Cavs blast off against Rockets in Thursday’s win without Donovan Mitchell

After the Cleveland Cavaliers lost a nailbiter in New York to the Knicks on Tuesday night, the Wine and Gold were in Houston to take on an undermanned, underwhelming Rockets team.

But, the Cavaliers were down both Donovan Mitchell and Kevin Love entering last night’s game, so Cleveland’s other stars would have to rise to the occasion.

Many times this season, the Cavaliers have played up or down to the level of their competition. Case in point; the game against the Golden State Warriors last week. So how the Cavaliers came out of the gates on Thursday night would tell us a lot.

Cleveland also has had their fair share of struggles on the road. Going into last night’s game in Houston, the Wine and Gold were just 9-15 on the road.

So, with that said, here, let’s examine a couple of key takeaways from Thursday’s big win for the Cavs over the Rockets.

One takeaway from last night is that the Cavs jumped on the Rockets early and did not give the young Houston squad any hope.

Takeaway No. 1: The Cavs blasted off early on, and didn’t give the Rockets a chance to catch up

Darius Garland, who celebrated his 23rd birthday yesterday, took it upon himself to get the offense going as he scored 10 first-quarter points.

Evan Mobley also got going in the opening quarter, scoring 12 points and grabbing five rebounds, as he gave the Houston faithful a taste of what they could have had if the Rockets had selected him in the 2021 NBA Draft.

Cleveland’s defense also put the clamps on the Rockets from the jump. The Cavaliers forced six turnovers, which resulted in 15 points. Isaac Okoro, who also celebrated a birthday yesterday, did his part, as he held Rockets leading scorer Jalen Green scoreless in the first quarter.

Even though Cleveland jumped out to an early start, the key was sustaining the lead. The Cavaliers defense continued to pester Houston in the second quarter, holding the young Rockets team to just 9-of-23 shooting and 23 points.

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s offense continued their efficient evening, as they shot 55 percent from the floor and scored 37 points, led by Caris LeVert, who poured in 10 second-quarter points.

After 24 minutes, Cleveland went to halftime with a 26-point lead thanks mainly to shooting 57 percent on offense and forcing 11 turnovers, en route to 24 points.

Cleveland’s offense in the third quarter tapered off as they shot just 38 percent. However, the Cavaliers defense kept the pressure on the Rockets, as they forced seven more turnovers, leading to 11 more points.

With the Cavaliers top offensive scorer out of the lineup, another key takeaway from this game in Houston was the fact Cleveland’s defense played a big part in this decisive victory.

Takeaway No. 2: The defensive effort from the Cavs was on point

Through three quarters Cleveland’s defense held Green to just six points and overall forced 18 Rockets turnovers, which the Cavaliers turned into 35 points.

With the Cavaliers well ahead in the second half, they took their foot off the gas on the offensive end and scored 39 points while shooting just 33 percent. But that did not matter, as Cleveland held Houston to just 95 points and won by 18 points.

While this was just one win, it was an overall encouraging performance by the Cavaliers. After coming up short in games where they should have won on paper, it was refreshing to see the Wine and Gold dominate from start to finish, and their defense often the catalyst.

It was a well-rounded performance for the Cavaliers as well. Garland led all scorers with 26 points and dished out a game-high nine assists, keeping up his great level of play from recent weeks. Jarrett Allen recorded his 19th double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Overall, six Cavaliers recorded double-digit point totals.

Mobley continued his impressive string of performances, as he scored 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. In Mobley’s last eight games, the second-year big man has averaged 20.8 points on 58 percent shooting, while also grabbing nine rebounds and blocking over a shot per game.

The big key for Cleveland will be how they perform against the Oklahoma City Thunder, as they are a young, upstart team and are 8-4 in their last 12 games, but nonetheless, this was a solid win for the Wine and Gold.