The Cleveland Cavaliers run past the Utah Jazz 129-113. The Cavaliers improve to 46-30, and the Jazz fall to 29-47 on the season. Caris LeVert led all scorers with 26 points on 9 of 13 from the field, and grabbed five rebounds. Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 21 points on 8 of 11 from the floor, pulled down 12 rebounds, and dished out five assists. Evan Mobley finished with 21 points on 9 of 14 from the field, including seven rebounds, five assists, two steals, and two blocks.
Max Strus scored 15 points on 4 of 8 from the floor, to go along with four rebounds, six assists, two steals, and nailed three from downtown. Sam Merrill tossed in 18 points on 6 of 13 from the field, picked up four rebounds, gave out five assists, and hit six three-pointers off the bench. The Cavaliers shot 54 percent from the field, and shot 41 percent on 16 of 39 from three-point range. The Cavaliers played great team basketball, and they got off to a good start in the 1st half.
“This was one of those nights where it felt like we played our type of basketball,” Allen said. “The ball was moving. We were talking on defense.”
For the Jazz, Brice Sensabaugh had a team-high 22 points on 8 of 14 from the floor, caught seven rebounds, handed out four assists, and buried six three-pointers. Collin Sexton racked up 19 points on 6 of 14 from the field. Taylor Hendricks tallied 18 points on 7 of 13 from the floor, stripped away two steals, and sunk four three-pointers. Talen Horton-Tucker generated 12 points on 5 of 7 from the field off the pine. Luka Samantic put up 12 points on 3 of 6 from the floor, and collected five rebounds off the bench.
Omer Yurtseven accrued 11 points on 5 of 10 from the field, and nabbed six rebounds off the pine. The Jazz shot 48.2 percent from the field, and shot 43.2 percent on 16 of 37 from behind the three-point line. The Jazz played sloppy with 19 turnovers but the big reason they lost is because they played bad on the defensive end. The Jazz have now lost 10 games in a row.
All posts by Sean Slaughter
Cleveland Cavaliers Hold On With Win Against Philadelphia 76ers 117-114
The Cleveland Cavaliers at home win a tight one against the Philadelphia 76ers 117-114. The Cavaliers improve to 45-29, and the 76ers fall to 39-35 on the season. Georges Niang led all scorers with 25 points on 10 of 14 from the field, and made five three-pointers off the bench. Evan Mobley posted a double-double with 20 points on 7 of 10 from the floor, including 11 rebounds, and two blocks. Max Strus totaled 15 points on 6 of 9 from the field.
Darius Garland recorded a double-double with 14 points on 6 of 12 from the floor, and dished out 12 assists. Jarrett Allen chipped in a double-double with 13 points on 6 of 9 from the field, and grabbed 11 rebounds. Sam Merrill poured in 13 points on 4 of 8 from the floor, and drained four three-pointers off the pine. The Cavaliers shot 55 percent from the field, and shot 43.2 percent on 16 of 37 from three-point range. The Cavaliers shared the ball well and executed well offensively.
“We’ve been injured and hurt, but there’s no excuse at this point,” Mitchell said. “We’ve got to go out there and continue to find ways to win these games and be ready at the right time.”
For the 76ers, Kyle Lowry led the way with 23 points on 7 of 12 from the field, gave out six assists, and hit four three-pointers. Tobias Harris put in 21 points on 8 of 17 from the floor, picked up seven rebounds, and buried four three-pointers. Mo Bamba tallied 14 points on 6 of 7 from the field, to go along with seven rebounds, and two blocks. Paul Reed registered 12 points on 3 of 7 from the floor, plucked seven rebounds, and blocked three shots off the bench. Buddy Hield managed 10 points on 4 of 6 from the field, and snagged four rebounds off the pine. The 76ers shot 44.7 percent from the field, and shot 40 percent on 16 of 40 from behind the three-point line. The 76ers competed well on the road, but they did not get stops on defense when they needed to. The 76ers have now lost five of their last six games.
Cleveland Cavaliers Burst Charlotte Hornets 115-92
The Cleveland Cavaliers at home blow by the Charlotte Hornets 115-92. The Cavaliers improve to 44-28, and the Hornets fall to 17-54 on the season. Evan Mobley finished with 17 points on 8 of 12 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds, and dished out eight assists. Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 17 points on 7 of 9 from the floor, pulled down 13 rebounds, and gave out four assists. Darius Garland recorded a double-double with 15 points on 6 of 12 from the field, collected four rebounds, and handed out 10 assists.
