The Cleveland Cavaliers are just the gift that keeps on giving. The Wine and Gold finished off another undefeated week with a 126-99 drubbing of the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday night. The win improved the Cavs’ home record to 16-1 on the season and their overall record to 25-4.
Cleveland heads into Christmas with the best record in the league. What were the main themes from this week? Here are the three biggest takeaways from week nine of Cavs basketball.
1. Georges Niang’s resurgence
Niang’s debut season with Cleveland last year was a mixed bag as he battled shooting slumps, but he has enjoyed a comeback season this year, specifically in the month of December. Niang is shooting 51.5 percent from three on four attempts per game.
Niang is also shooting 61 percent from the field and is shooting above league average on corner threes (43.8 percent) and at the rim (66.7 percent). He is also shooting 68 percent on floaters. He has been efficient offensively and a huge reason why the Cavs have the sixth highest scoring bench unit in the league (39.1 points per game).
2. Darius Garland continues his hot shooting
Garland has continued his comeback season and had another hot week of shooting, in which he shot 70.5 percent from three-point range. This included 26 points in 26 minutes against the Sixers.
Garland has played with much more confidence and freedom this year and it has led to him having one of the most efficient seasons of his career. He is shooting above league average on top of the key threes (42.8 percent) and is making nearly 67 percent of his floaters.
Garland’s hot shooting has opened up the floor for Cleveland’s offense and has been a big reason for their hot start.
3. Defensive intensity is back
The Cavs dealt with a little defensive slippage in recent weeks, but got back to their stout ways in their three games this week. Cleveland gave up 101, 101, and 99 in their three games, giving them a defensive rating of 101 for the week.
The Cavs ball pressure was the theme of the week, as they forced an average of 18 turnovers per game, which has led to a lot of fastbreak opportunities. The Cavs also limited their opponents three-point output, only allowing a percentage of 36 percent.
Coach Kenny Atkinson has said that this team’s identity is still defense, despite their high-octane offense, so it’s good to see Cleveland getting back to that.
What to look forward to:
The Cavs open their week at home against the Utah Jazz tonight and then have a four game Western Conference road trip coming up against the Nuggets, Warriors, Lakers, and Mavericks.