The Cleveland Cavaliers have just defeated the New Orleans Pelicans. In this outing was a returning Cavalier superstar, excellent performances and new franchise record. Here’s a look at the Cavaliers 116-95 Victory over the Pelicans.
The clear highlight of this game was Darius Garland. Finishing the game with 27 points, six rebounds and 11 assists, Garland hit six threes this outing.
Jarrett Allen also finished with a double-double. He scored 17 points and grabbed 10 rebounds with two blocks.
Mitchell, playing only 27 minutes, scored 14 points, four rebounds and five assists. Not his best performance, but his first coming off a knee injury. The dip in production is no reason for Cleveland fans to worry.
Sam Merrill continues to be a hot hand off the bench. Finishing with 15 points all off the three ball, he also had nine assists. One more and he would have been the third Cavalier double-double.
Damian Jones also had his best night as a Cav. He finished with 14 points and six rebounds. If he can continue this level of play, he will certainly be able to help the Cavs more than he has been so far.
The scoring on the Pelican’s side of the ball was mostly limited to two players. Zion Williamson led the team in scoring with 33 points, nine rebounds and an assist. Following him was Brandon Ingram with 20 points and five rebounds and assists a piece.
Trey Murphy III was the only other player to score in double digits with 11. The rest of New Orleans’s scoring stat sheet was peppered with threes, fives and a single eight point performance.
The Pelicans are a quality team, sitting at fifth in the west with a 39-26 record. Although not at the top of the conference, they’re nipping at the Clippers’ heels only three games behind them.
And, with a defensive rating of 112.8, they’re currently tied for fifth lowest in the league. Cleveland has been playing well against the best teams in the league. Both locking down two great scorers in Ingram and Williamson and heftily defeating one of the best defensive teams in the league in one fell swoop is a good indicator for this Cavs squad.
Other than handily defeating an extremely talented team, the biggest standout for the Cavaliers was their assists total. With 38 assists dished out, they set a new franchise single-game assists record. Cleveland’s fluid ball movement has been a highlight for this team almost all season. Certainly having passed the eye test, this is now officially the best passing Cavs team in history. They’ve at least shown the capacity for it for a single game.
The Cavs play next against the Houston Rockets this Saturday (March 16) at 5:00 pm in Houston.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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