Isaac Okoro scored 14 points on 5 of 11 from the floor, caught five rebounds, and made three triples. Georges Niang registered 17 points on 6 of 11 from the field, and drained five three-pointers off the bench. Sam Merrill generated 12 points on 4 of 8 from the floor, plucked four rebounds, and hit four three-pointers off the pine. The Cavaliers shot 53.5 percent from the field, and shot 41.5 percent on 17 of 41 from beyond the arc.
The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Hornets 47 to 33. The Cavaliers outscored the Hornets in the paint 50 to 36. The Cavaliers bench outscored the Hornets bench 45 to 30. The Cavaliers won because of how well they played on defense.
“I never really want to get ejected from a game,” Morris said. “I still want to help my team, but I’m just happy we responded really well. Going forward, man, like I told the team, each of these games got to be treated like the playoffs.”
For the Hornets, Brandon Miller had a team-high 24 points on 8 of 18 from the field, snagged eight rebounds, and hit three from deep. Tre Mann tossed in 12 points on 5 of 11 from the floor, including seven rebounds, and five assists. Nick Richards logged 11 points on 3 of 6 from the field, and blocked two shots. Aleksej Pokusevski totaled 11 points on 4 of 7 from the floor, to go along with five rebounds, and two steals. The Hornets shot 42.5 percent from the field, and shot 32 percent on 9 of 28 from three-point range. The Hornets struggled offensively in the 1st half and they could not recover from that. The Hornets have now lost five straight games.
Cleveland Cavaliers Hold Off Indiana Pacers 108-103
The Cleveland Cavaliers on the road pull out the win against the Indiana Pacers 108-103. The Cavaliers improve to 43-25, and the Pacers fall to 38-31 on the season. Caris LeVert posted a double-double with 23 points on 7 of 15 from the field, to go along with eight rebounds, and 11 assists. Jarrett Allen put up 23 points on 8 of 12 from the floor, and grabbed nine rebounds. Georges Niang scored 13 points on 5 of 8 from the field, and buried three triples.
Marcus Morris Sr. added 14 points on 5 of 7 from the floor, picked up four rebounds, and drained four three-pointers off the bench. Sam Merrill tallied 11 points on 3 of 8 from the field off the pine. The Cavaliers shot 47.5 percent from the field, and shot 37.5 percent on 12 of 32 from three-point range. The Cavaliers played sloppy with 14 turnovers, but they got stops on defense when they needed to in the 4th quarter. Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell did not play with a nasal fracture, Evan Mobley was out with an ankle injury, and Max Strus missed the game with a knee injury. The Cavaliers played well despite having three starters out.
“We’ve got a lot of guys capable of contributing and making big plays down the stretch,” LeVert said. “Our defense really held up the last three quarters of the game and won us that game. That’s a good offensive team. We held them to what, 103? That says a lot about our defense.”
For the Pacers, Pascal Siakim recorded a double-double with 19 points on 9 of 18 from the field, and gathered 12 rebounds. Myles Turner concluded with 12 points on 5 of 10 from the floor. T.J. McConnell dropped in 14 points on 7 of 11 from the field, including four assists, and two steals off the bench. Jalen Smith concluded with 11 points on 3 of 9 from the floor, and pulled down eight rebounds off the pine. Obi Toppin logged 10 points on 4 of 6 from the field, and snatched eight rebounds off the bench.
The Pacers shot 46.2 percent from the field, and shot 23.7 percent on 9 of 38 from behind the three-point line. The Pacers outscored the Cavaliers in the paint 54 to 44. The Pacers bench outscored the Cavaliers bench 40 to 27. The Pacers played too inconsistent offensively.
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.
Cleveland Cavaliers Beat Down Minnesota Timberwolves In Overtime 113-104
The Cleveland Cavaliers at home charge past the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime 113-104. Darius Garland had a team-high 34 points on 13 of 26 from the field, grabbed four rebounds, dished out six assists, but turned the ball over six times. Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 33 points on 9 of 19 from the floor, including 18 rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Georges Niang put up 16 points on 6 of 10 from the field, picked up six rebounds, gave out four assists, and blocked two shots. The Cavaliers shot 43.2 percent from the field, and shot 32.4 percent on 11 of 34 from three-point range. The Cavaliers played physical and got stops on defense.
