While last night’s game against the Los Angeles Lakers was just one of 82 in the regular season, it is impossible to deny it wasn’t an important game for the Cleveland Cavaliers.
LeBron James was back in town, which typically draws national attention. However, the Cavaliers have only defeated James once at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse (formerly Quicken Loans Arena), which was back on March 29, 2011.
Cleveland was sparked in the first quarter by a returning Jarrett Allen, who was a perfect 7-of-7 from the field in the first quarter for 14 points.
Allen’s first quarter spark helped the Cavaliers as both teams struggled from three-point range in the first quarter. Cleveland hit 1-of-7 from beyond the arc, while the Lakers went 3-of-14.
Allen’s torrid start continued into the second quarter as he added eight points and went into the half with 22 points and seven assists. The Lakers shooting woes also carried over into the second quarter, and LA shot just 3-of-20 from beyond the arc in the first half.
But, the Cavaliers defense in the paint was shaky during the first half, as the Lakers shot 13-of-17 in the paint. Despite allowing the Lakers several easy looks in the first 24 minutes, Cleveland led 57-49 at the half.
In fairness, the Lakers did lose reigning Western Conference Player of the Week, Anthony Davis, who played just eight minutes before exiting the game with what was reportedly to be flu-like symptoms.
Cleveland pushed the lead to nine points at one point in the third quarter, but LA fought back and cut the lead to just two points entering the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter, though, Cleveland’s defense, which was tied with the Milwaukee Bucks for the best NBA defensive rating (106.7), put the clamps down on the Lakers.
LeBron only took one shot, and overall, Cleveland held LA to just 7-of-20 (35%) shooting, including 0-of-7 from three-point range.
Meanwhile, the Cavaliers were sparked by a 21-6 run late in the fourth quarter to help them put the Lakers away. Cleveland’s record at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse improved to 11-1 on the season with the win over LA.
As for the stud of last night’s game, there is only one logical choice.
Cavaliers stud from Tuesday’s win: Donovan Mitchell
While Cleveland was known for their defense last season, finishing with the fifth-best defensive rating in the league (108.9), one aspect they were missing as a team a year ago was a true game-changer on the offensive side of the ball.
The acquisition of Donovan Mitchell over the offseason changed the Cavaliers outlook on the offensive side of the ball, and that was on full display against the Lakers.
Mitchell got off to a slow start, shooting just 1-of-5 in the first quarter, but that slow start didn’t deter him, as Mitchell shot 5-of-6 and scored 11 points.
Through three quarters, Mitchell struggled with his outside shot (2-of-6), but still managed to score 26 points, getting into the teeth of the defense multiple times and finishing at the rim or in the paint.
However, it was the 4th quarter where Mitchell shined last night. He shot 5-of-6 from the field, including knocking down a pair of three-pointers and going a perfect 5-of-5 from the foul line.
Mitchell nearly outscored the Lakers by himself in the final 12 minutes, scoring 17 points, while LA scored just 19 fourth quarter points.
As Mitchell stepped to the line to score his 42nd and 43rd points of the night, the sellout crowd began chanting, “MVP!” toward the Cavaliers star guard.
After the game, Mitchell called this moment “full circle,” via reporter Hayden Grove of Cleveland.com, as he essentially used to watch games where the Cleveland crowd would shower LeBron with “MVP” chants. Now, he’s the one on the receiving end of those chants.
However, the Cavaliers starters had to do most of the heavy lifting last night, leading us to our Cavs dud from Tuesday.
Cavaliers dud from Tuesday’s win: The bench
While the win over the Lakers last night was a signature win for the Cavaliers, some concerns still arose.
The biggest of those concerns last night was the lack of bench production. The regular bench rotation for Cleveland scored a combined 18 points, led by Caris LeVert with seven points.
Kevin Love, who, in fairness, is getting over a hairline fracture in his thumb, is having trouble shooting the ball. In his three games since returning to the rotation, Love is shooting just 3-of-12 from beyond the arc and has scored a combined 10 points the past two games, factoring in Cleveland’s ugly loss to the New York Knicks on Sunday night as well.
Love was a team-worst minus-14 in the plus-minus department, and he played just 9 minutes. He also has had trouble defensively, and on Tuesday, had four fouls in those nine minutes. Granted, once Love’s injury is healed, his shooting percentages should improve, but his lack of production off the bench, and at times his defense is hurting the Cavaliers now.
Overall, regarding the offensive end, the trio of Cedi Osman, LeVert, and Love can be counted on to hit a timely shot or two most nights, but last night, that trio combined to shoot just 1-of-8 on threes.
Cleveland’s backcourt is averaging north of 50 points per game, and Allen and Evan Mobley can get their points every night, but a key to the Cavaliers success this season will be their bench production, and it has to start showing some improvement.
While their next game is not until Friday, Cleveland has a couple of days to rest and recharge.
With eight of their next 10 games at home, the Cavaliers have an excellent chance of improving their position in the Eastern Conference standings as the calendar creeps toward 2023.