Cavs News: Mobley game-winner, clutch games, 10-day options

On Monday night Donovan Mitchell and Jarrett Allen ran the two-man game down the stretch to overcome the Chicago Bulls. Mitchell dropped 71 points, of course, but Allen had 21 points and multiple key shots down the stretch to key the Cleveland Cavaliers’ comeback.

Last night, Mitchell was on a slightly slower pace against the Phoenix Suns, scoring 20 points in the midst of a defensive battle. Allen likewise didn’t have it, with just two points on three shots. At the end of the game, therefore, with the score tied, the Suns threw defenders at Mitchell as he drove into the paint and he needed another option to save the day.

On Monday passing the ball to Evan Mobley would have meant throwing the ball out of bounds to the Cavaliers’ bench; last night Mobley was back in the lineup and nailed the free-throw line jumper with four seconds left to give the Cavs the 90-88 victory.

Caris LeVert scored 21 points filling in again for Darius Garland, and Raul Neto scored 14 points and was an absolute menace defensively. The Cavs didn’t have it on offense last night, but their defense smothered the Suns the entire game and kept them in the game so that Mobley could win it.

More Cavs news

Does it seem like the Cavaliers have played a lot of clutch games recently? You wouldn’t be wrong; according to NBA.com’s definition of a “clutch” game (the score is within five points during the final five minutes) the Cavs have played an NBA-high 25 clutch games, and have a 15-10 record in those contests. They are also 6-0 in overtime games after winning on Monday.

Today is the day on the NBA calendar when teams can sign players to 10-day contracts, a feature that allows a number of unsigned players to get NBA exposure. We began our coverage with a look at three free-agent sharpshooters the Cavs could sign with varying levels of experience.

NBA news

Saddiq Bey hit the game-winning 3-pointer to lift the Detroit Pistons over the Golden State Warriors, snapping the defending champs’ five-game winning streak. The Brooklyn Nets also had their streak end, with the Chicago Bulls stopping their run at 12 games by winning 121-112.

Finally, the Toronto Raptors went on a furious 28-7 run in the final four minutes to force overtime…but then Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks were too much, winning in overtime to push the Raptors even further down the standings. The Raptors are in 12th and just two games ahead of the Orlando Magic for 13th.

Coming up: The Cavaliers leave for a five-game Western Conference road trip, starting Friday in Denver.