“It just boosts us for when everybody else gets back,” Allen said. “Contrary to belief, we’re better when everybody is in the lineup.”
For the Timberwolves, Naz Reid led the way with 34 points on 10 of 18 from the field, snagged five rebounds, and blocked two shots off the bench. Jaden McDaniels finished with 13 points on 5 of 11 from the floor, to go along with five rebounds. Kyle Anderson dropped in 10 points on 5 of 9 from the field, and handed out five assists. The Timberwolves shot 41.5 percent from the field, and shot 26.7 percent on 8 of 30 from behind the three-point line. The Timberwolves competed well on the road, but they fell apart offensively in the 4th quarter.
Cleveland Cavaliers Stun Boston Celtics 105-104
The Cleveland Cavaliers at home shock the Boston Celtics 105-104. The Cavaliers improve to 40-21, and the Celtics fall to 48-13 on the season. Dean Wade had a team-high 23 points on 8 of 11 from the field, including eight rebounds, two steals, and made six three-pointers off the bench. Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 21 points on 9 of 16 from the floor, and grabbed 12 rebounds. Isaac Okoro scored 16 points on 5 of 11 from the field, caught four rebounds, blocked two shots, and hit four three-pointers.
The Cavaliers shot 43.3 percent from the field, and shot 47.6 percent on 20 of 42 from three-point territory. The Cavaliers bench outscored the Celtics bench 42 to 18. The Cavaliers got stops on defense when they needed to, and they came back in the 4th quarter after being down by as many as 22 points. The Cavaliers were still able to win despite the Cavaliers best player Donovan Mitchell not playing with a knee injury, and Max Strus being out with a knee injury.
“That’s what happens when you don’t match the gas and don’t put an NBA team away,” Brown said. “Tip your cap to Dean Wade. He got hot, but we should have won that game. We haven’t really seen a team storm back like that.”
For the Celtics, Jayson Tatum had a game-high 26 points on 8 of 21 from the floor, snagged 13 rebounds, and drained five three-pointers. Kristaps Porzingis concluded with 24 points on 9 of 18 from the field, to go along with nine rebounds, three blocks, two steals, and nailed three triples. Jaylen Brown dropped in 21 points on 8 of 20 from the floor, dished out four assists, and sunk three from deep. Jrue Holiday registered 12 points on 5 of 9 from the field, pulled down four rebounds, and stripped away two steals. The Celtics shot 42 percent from the field, and shot 39.5 percent on 15 of 38 from beyond the arc. The Celtics did not execute well enough offensively, and they fell apart in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers end the Celtics 11 game win streak.
Cleveland Cavaliers Top Detroit Pistons 110-100
The Cleveland Cavaliers on the road rout the Detroit Pistons 110-100. The Cavaliers improve to 39-20, and the Pistons fall to 9-50 on the season. Darius Garland had a game-high 29 points on 9 of 21 from the field, grabbed five rebounds, and made eight three-pointers. Evan Mobley posted a double-double with 22 points on 7 of 13 from the floor, including 17 rebounds, seven assists, two steals, and two blocks. Max Strus put in 14 points on 4 of 11 from the field, gathered four rebounds, and dished out four assists.
Isaac Okoro finished with 12 points on 4 of 9 from the floor, and gave out four assists. Sam Merrill added 12 points on 4 of 9 from the field, and drained four three-pointers off the bench. The Cavaliers shot 39.8 percent from the field, and shot 44 percent on 18 of 41 from three-point distance. The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Pistons 53 to 42. The Cavaliers played sloppy with 15 turnovers but they did a fantastic job getting stops on defense. The Cavaliers played well despite Donovan Mitchell not playing with a knee injury, and Caris LeVert missed the game with an elbow injury.
“It felt really good coming out of my hand tonight,” Garland said. “We were missing two big pieces of our team, so I had to be super aggressive.”
For the Pistons, Cade Cunningham led the way with 21 points on 6 of 19 from the floor, and handed out 10 assists. Jaden Ivey scored 18 points on 6 of 17 from the field, and dished out four assists. Isaiah Stewart dumped in 16 points on 6 of 12 from the floor, nabbed nine rebounds, blocked three shots, and buried four three-pointers. Ausar Thompson racked up 15 points on 6 of 11 from the field, to go along with seven rebounds, five steals, and three blocks. Jalen Duren recorded a double-double with 14 points on 4 of 7 from the floor, and plucked 10 rebounds. The Pistons shot 37 percent from the field, and shot 27.8 percent on 10 of 36 from beyond the arc. The Pistons outscored the Cavaliers in the paint 40 to 28. The Pistons did not shoot the ball at a high enough percentage, and they have now lost seven of their last eight games.
