In their final home game before the NBA All-Star Game, the Cleveland Cavaliers gave their fans plenty to get pumped about in a 105-92 win against the visiting San Antonio Spurs.
Cleveland withstood an early flurry from the Spurs and battled back to finish the opening 12 minutes down by just a single point.
A returning Darius Garland took over the second quarter as he scored nine points in the frame and dished out a pair of assists. At the half, Cleveland found themselves up by nine points.
In the third quarter, Cleveland went up by as many as 23 points, but San Antonio stayed resilient, and the Cavaliers were up by 11 points entering the final quarter. San Antonio would get as close as seven points, but ultimately the Cavaliers withstood all the Spurs runs and wound up winning by 13.
After the opening quarter, Cleveland’s defense did a good job settling down against San Antonio. The Spurs shot just 38 percent from the floor and 24 percent from beyond the arc. Cleveland also forced 13 turnovers, and the Wine and Gold scored 18 points off those turnovers.
This game was also the first time Caris LeVert suited up for the Wine and Gold. In 28 minutes of game action, LeVert shot just 4-of-11 from the floor and scored 11 points.
It will take some time for LeVert to get acclimated to playing with his new teammates, but we saw glimpses of what his recent trade addition will do for the Cavaliers. He can create shots for himself and can also find teammates for open looks.
Overall, the Cavs enter the final three games before the All-Star break with a 34-21 record.
As for Wednesday night’s stud, his return to the lineup was a pleasant sight to see, and he picked up right where he left off.
Cavs stud: Darius Garland
Before Wednesday night’s game, Darius Garland missed Cleveland’s last four games with lower back soreness. It was clear what Cleveland missed in those four games when Garland was not on the floor. At times, the offense appeared stagnant as no one could run the offense quite like Garland.
In those four games Garland missed, the offense averaged 99 points per game. While the offense scored only six more points last night, Garland’s presence was evident throughout the night and it is easy to see why Garland was selected to his first career All-Star game.
Not only is Garland a constant threat to score, but his passing ability has improved immensely this season. Garland has perfected the lob pass to big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley and is also good at catching shooters out on the perimeter.
Garland got the Cavs rolling last night in the second quarter with a team-high nine points and scored nine more points in the third quarter to help the Cavaliers keep their lead. Garland was an ultra-efficient 8-of-9 from the floor in the second and third quarters, including 2-of-2 from three-point range.
Garland connected on 12-of-15 shots (80 percent) for 27 points and dished out six assists though he did turn the ball over six times. Nevertheless, it was still a fantastic performance from the third-year guard.
Now with the presence of LeVert in the lineup, Garland has to be excited, as teams cannot guard him too heavily, or he can find his new backcourt mate who is plenty capable of making teams pay as well. We’ll have to see if LeVert eventually does begin starting games, but either way, he’ll get plenty of minutes with Garland, one would assume.
While the Cavaliers picked up their seventh straight win at home last night, not all members of the Wine and Gold had their best performances.
Cavs dud: Dean Wade
Cleveland has dealt with their fair share of injuries and players missing time due to health and safety protocols throughout the season, which has given players such as Dean Wade the chance to see extended playing time.
So far this season, Wade has reached double-figure scoring in 10 games and is connecting on 37 percent of his three-point shots.
Wade, who was in the starting lineup again, saw 16 minutes of action last night. However, he only attempted two shots during his time on the floor and did not register a single point. Wade’s only two shot attempts were in the third quarter as he did not register one attempt in the first half.
The only impact Wade made on the traditional box score was grabbing a single rebound and dishing out a single assist.
With the Cavaliers adding talent to their roster, and Lauri Markkanen not too far away from making his return it seems, Wade’s minutes may take a hit if the Cavaliers remain healthy. Wade’s best role on this team is off the bench, where he can use his shooting ability to help spread the floor.
While last night was a game Wade would like to forget, he has been a nice spark for the Cavaliers, and on most nights, anything Wade can give the Wine and Gold is a bonus. And in fairness, his defensive play was solid still, as it usually is; it just wasn’t a particularly noteworthy for him generally.
The Cavs continue to hang tough in the ever-tight Eastern Conference race as they sit in fourth place currently and finish the unofficial “first-half” with a trio of road games. If the Cavaliers remain healthy and continue to gel, they will be gearing up for their first non-LeBron James playoff run since 1998.