of 14 from the floor and added eight assists. Cleveland's Jarrett Allen had 14 points and 13 rebounds.

Before the game, an arbitration panel ruled t hat controlling Minnesota owner Glen Taylor must cede control of the team to Marc Lore and Alex Rodriguez, who agreed to buy the club for $1.5 billion three years ago.

Timberwolves: The brutal shooting start was dooming. Minnesota's first five points came on free throws before Edwards finally knocked down a 3-pointer with 2:54 left in the first.

Cavaliers: Coach Kenny Atkinson is intrigued by the possibilities with Hunter, who can start or come off the bench.

The Cavs got 3-pointers from rookie Jaylon Tyson and Ty Jerome, after he stole an inbounds pass, in the final 3.2 seconds of the third quarter to push their lead to 26.

Cleveland is 21-3 when Mobley scores at least 20.

Timberwolves host Milwaukee on Wednesday while Cavaliers are at Toronto in its final game before the break.

AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/nba

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham (4) goes to the basket in front of Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Rob Dillingham, left, goes to the basket in front of Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert (27) dunks between Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) and center Jarrett Allen, right, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) shoots between Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) and forward Evan Mobley (4) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Joe Ingles, center, clowns around with Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland, front, as he talks with referee John Goble (10) after a whistle in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter, right, celebrates with teammate Darius Garland, left, after a basket in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Minnesota Timberwolves, Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards (5) drives upcourt with Cleveland Cavaliers forward De'Andre Hunter, second from left, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) gestures in front of Minnesota Timberwolves center Naz Reid (11) after hitting a 3-point basket in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell, left, shoots over Minnesota Timberwolves guard Jaylen Clark, center, and center Naz Reid (11) in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley, right, dunks in front of Minnesota Timberwolves center Rudy Gobert, left, in the first half of an NBA basketball game Monday, Feb. 10, 2025, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Sue Ogrocki)

RHO, Italy (AP) — No ice is colder and harder than speedskating ice. The precision it takes has meant that Olympic speedskaters have never competed for gold on a temporary indoor rink – until the 2026 Milan Cortina Winter Games.

In the pursuit of maximum glide and minimum friction, Olympic officials brought on ice master Mark Messer, a veteran of six previous Olympic speedskating tracks and the ice technician in charge of the Olympic Oval in Calgary, Canada — one of the fastest tracks in the world with over 300 records.

Messer has been putting that experience to work one thin layer of ice at a time since the end of October at the new Speed Skating Stadium, built inside adjacent trade fair halls in the city of Rho just north of Milan.

“It’s one of the biggest challenges I’ve had in icemaking,’’ Messer said during an interview less than two weeks into the process.

If Goldilocks were a speedskater, hockey ice would be medium hard, for fast puck movement and sharp turns. Figure skating ice would be softer, allowing push off for jumps and so the ice doesn’t shatter on landing. Curling ice is the softest and warmest of all, for controlled sliding.

For speedskating ice to be just right, it must be hard, cold and clean. And very, very smooth.

“The blades are so sharp, that if there is some dirt, the blade will lose the edge,’’ Messer said, and the skater will lose speed.

Speedskater Enrico Fabris, who won two Olympic golds in Turin in 2006, has traded in his skates to be deputy sports manager at the speedskating venue in Rho. For him, perfect ice means the conditions are the same for all skaters — and then if it's fast ice, so much the better.

"It's more of a pleasure to skate on this ice,'' he said.

Messer’s first Olympics were in Calgary in 1988 — the first time speedskating was held indoors. “That gave us some advantages because we didn’t have to worry about the weather, wind blowing or rain,’’ he said. Now he is upping the challenge by becoming the first ice master to build a temporary rink for the Olympics.

Before Messer arrived in Italy, workers spent weeks setting up insulation to level the floor and then a network of pipes and rubber tubes that carry glycol — an antifreeze — that is brought down to minus 7 or minus 8 degrees Celsius (17.6 to 19.4 degrees Fahrenheit) to make the ice.

Water is run through a purification system — but it can’t be too pure, or the ice that forms will be too brittle. Just the right amount of impurities “holds the ice together,’’ Messer said.

The first layers of water are applied slowly, with a spray nozzle; after the ice reaches a few centimeters it is painted white — a full day’s work — and the stripes are added to make lanes.

“The first one takes about 45 minutes. And then as soon as it freezes, we go back and do it again, and again and again. So we do it hundreds of times,’’ Messer said.

As the ice gets thicker, and is more stable, workers apply subsequent layers of water with hoses. Messer attaches his hose to hockey sticks for easier spreading.

What must absolutely be avoided is dirt, dust or frost — all of which can cause friction for the skaters, slowing them down. The goal is that when the skaters push “they can go as far as possible with the least amount of effort,’’ Messer said.

The Zamboni ice resurfacing machine plays a key role in keeping the track clean, cutting off a layer and spraying water to make a new surface.

One challenge is gauging how quickly the water from the resurfacing machine freezes in the temporary rink.

Another is getting the ice to the right thickness so that the Zamboni, weighing in at six tons, doesn’t shift the insulation, rubber tubing or ice itself.

“When you drive that out, if there’s anything moving it will move. We don’t want that,’’ Messer said.

The rink got its first big test on Nov. 29-30 during a Junior World Cup event. In a permanent rink, test events are usually held a year before the Olympics, leaving more time for adjustments. “We have a very small window to learn,’’ Messer acknowledged.

Dutch speedskater Kayo Vos, who won the men’s neo-senior 1,000 meters, said the ice was a little soft — but Messer didn’t seem too concerned.

“We went very modest to start, now we can start to change the temperatures and try to make it faster and still maintain it as a safe ice,’’ he said.

Fine-tuning the air temperature and humidity and ice temperature must be done methodically — taking into account that there will be 6,000 spectators in the venue for each event. The next real test will be on Jan. 31, when the Olympians take to the ice for their first training session.

“Eighty percent of the work is done but the hardest part is the last 20 percent, where we have to try to find the values and the way of running the equipment so all the skaters get the same conditions and all the skaters get the best conditions,’’ Messer said.

AP Winter Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/milan-cortina-2026-winter-olympics

Serpentines are set on the ice of the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Workers clean the ice surface during a peed skating Junior World Cup and Olympic test event, in Rho, near Milan, Italy, Saturday, Nov. 29, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)

Ice Master Mark Messer poses in the stadium where speed skating discipline of the Milan Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics will take place, in Rho, outskirt of Milan, Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025. (AP Photo/Luca Bruno)