Max Strus Game-Winning Half Court Shot Leads Cavs Past Mavericks 121-119
The Cleveland Cavaliers at home win a close game against the Dallas Mavericks 121-119. The Cavaliers improve to 38-19, and the Mavericks fall to 33-25 on the season. Donovan Mitchell had a team-high 31 points on 11 of 20 from the field, grabbed seven rebounds, and made seven three-pointers. Max Strus scored 21 points on 7 of 12 from the floor, picked up four rebounds, dished out four assists, blocked two shots, and hit seven three-pointers. Strus also hit a clutch game winning three-point shot.
Jarrett Allen finished with 19 points on 7 of 9 from the field, and collected nine rebounds. Evan Mobley managed 12 points on 5 of 11 from the floor, snagged nine rebounds, and gave out seven assists. Caris LeVert poured in 11 points on 5 of 10 from the field, caught four rebounds, and handed out six assists off the bench. Georges Niang racked up 10 points on 4 of 6 from the floor, and snatched five rebounds off the pine.
The Cavaliers shot 53 percent from the field, and shot 50 percent on 20 of 40 from three-point range. The Cavaliers out-rebounded the Mavericks 47 to 36. The Cavaliers bench outscored the Mavericks bench 30 to 17. The Cavaliers played sloppy with 16 turnovers but they did shoot the ball well.
“Incredible shot. That was just an incredible shot,” Doncic said. “It was my fault, I should have pressed forward (on Strus). I thought we played a good game, but that was rough, obviously.”
For the Mavericks, Luka Doncic had a game-high 45 points on 17 of 29 from the field, including nine rebounds, 14 assists, three steals, and sunk six three-pointers. Kyrie Irving totaled 30 points on 12 of 24 from the floor, plucked six rebounds, and knocked down five three-pointers. P.J. Washington tallied 11 points on 5 of 8 from the field to go along with three steals. The Mavericks shot 52.7 percent from the field, and shot 42.4 percent on 14 of 33 from behind the three-point line. The Mavericks did compete well on the road but they did not get stops on defense when they needed to.
Cleveland Cavaliers Charge Past Washington Wizards 114-105
The Cleveland Cavaliers on the road knocked off the Washington Wizards 114-105. The Cavaliers improve to 37-19, and the Wizards fall to 9-48 on the season. Jarrett Allen posted a double-double with 22 points on 11 of 18 from the field, grabbed 12 rebounds, and dished out five assists. Evan Mobley finished with 21 on 9 of 11 from the floor, including six rebounds, and five blocks. Darius Garland scored 17 points on 6 of 15 from the field, handed out seven assists, and made three triples.
Donovan Mitchell registered 16 points on 4 of 10 from the floor, gave out five assists, and drained three triples. Caris LeVert chipped in a double-double with 18 points on 6 of 10 from the field, caught 12 rebounds, and dished out eight assists off the bench. The Cavaliers 50.6 percent from the field, and shot 31.3 percent on 10 of 32 from three-point range. The Cavaliers outscored the Wizards in the paint 60 to 48. The Cavaliers played well consistently on defense.
“I thought we defended well when we needed to,” Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. “We just need to be better. I don’t think we played to our standard tonight. I expected more fire from our group after losing two games in a row and having the opportunity to play another one.”
For the Wizards, Jordan Poole led all scorers 31 points on 11 of 21 from the field, to go along with five rebounds, five assists, and nailed six three-pointers off the pine. Kyle Kuzma dropped in 27 points on 10 of 24 from the floor, picked up seven rebounds, and dished out five assists. Richaun Homes generated 11 points on 4 of 6 from the field, and snatched seven rebounds off the bench. The Wizards shot 44.4 percent from the field, and shot 30 percent on 12 of 40 from three-point distance. The Wizards bench outscored the Cavaliers bench 47 to 35. The Wizards didn’t play a good enough game offensively, and they have now lost 11 games in a row. Corey Kispert did not play with an illness.
probasketballtalkblog 