Yesterday afternoon it was announced that the Cavs would be without Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell for Friday’s game in Detroit. Playing without Garland hasn’t been an issue for the Cavs this season, but playing without both of their starting guards was new territory for this year’s Cavalier team. Throughout the afternoon I wondered how the Cavs would be able to compete with a very good, young Pistons team.
Well, Cleveland put those doubts to rest when they took complete control of the game with a 28-4 run in the second quarter. On top of that, the Cavaliers absolutely dominated the paint in the first half, outscoring the Pistons 34-10 in that area. The Cavaliers took a 57-39 lead into halftime and never looked back.
The Cleveland Cavaliers demolished the Detroit Pistons last night. Who stood out for the Cavs, and who couldn’t take advantage of a larger role?
Jarrett Allen was the top scorer in the game, finishing with 23 points. The big man from Texas also gobbled up seven rebounds and swatted two shots. Evan Mobley wasn’t a dominant force on the offensive end, finishing with 11 points. However, his defensive effort was spectacular, finishing the game with a career-high eight blocks. Before the Cavaliers move their focus to the lowly Los Angeles Lakers, who they play on Sunday, let’s take a look at one stud and one dud from last night’s masterpiece.
Stud: Kevin Love
I’m being completely honest when I say that at this point last year, I thought it would be best to move on from the often-injured veteran big man. In reality, I could not have been more wrong. Kevin Love put in a masterclass effort last night, scoring 22 points while shooting 4-of-7 from deep. However, his scoring wasn’t the best part of his game last night, it was his passing.
Love finished with 10 assists, with many of them being absolute dime passes to cutting teammates, or wide-open guys on the perimeter. With the game out of reach for the Pistons in the fourth quarter, Love only played three and a half minutes in the fourth quarter, despite being only two rebounds away from his first triple-double in years.
Love has become a leader and a very important role player for a dangerous Cavalier team. Even when the triple-double was in reach for Love, he told head coach JB Bickerstaff to let some of the younger guys play in the blowout win.
"“That shows you what kind of player Kevin is,” Bickerstaff said. “I discussed it with him, and he told me to do what was best for the game, and that was to give some minutes to our younger guys.” JB Bickerstaff, Cavalier Head Coach (ESPN)"
Dud: Isaac Okoro
It’s becoming more and more clear that Isaac Okoro is a player that really provides little value to this Cavalier team. I’m not saying they should move him for nothing, but I do think Koby Altman and Mike Gansey put out some feelers for him in the trade market. Last night, with the opportunity to start, Okoro didn’t do much to impress. He finished with 9 points on 4-of-6 shooting while missing his only attempt from three.
This season is crucial to Okoro and his career with the Cavaliers, though it is looking like he may not be destined to be a Cavalier for very long. The biggest thing that Okoro provides is his perimeter defense, and he’s not making that many plays that warrant him much playing time.
Donovan Mitchell has come from Utah with a great attitude and has been one of the best, if not the best, Cavalier perimeter defenders. With that being said, Okoro is still a tough guy to score on, but on the offensive end, he just doesn’t provide enough. Outside of scoring, Okoro grabbed four rebounds and had one steal. Okoro probably still has a good amount of time to prove himself to the front office and coaching staff, but as of right now, his place in the rotation is starting to slip.
Overall it was an incredibly impressive win for the Cavaliers, They dominated from the tip, and looked like a true contender in the Eastern Conference, even without Garland and Mitchell. Evan Mobley’s defensive play was incredible, and he’s a real candidate for defensive player of the year. After the game, Bickerstaff had some high praise for his young big man.
"“It wasn’t just eight blocks — it was eight blocks that retained possession and he did it without committing a foul,” Bickerstaff said. “That’s old school Bill Russell stuff we’re talking about.” JB Bickerstaff (ESPN)"
The Cavaliers will travel all the way across the country to play the struggling Lakers on Sunday afternoon. It will be LeBron’s first chance to look at how good his hometown team can actually be now, and in the near future. It’s still up in the air as to if we’ll see Mitchell and Garland back on the court together on Sunday. However, even if the Cavs have to play without both of their guards, they have shown that they are capable of playing well without them.