LeBron James, Kyrie Irving help Cleveland Cavaliers pull away from Minnesota Timberwolves

MINNEAPOLIS -- Losing a star player is never easy, but the best teams in the NBA find a way to get by when that does happen.

That is what the Cleveland Cavaliers did Tuesday.

Hours after it was announced that forward Kevin Love would be out six weeks following knee surgery, Cleveland used a collaborative effort in Love's absence en route to a 116-108 victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday.

LeBron James and Kyrie Irving each scored 25 points, and James added 14 assists, but the two stars had help from elsewhere on the roster. Channing Frye stepped up in extended minutes to score 21 points and grab 10 rebounds, while Derrick Williams had 13 points off the bench in just his third game with Cleveland.

Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson contributed 14 points and 11 boards.

With Love and his 20 points per game on the mend for a month and a half, Cleveland (38-16) will need more games like Tuesday's win in order to keep things rolling.

"The one thing that we can always rely on is the fact that we've played without Kev before," James said. "We've had to do that in the playoffs. As much as you don't like to play without some of your big guns, sometimes if it happens then you're just ready for it."

The Cavaliers withstood a big night by Timberwolves forward Andrew Wiggins, who scored 41 points, matching his second-highest total of the season.

Wiggins had help from Karl-Anthony Towns, who scored 26 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Gorgui Dieng added 12 points, but no other Timberwolves player reached double figures in scoring.

Cleveland held Wiggins to four points in the fourth quarter.

"We did a lot of good things, but we didn't finish the game off like we should have," Wiggins said.

A step-back 3-pointer by James and a fastbreak layup by Williams -- a former Timberwolf -- pushed Cleveland's lead to 114-106 with 1:39 to play. That essentially sealed the win for the Cavaliers.

Williams is currently on a 10-day contract with Cleveland after previously playing for the Miami Heat this season. His new teammates and coach had plenty of positives to say about his performance Tuesday.

"He plays extremely hard, plays above the rim. He can guard 2 through almost 5," Irving said of Williams. "Then when you have the ability to do that and you're on a team like this, we're going to get you the ball and we're going to put you in a spot to be successful on both ends."

Cleveland earned its second win over Minnesota in a two-week span. The Cavaliers beat the Timberwolves 125-97 on Feb. 1.

Cleveland took its biggest lead, 14 points, midway through the third quarter when Irving hit a deep 3-pointer. Wiggins singlehandedly brought the Timberwolves back.

Wiggins scored 19 points in the third period, including a late 3-pointer and a buzzer-beating jumper to tie it at 93 heading into the fourth. Wiggins was 14 of 22 from the floor through the third but went 2 of 7 in the fourth.

"He took over for part of the game, and he's capable to do that," Minnesota point guard Ricky Rubio said of Wiggins. "He's a great player. We need more of that. I know it's hard to ask, but he's capable of it."

Minnesota (21-35) is struggling to guard the 3-point arc this season, while Cleveland entered Tuesday's game as one of the top 3-point-shooting teams in the league. While the Cavaliers shot only 33.3 percent from long range, they converted 13 3-pointers.

Cavaliers guard Iman Shumpert hit three 3-pointers for all of his nine points.

Cleveland is now 6-1 so far in February after a rocky 7-8 mark in January.

"For me, it's been a good month so far and for our team after a not so good January," James said. "But at the end of the day, we've got one more game (Wednesday), the (All-Star) break is coming up. I think we all can use it."

NOTES: Timberwolves G Zach LaVine had successful surgery Tuesday to repair a torn ACL in his left knee. LaVine, who is averaging a career-high 18.9 points, sustained the injury Feb. 3 in Minnesota's game against Detroit. ... Minnesota plays Wednesday at Denver before a nine-day break for the NBA All-Star Game. The Timberwolves return to action Feb. 24 against Dallas. ... Cleveland hosts Indianapolis on Wednesday before the Cavaliers enter the All-Star break. The Cavs' first game after the break is Feb. 23 against the New York Knicks.