Cleveland had three games during Thanksgiving week. Here is how they went.
The Cavaliers started Darius Garland, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Despite both Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray sitting this game, it was hard fought. Nikola Jokic got off to a physical start on both ends of the floor, scoring twice in the paint early as well as committing two early fouls. Allen struggled against Jokic in the first half, but the Cavaliers did not. They entered halftime winning 58-66 (37 of which were scored in the second) and went on to defeat Denver 109-121. Jokic finished with five fouls and appeared visibly frustrated at times, something that could benefit the Cavaliers in a postseason matchup.
Darius Garland led the team in scoring, finishing with 26 points and six assists. Behind him was the rookie Craig Porter Jr with 21 points, four rebounds and four assists. Evan Mobley also put up a solid performance including 16 points, 10 rebounds and five assists.
This game the Cavaliers started Darius Garland, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
Cleveland had a bit of a rough start to this one missing their first three shots, but managed to gain the lead by the end of the quarter (27-24). Porter Jr played aggressively, making three early moves on Embiid. The first two were followed by buckets in the paint. The third attempt, although missing, did show that Porter Jr has the ability to create space against the league’s best defenders.
This game was much closer than the Denver game, spilling into overtime. Cleveland ended up securing a close 122-119 victory.
Darius Garland looked great, finishing with 32 points and eight assists. Allen also looked the best he’s looked all season. He finished with an impressive 26 points and 13 rebounds. Mobley played just as effectively, finishing with 18 points and 12 boards. Strus finished with 20 points (off five threes) and both Porter Jr (nine assists) and Georges Niang (seven rebounds) finished with 12 points.
The Cavs started Darius Garland, Craig Porter Jr, Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen.
This game was an all around rough for the Cavs. Snapping a four game winning streak the Heat handed Cleveland their biggest loss of the season at 129-96. Despite the loss, though, some depth players did get solid minutes.
Porter Jr finished with a team high 16 points, five assists and three boards. Garland finished with 14 points, Mobley with 13 (and 10 boards), Caris LeVert with 12, and Niang with 11. Emoni Bates played a solid 16 minutes, putting up a line of three points with a rebound and an assist. Isaiah Mobley played nine minutes and scored two points with three assists and a rebound.
Winning two out of three games this week is a plus for the Cavs. Especially considering the fact that Cleveland is dealing with multiple players injured, and that they played quality teams this week. In both the Denver and Philadelphia games the Cavs proved they can not only hang with, but definitively defeat the best teams in the league. Players like Garland and Allen are looking like they’re returning to all-star form, and new players like Porter Jr and Strus are establishing themselves as nightly contributors. The Cavaliers also proved they can deal with injury (a major postseason factor). Regardless of the loss, it was a good week for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
The Cavs host the Los Angeles Lakers tomorrow night (25 November 2023) at 7:30 PM.
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Featured photo courtesy of NBA.com
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