Cleveland Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson hailed Georges Niang and Ty Jerome's influence after they helped them wrestle control from the Minnesota Timberwolves in the second half.

The Cavaliers had lost two of their last three games going into their game against Minnesota but extended their lead at the top of the Eastern Conference with a 124-117 victory on Saturday.

The teams were level at half-time but dominated in the second half, opening up a 10-point lead in the third quarter before hammering home their advantage in the fourth.

They were without Evan Mobley and Isaac Okoro through injury, but Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points, with Darius Garland adding 29 in their absence.

However, when asked about the team's performance, Atkinson picked out Niang and Jerome's contributions as the turning point for them against the Timberwolves.

"It's seamless when they get into the game, they play how we want to play," Atkinson said. "They're great connectors with super high IQ and then shoot the heck out of it.

"On the defensive side, it's the same thing. They're connected. They're smart, they cause turnovers, but that was the difference in the game when those guys came in, and we turned it in the third quarter.

"Ty is having a heck of a year. I'm happy for him."

CAVS WIN!@KayJewelers | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/FpaIYK7zYM

— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) January 19, 2025

Jerome scored six straight points to end the third quarter, including a three-point play with four seconds remaining, swinging the momentum in Cleveland's favour.

Atkinson was delighted with how the squad dug in despite their absences to get the win over the line.

"Sometimes you're short-handed," he added. "I knew they were on a back-to-back. All that factors into it.

"Our guys are bought in. We're not just standing, we got rules. They understand them, they bought into them and that's one of the keys."