1 stud and 1 dud for Cavs in win over the Pacers on Friday

The Cleveland Cavaliers have built this successful season on resilience and team play. No matter the matchup, deficit, or who is on the court, the team has continued to find ways to win basketball games. Friday night was no different as the team came back down as much as 21 points to knock off the new-look Indiana Pacers 120-113.

This win now has them in second place of the Eastern Conference and a win and a Miami Heat loss in last night’s NBA matchups would have had them tied for the best record in the NBA. No one expected the team to be as good as they’ve been but strong defensive efforts and offensive play of Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, Kevin Love, and Evan Mobley have them here for a reason.

The new addition in Caris LeVert improves their potential for this season and he showed out against his former team. It was his play last night that has him as the Cavs performer of the game.

Cavs Stud: Caris LeVert

The Cleveland Cavaliers made an aggressive move to acquire Caris LeVert this past weekend, trading Ricky Rubio, a protected first-round pick and a second-round pick, along with a future pick down the road. Cleveland also got back a second-round pick, as an aside.

The lack of shot creation due to injuries made the trade a necessity and so far, LeVert has fit right in.

Darius Garland being out because of lower back soreness meant that LeVert got his first start with the team in yesterday’s win against the Indiana Pacers. The game started slow for both LeVert and the Cavaliers as they saw themselves down 47-28 after the first quarter.

A deficit like that hasn’t fazed the Cavs in the past and it didn’t faze them last night. LeVert and the team would continue to chip away at the lead, bringing the game within reach. Once the fourth quarter hit, LeVert took over, hitting all four shots he took in the period. Looking deeper into his fourth quarter play, all four of his baskets came in the clutch.

It’s that type of shot creation late that the Cavaliers have been desperately looking for sans Collin Sexton and Ricky Rubio. Darius Garland has been able to handle this burden but once the game slows down like it does in the clutch and as it will in the playoffs, you will need multiple big shot makers and LeVert has proven to be one of those.

Known mainly for his offense, it was his defense that also played a huge part in the team’s win. LeVert had three steals and a block in this outing and it was his aggressive defense that helped to force multiple shot clock violations at the end of this game.

LeVert did all the right things and has fit in seamlessly with the team in just his second game.

Cavs Dud: Evan Mobley?

It’s very hard to call Evan Mobley as this game’s dud considering his elite-level defensive play but the poor offensive play should be discussed, not only for this game but over the last couple of weeks. In 29 minutes of play, Mobley had just eight points and a single rebound.

Mobley attempted just six shots this game which is tied for the lowest amount he’s attempted at this point of his career. Considering his recent play, it seems as if Mobley may have hit the patented “rookie wall” and the long grind of the season may be checking up to him.

Over the last seven games, Mobley has had four games of 10 or fewer points. Prior to this stretch, Mobley has had four total games of 10 or fewer points this season; yes, you read that right.

Looking back at the Pacers game, Mobley had zero points, rebounds, and assists going into halftime and attempted just two total shots in the first half. Mobley was finally able to get points on the board in the third quarter but didn’t record a rebound or assist until the fourth quarter.

Again, it’s hard to call Mobley a dud because of how much his defense impacted this game and it’s that defensive prowess that makes his recent slump not so bad. This upcoming All-Star break should do wonders for Mobley as it allows for a reset heading into the final stretch of the regular season.