Cleveland Cavaliers Trounce New Orleans Pelicans 116-95

The Cleveland Cavaliers on the road manhandled the New Orleans Pelicans 116-95. The Cavaliers improve to 43-24, and the Pelicans fall to 39-26 on the season. Darius Garland had a team-high 27 points on 10 of 16 from the field, including six rebounds, 11 rebounds, two steals, and made six three-pointers. Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 17 points on 8 of 13 from the floor, gathered 10 rebounds, and blocked two shots. Georges Niang concluded with 16 points on 6 of 12 from the field, collected six rebounds, and hit four three-pointers.

Sam Merrill supplied 15 points on 5 of 10 from the floor, dished out nine assists, and drained five three-pointers off the bench. Damian Jones notched 14 points on 7 of 8 from the field, and caught six rebounds off the pine. The Cavaliers shot 50 percent from the field, and shot 44.4 percent on 20 of 45 from three-point range. The Cavaliers played well at both ends of the floor and they did a good job taking care of the basketball.

“That’s how we’re supposed to play,” Donovan Mitchell said. “Move the ball around, getting stops. It was just fun to watch and be a part of. We really stepped up against a great team, it was beautiful.”

For the Pelicans, Zion Williamson had a game-high 33 points on 13 of 21 from the floor, and picked up nine rebounds. Brandon Ingram scored 20 points on 8 of 14 from the field, to go along with five rebounds, and five assists. Trey Murphy III tossed in 11 points on 4 of 10 from the floor off the bench. The Pelicans shot 43.8 percent from the field, and shot 18.2 percent on 4 of 22 three-point distance. The Pelicans did not execute well enough offensively, and the Cavaliers outplayed them by a lot from three-point territory.