Cavs News: Keeping pace, Okoro trade, Kyrie Irving

The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers and Indiana Pacers met, 3-pointers fell like rain on the heads of the Cavs as Buddy Hield, Aaron Nesmith and Tyrese Haliburton hit a plethora of outside shots and outpaced the Cavs 135-126. 39 days later, the Cavaliers returned to Gainbridge Fieldhouse in Indianapolis and returned the favor.

Cleveland hit 15 3-pointers in a 122-103 victory last night, including three from Isaac Okoro and four from Darius Garland. They were both part of a potent showing from the starting lineup, with all five players scoring between 17 and 24 points.

Caris LeVert missed the game due to injury and Kevin Love was a DNP-CD as head coach J.B. Bickerstaff once again ran a tight rotation. Prior to garbage time, just three players came in off the bench: Dean Wade, Ricky Rubio and Cedi Osman. The success of this group could have trade deadline implications as LeVert (or Love??) is a candidate to be moved.

Donovan Mitchell struggled once again; he has not had his typical lift since injuring his groin, which affects his finishing and his jumper. He shot 6-of-18 from the field and 2-for-10 from deep, clawing his way to 19 points. Hopefully, the All-Star Break affords him some time to rest the injury and hit the ground running when he returns.

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Kyrie Irving’s trade demand came out of nowhere, promising drama ahead of Thursday’s NBA Trade Deadline. The question appeared to be whether a team would offer enough for Brooklyn to even consider trading him; that was apparently the wrong question, as multiple teams threw substantial packages at the Nets.

The Dallas Mavericks won the Kyrie sweepstakes, landing the All-Star point guard for a package of SPencer Dinwiddie, Dorian Finney-Smith, a 2029 first-round pick and a pair of second-rounders. The Nets can now try to convince Kevin Durant that they can compete for a title without Kyrie, while the Mavericks will try to reign in the mercurial guard and make a playoff push.

The Kyrie deal will have a large impact on the next few days before the deadline. If teams like the Los Angeles Lakers and Phoenix Suns were desperate enough to make substantial offers to the Nets, they may pivot to do the same around the league. Will players like Zach LaVine, Pascal Siakam or OG Anunoby be on the move?

Closer to home, we wrote this morning on a much smaller deal that was pitched for the Cavaliers by Bleacher Report. Should the Cavs consider trading Isaac Okoro for a veteran wing? We take a look at the deal from both sides and give a final verdict.

NBA scores

As the Cavaliers won, the Philadelphia 76ers lost to the New York Knicks as Evan Fournier came back from the dead to score 17 points. The Cavs are a half-game back of the Nets and 2.5 back of the 76ers, with the easiest remaining schedule of the three.

In the West, the top three seeds all lost on Sunday, while the New Orleans Pelicans and Minnesota Timberwolves notched valuable wins. With the news that Stephen Curry of the Golden State Warriors will miss multiple weeks, there is blood in the water for teams in the West’s middle to make a move for a Top-6 berth.

Coming up: The Cavaliers are now in Washington, D.C. to take on the Wizards tonight in a back-to-back.