Well, it’s sure nice to be winning again. After falling into a five-game losing streak earlier this month, the Cleveland Cavaliers have now won two straight after a blow-out win over the Miami Heat last night. On Friday night the Cavs defeated the Hornets in double overtime by the score of 132-122. Then last night, Donovan Mitchell and company welcomed a short-handed Miami Heat squad into Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
All-Star point guard Darius Garland led all scorers with 25 points on a scalding 7-for-12 shooting night. However, it was Isaac Okoro and Cedi Osman who also filled up the stat sheet last night finishing with 13 and 20 points, respectively. It wasn’t Donovan Mitchell’s best game in the wine and gold, as he finished with only 13, on 5-of-12 shooting.
The Cleveland Cavaliers beat the Miami Heat on Sunday night. Which players stood out as studs and who put up a bit of a dud in the dominant win?
Overall it was a big win for the Cavs over a struggling Heat team. J.B. Bickerstaff’s defensive game plan held Miami to only 42 first-half points, as Cleveland jumped out to a 59-42 break at the halfway point. The Heat were without Tyler Herro, Jimmy Butler, and Victor Oladipo last night, so they were definitely not at full strength. However, it was still a big win for the Cavs, and a good sign of things to come for the bench squad.
Who stood out from the Cavaliers’ performance? Let’s look at a couple of studs and duds.
Stud: Cedi Osman & Isaac Okoro’s First Half
Cedi Osman was back to his old ways again on Sunday night. After starting the season on a tear he had been slumping a bit of late, but last night was a step in the right direction. Osman had 20 points on only 4-of-11 shooting from deep, but his +39 was one of the best stat lines of the season.
In addition to his crazy +/-, Cedi also had 12 rebounds last night. Without Kevin Love in the second unit, who was injured in the game, Osman took over on the glass and was aggressive on the boards all night. His hustle and determination led to multiple run-outs and easy buckets on the other end. Even when he’s not on fire from deep, he’s still a very valuable player to this young Cavalier roster, especially the deeper we get into the season.
Finally, Isaac Okoro‘s first half has to be mentioned. He was aggressive when he got his looks and shot 80% from the field. That included hitting two of his three shots from beyond the three-point line. There’s no doubt it’s been a disappointing year for Okoro, and his opportunities are getting fewer by the week. However, his first-half performance last night was notable, and considering what he’s done this season, notable might as well be exceptional.
Dud: Donovan Mitchell (Kind Of) & Frontcourt Depth
This is a rare occurrence given how well he has played this season, and may not happen again, but Donovan Mitchell was a bit of a dud last night. Granted, he was 5-of-12 from the field and still had 13 points, but that’s far from his 30+ PPG average. His shot just wasn’t falling, as he only connected on two of his seven three-point attempts. However, he didn’t force it, and the Cavs cruised to an easy win. His effort on the defensive end was pretty good as well, picking up two steals. It wasn’t his best game, but if we’re being honest it wasn’t really a dud either.
With Kevin Love missing last night’s game, for the first time in a long time, the frontcourt may have some depth issues. Now, we don’t know how long Kevin Love will be out, and Bickerstaff did say he expected him back sooner rather than later, but last night wasn’t great. Jarrett Allen only had six points and was oddly absent on the glass. Evan Mobley was great and finished with a double-double. However, behind those two, it’s pretty thin.
With Love and Dean Wade out right now, the Cavaliers’ backup frontcourt players are Robin Lopez and Evan’s brother Isaiah. The latter can still grow to be a good rotation player, but he’s not ready for that level quite yet. On the other end of the spectrum, Robin Lopez has been a great addition to the locker room, but he’s an aging, slow big man on the court. If these injuries persist, the Cavs must look for some rotational help before the playoffs. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if the Cavs were in the market for a big come the trade deadline.
Overall, a win is a win no matter who it was against. In this case, it was against a bad and injured Miami Heat team, but it’s still a big win. The Heat will take their talents, or lack thereof, to Minnesota to face another struggling squad in the Timberwolves on Monday night. The Cavs, on the other hand, will suit back up again tonight versus the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.
It’s not time to sound the alarm on the frontcourt depth, but it’s starting to look perilously thin and that stood out on Sunday. Hopefully, Love can be back shortly, and the Cavs are able to see growth from some of the young players.
After a big win, it should be a tough contest against the Hawks tonight. Two of the best, if not the two best, backcourts in the NBA will do battle as Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and company host Trae Young, Dejounte Murray, and the Atlanta Hawks tonight. Buckle up!