Throughout an 82-game season, there are going to be nights when a team is going to have to scratch and claw to get a win.
Last night was one of those games for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Despite facing a Dallas Mavericks team without Luka Doncic and Spencer Dinwiddie, the Mavericks gave the Cavaliers a competitive game.
On Saturday night, the main thorn in the Cavaliers side was veteran point guard Kemba Walker, who was playing in just his third game of the season. Walker, who was just 4-of-13 from beyond the arc, did most of his damage from inside that arc.
Walker scored a game-high 32 points, and big man Christian Wood also had a productive scoring night with 26 points, including hitting five critical three-point shots.
Neither team shot the ball particularly well in the first half, and Cleveland was just 4-of-19 from beyond the arc but only trailed by two points after two quarters.
Cleveland was clearly fatigued after playing on Friday night against the Indiana Pacers, and a game that required a fourth quarter comeback at that. Isaac Okoro was the high-scoring Cavalier at the half with 10 points, as Donovan Mitchell was held to 3-of-8 shooting (0-of-4 from 3-point range) and 8 points.
The three-point shooting numbers did not get any better for Cleveland in the third quarter, as they were 0-of-7 and were just 4-of-26 for the game.
Free throws were also a struggle for the Cavaliers as a whole through three quarters, as they were 7-of-15 from the line.
To their credit, Cleveland didn’t solely try to shoot their way out of their slump. They attacked the basket and, through three quarters, had 44 of their 67 points in the paint.
Cleveland showed their fighting spirit in the final quarter, as they battled back and had a chance to win the game in regulation. However, Mitchell was called for a questionable offensive foul, and the game went to overtime.
Both teams were gassed after 48 minutes, and the play in OT reflected as such. A grand total of seven points was scored in the extra five minutes, and both teams combined to shoot 3-of-14 from the field.
But at the game’s end, Cleveland won with one final defensive stop, and they escaped with a one-point win.
The Cavaliers now get a much-needed day of rest on Sunday before welcoming in a team Mitchell knows quite well, the Utah Jazz.
As for the game last night, let’s get to the stud of the game first before the dud.
Cavs stud: Resiliency
Looking at the final box score, not one player for Cleveland had an overwhelmingly positive game against Dallas.
However, several different players stepped up at different times last night. If there was ever such thing as a true “team win,” last night was one of them.
Mitchell’s three-point shot was not falling, as he connected on just 1-of-9 three-point attempts. But, he still found ways to score the ball, as he consistently does, then by attacking the basket and getting to the foul line.
Darius Garland had 18 points and 12 big assists, while Evan Mobley poured in 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Mobley also hit a clutch corner three-pointer in the 4th quarter. He has not been shy about shooting more three-pointers and is cashing in on more of those attempts. If Mobley can consistently knock down the outside shot to go with his strong inside game, he will be even tougher to defend.
Okoro scored 10 points, but as usual, his scoring took a backseat to his stout defense. Okoro had a pair of blocks in this game. Overall, Okoro has done well on the defensive end with blocked shots. He has excellent bounce and shows great timing when going up for a contest.
Even Kevin Love chipped in with a trio of three-point makes that, at the end of the night, proved to be clutch baskets.
Wins like this one against Dallas are going to prove to be valuable in the long term. If Cleveland is to get into the playoffs, they will have their share of playoff games where shots aren’t falling and they will have to find a way to win.
Cavs dud: Team Shooting
In a game like this, several players could have been the highlight of this section of the article.
That being said, I’ve touched on Cedi Osman’s hot and cold streaks this season. Last night was a ho-hum night for Osman, as he scored just seven points in 17 minutes.
Jarrett Allen only attempted seven shots and scored eight points, but did grab 15 rebounds and was a factor on the defensive end of the floor, per usual.
The dud from last night’s game was simply the Cavaliers shooting, especially from beyond the arc.
While the Cavaliers are 12th in the NBA in three-point percentage (36.4%), they have had their clunkers shooting the long ball this season.
Overall on offense, the Cavaliers are 22nd in the NBA in overall field goal percentage and can get into ruts on offense when Garland and Mitchell are either out of the game or having an off night.
Cleveland does have Caris LeVert, who can get a basket from anywhere on the floor, but overall it seems like Cleveland is missing a consistent wing scorer. Sure it’s nice to have Lamar Stevens and Okoro, but they don’t exactly strike fear into opponents on offense.
It’s just one off night shooting, so there’s no need to overreact long-term, and at the end of the day, Cleveland got the win, which is what matters the most.