On Thanksgiving eve, the Cleveland Cavaliers entertained the red-hot Phoenix Suns and went toe-to-toe with the defending Western Conference champions. While the Wine and Gold put up quite an effort, they would falter down the stretch and fell by five points.
While the Cavaliers have dropped their last five games, it has been an encouraging sign to see them stay competitive in most games despite being hindered by a plethora of injuries.
While times like these are tough, Cleveland is getting an extended look at a few players who may not see many meaningful minutes if the squad was 100 percent healthy. Or other players may have to play an expanded role they are not used to, which can have positive and negative consequences.
The first half was a promising one from the Cavaliers, as they took a five-point lead into halftime led by Jarrett Allen. While the Suns shot better from the floor, Cleveland did force 10 turnovers while they only committed four turnovers themselves.
Cleveland hung with Phoenix throughout the second half, thanks largely to Cedi Osman stepping up with 15 huge points in the final 24 minutes. While the Cavs had their chances down the stretch to tie the game, they just couldn’t get a timely shot to fall, and the Suns handled their free throws that would eventually ice the game.
As mentioned above, while disappointing, these type of games are hopefully going to be valuable learning lessons for this young Cavaliers squad. While a few players for Cleveland stood out tonight, there was one that ultimately did enough to stand out above the rest and be named tonight’s star.
The Cavs stud in this loss to the Suns: Jarrett Allen
Cleveland’s big man tandem of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen is one of the better frontcourt duos in the NBA this season. Although Mobley is still making his way back from injury (granted, he is reportedly progressing tangibly), Allen is back in the lineup and seemingly picking up where he left off pre-illness.
As mentioned earlier, Allen paced the Cavaliers with 18 points in the first half and grabbed nine rebounds. While all of Allen’s shot makes came in the paint, it is impressive to see how Allen scores the ball, as he has a bevy of moves and isn’t afraid to go right at any defender in the paint.
But as we’ve come to know, Allen has made a name for himself on the defensive side of the ball too. Currently, Allen is tied for ninth amongst all NBA players in contested shots per game of players who have played in at least 10 games, per NBA.com’s hustle data.
Allen was at it again last night, and while he didn’t have one block, he did record eight contested shots. Overall, Allen would wind up scoring 25 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in the losing effort. Allen was an impressive 9-of-10 from the floor and even better made the most of his trips to the foul line and hit 7-of-9 from the charity stripe.
Once the Cavaliers get back their near-full complement of players (sans Collin Sexton though) and Allen gets his frontcourt mate back, Cleveland will hopefully convert some of these close losses into wins. But despite the losses, these types of strong performances by Allen are nice to see and he is undoubtedly doing his part to live up to the lucrative contract he signed this past offseason.
The Cavs dud in this loss to the Suns: Dean Wade
While the Jarrett Allen performance was one of the night’s highlights, one player indeed had a dud of a performance, hence being slotted in this part of the article.
Last week I highlighted Dean Wade as the stud from the Golden State Warriors game where he scored 17 points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out five assists. Wednesday night though was a much different story.
Wade was on the floor for 16 minutes but only registered two shot attempts and scored zero points. Wade also didn’t grab a single rebound or record an assist. The only numbers in the box score for Wade were the three personal fouls he picked up.
As highlighted in previous articles, these games are crucial for Wade, as he is getting extended minutes and can make a case to the coaching staff for more minutes even when the Cavs get healthier.
While Wade is a nice story and has carved out a solid role for himself, he is a role player at best. However, that isn’t a knock on the undrafted free agent from Kansas State. Teams need players like Wade, as he is versatile and can spread the floor.
Wednesday night’s performance surely did not help Cleveland, but I would expect Wade to bounce back and contribute more in the upcoming games.
Cleveland now has a couple of days to rest and enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday before playing the Orlando Magic at home on Saturday. The Magic come into town with just four wins and are 3-8 on the road, so it is shaping up to be an excellent chance for Cleveland to snap their losing streak.