Cleveland Cavaliers’ last game vs Lakers is their blueprint for now

The Cleveland Cavaliers responded well last night against the Los Angeles Lakers, and that game could be one they look back on.

The Cleveland Cavaliers came into their last game against the Los Angeles Lakers losing 12 straight games. In last night’s matchup, though, they were a whole lot better than they were in other games in that horrid losing stretch. In that 12-game losing streak, Cleveland was being outscored by 18.3 points per game, per NBA.com. Against the Lakers on the road (granted, LeBron James wasn’t playing but their variety of playmakers is still a tough test), Cleveland led virtually the whole way en route to a 101-95 win, as they played much more sound on both ends of the floor.

The Cavs played good transition defense for most of the game, and that forced L.A. into a considerable amount of unnecessary shots and turnovers.

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Cleveland’s off-ball defense (rotations after ball-swings in particular), was much better than in recent games before against the New Orleans Pelicans and Houston Rockets, in which Cleveland conceded 140 and 141 points and a combined 53.2 percent shooting rate, respectively (per NBA.com).

Against the Lakers, the Cavs had significantly less defensive breakdowns, and were effective in helping the helper on the majority of occasions.

That led to the Lakers only making seven three-pointers in the game on 34 attempts, per ESPN, and Cleveland held key L.A. catch-and-shoot specialists Kentavious Caldwell-Pope and Josh Hart in check, while making players such as Brandon Ingram (31.0 percent from deep on the season) shoot from three in bad spots.

Ingram and Kyle Kuzma did make some tough shots, but Cedi Osman and others were much sharper in their coverages of key playmakers. Credit Alec Burks for making it tough for Ingram on a number of occasions as well.

Yes, Kuzma and Ingram combined for 51 points, but Lonzo Ball, Hart and JaVale McGee (who is very effective as a rim runner and putback specialist) combined to shoot just nine-of-29, according to ESPN.

Caldwell-Pope also shot just two-for-nine; Cleveland has often had trouble defending catch-and-shoot role players like him, and credit the Cavs for being much more disciplined in their closeouts and not being out of position nearly as much.

On the offensive end, the Cleveland Cavaliers were under control, and did not allow the Lakers to speed them up often. Collin Sexton, Alec Burks, Osman and Tristan Thompson all were effective in not trying to force things and letting the game come to them, while Cleveland consistently got good shots from sufficient ball-swings creating good matchups.

Sexton was very good overall, as he was patient in finding his spots, and got Ball over-extending a bit and used change of pace well in this one as well as other recent games, as our own Jackson Flickinger highlighted.

Sexton had 17 points on 50.0 percent shooting, and finished well near the rim after nice patience in settled situations. He also showed more progression as a passer, as he was not forcing things as much in the interior, and finished with three assists but could have had several more last night. Sexton was a Cavs’ game-high plus-16, too, per ESPN.

Burks, despite reportedly being in the middle of trade rumors likely because of his expiring contract, has continued to make good decisions in settled offense and is a stabilizing presence on the floor.

He had 17 points, including seven-of-eight from the foul line, and had four assists (while having no turnovers). His 13 rebounds were a major bonus as well.

Osman was not forcing the action as often as he’s often done in other games, and his patience in getting mismatches was encouraging. While he can be erratic in having tunnel-vision at times when driving which leads to bad shots, he was much more efficient yesterday and used the rim well to shield shot blockers away.

Those nuances are crucial for him to reach his ceiling as a very solid NBA starter. Just like his last meeting against the Lakers, Osman had 20 points, to go with eight rebounds and a plus-minus of plus-12.

This game really showed the full array of Osman’s game as a scorer, and it’s another game he can build on.

Thompson did what he’s been doing most of the season against L.A., as he was physical on both ends on the glass and as a screener for Cleveland’s playmakers. He set the tone in the paint with 15 points on 50.0 percent shooting, while having 14 rebounds and two blocks.

Thompson also deserves a good amount of credit for McGee only having two points in 23 minutes, according to ESPN.

Rodney Hood (who reportedly could be on the trade block as well due to his expiring contract) also deserves some credit for his workmanlike 18 points and three assists yesterday.

Like Osman, he played at a nice controlled pace in the halfcourt, and had some timely cuts leading to easy baskets for the Cavs that were a solid lift throughout the game. I’d like to see him have this sort of assertiveness more often.

Cleveland had all of their starters in double-figures, which was huge.

The Cavs’ bench did not have their biggest production of the year, as they only combined for 15 points, but energy plays from players such as Jaron Blossomgame and Jordan Clarkson on the road for a team dealing with a barrage of injuries helped.

I wouldn’t expect Clarkson and Matthew Dellavedova to only have 12 points and four assists between the two of them very often, either.

With how depleted Cleveland is currently, this sort of game could be the blueprint for them for how to stay in games and give themselves a chance. The ball movement was good for most of the night, and the Cavs’ defense had significantly less breakdowns.

The Lakers did miss 11 free throws, yes, but there was much more consistency in where help was coming from, and the transition defense was better than it’s been in recent weeks. Conceding only 11 fastbreak points against the team averaging the second-most transition points in the league (per NBA.com) is a nice sign for the Cavs.

It was great to see the Cavaliers respond to a number of beatings in a positive way on the road, and this kind of effort, combined with a bit more offensive flow from the bench could be how they make strides with their on-floor product in the coming months.