NBA Notes: Cavs, Donovan Mitchell, Timberwolves, Anthony Edwards, Jazz

Cavaliers

It wasn’t necessarily a thing of beauty, but the Cavaliers stepped back into the win column with a 117-109 home victory over the Hawks on Sunday. Donovan Mitchell returned from a one-game absence and erupted for 37.

Cleveland outscored Atlanta 39-33 in the fourth, and that was enough to snap a two-game skid and move the Cavs to 4-3.

Coach Kenny Atkinson said it was not about panic, but it still mattered.

“I felt like this was one we needed to get,” he told reporters. “Not a must-win situation this early in the season, but it’s kind of like, we needed this one for confidence — especially after the Toronto loss, where we felt like we had chances to win that.”

The offense is still clunky without Darius Garland, Sam Merrill. Jarrett Allen and Max Strus. Atkinson said the glass became the lever the Cavs could pull.

“Our offense wasn’t great, we didn’t shoot it great, and we just attacked the offensive boards, especially in the second half,” Atkinson said. “We knew that was one of their weaknesses.

“We really emphasized that in our scout, our pregame. Kept telling them during the game, keep going to the boards on these guys.”

Timberwolves

Star guard Anthony Edwards has been cleared for contact, though he is not quite ready to return. He strained his right hamstring a week ago and the Timberwolves announced he will remain out Monday at Brooklyn.

Minnesota visits the Knicks on Wednesday. Then it hosts the Jazz on Friday before traveling to Sacramento on Sunday and Utah next Monday.

Edwards was injured three minutes into the home opener on Oct. 26 against the Pacers. This will be his fourth straight absence, which is already his most missed games in four years. He played in 72 games in 2021-22.

Jazz

Walker Kessler will miss the remaining four games of the road trip because of left shoulder soreness, as relayed by Andy Larsen of the Salt Lake Tribune. The Jazz sent him back to Utah for testing.

Kessler missed time in the preseason with bursitis in the same shoulder. However, he did start and play in each of Utah’s first five games.

He sat out Sunday in Charlotte and will also miss Boston, Detroit, and Minnesota. The earliest he could return would be Nov. 10, when the Jazz host the Wolves in the second of a home-and-home.