Just when the night seemed like it was going to be another heartbreaking loss, the Cavs managed to pull through. For the goodness of Ohio sports this weekend, the Cavs at least helped finish the weekend on a high note.
This really ended up being a game of runs, and halves. Both teams traded runs back and forth in the 1st half and with the Raptors leading at the break by 10 points. The Raptors managed to shoot 54% from the field in the 1st half, while the Cavs only managed 17 points in the 2Q.
It's been covered (probably too much) in these columns about teams hot start out of the gate against the Cavs. I’m not sure if that’s the players not being ready, teams having a good initial game plan, some luck, or some combination of all three but the Cavs have got down early, quick. The Raptors went up 19-11 early; however, the Cavs quickly responded with a 13-4 run of their own.
The Cavs followed that up by going 3-11 with a turnover to quickly change the tides again. From game to game and even within games themselves it just seems like the Cavs have tremendous peaks and valleys, and really can’t stabilize their game for any consistent length of time.
The Cavs went on a run of their own with some three-pointers in the 2Q, and eventually went up 38-32. But sure enough, the Raptors finished off most of the 2Q on a 15-0 run. During that time, the Cavs went 0-7 with 3 turnovers.
Sense a theme of the Cavs runs? The runs they go on seem to be punctuated by three-pointers, while the runs they give up are a lot of empty, sloppy offensive possessions. They have to do a better job of stabilizing their offensive output so it’s not such prolonged lowliness that it subjects them to debilitating runs.
The Cavs guards found Jarrett Allen early and often, and he got off to a quick 10-point 1Q. Allen ended up in some foul trouble in the 2H but he was a key component to keeping the Cavs around in the 1H.
Slowly but surely it seems like Evan Mobley’s jump-shot is appearing. This is now a few of games in a row where he's converted a foul-line area jumper. This is a prickly conversation to have three years into his career but any progress on this front is progress to note. He finished 5-14 from the field, and 0-1 from three-point range but chipped in on other fronts with 14 rebounds, and 2 blocks.
Despite CRAIG! Porter Jr averaging 24 minutes in his last 5 games, he was a (healthy) DNP tonight. With a near healthy roster, JB Bickerstaff is going to have some decisions to make. When Garland plays 41 minutes, Donovan Mitchell 34 minutes and Max Strus 37 minutes, and your bench depth is primarily on the wing without the ability to of any of them to play up to a forward spot, there’s not going to be enough minutes for the three starters, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, CRAIG and Jerome. LeVert and Okoro seem to have solidified some minutes off the bench, while the point guard spot may be dependent on matchups and injuries.
One wrinkle JBB seemed to play around with this game is getting Mobley in spots where he can get downhill to the basket. One particular play in the first half had Mobley looping around from the side of the floor into the middle on a type of dribble hand-off that lead to him getting a shot at the rim. With his size, mobility and dribbling ability, this is an interesting way to utilize him off the ball and maximize the Cavs starting lineup shooters. The Cavs need more rim attacks and with his ability to shoot or pass, it’s something we hopefully see more of.
Where in the world of Carmen Sandiego was Mitchell in the first half? He had 2 points and was 1-5 from the field heading into the break. That was his lowest scoring half of the year and only the 7th time he’s had under double digits in a half. Mitchell’s struggles continued in the 2H and finished the game 4-17 from the field with only 3 free-throw attempts. Mitchell was struggling to finish around the rim and did not seem to have many clean looks at the basket all night. To his credit, despite a poor shooting night and nonexistent 1H, he finished the 2H a +13.
Outside of the Portland game, Mitchell has really struggled with his efficiency of late. He’s shooting 35.5% (43-121) from the field and 32.5% (14-43) from three in his last 6 games. He started the season really hot in his first 7 games but has seemingly gone the other way in the last 6 games.
The Cavs had only 3 three-pointers at half but that quickly changed with Strus going en fuego in the 3Q for 20 points. Strus finished the night 4-9 from deep with 20 points, 11 rebounds, 5 assists and 1 block. Just a cool 20-10 for your free agent sharpshooter. Without Strus getting the Cavs out a funk in the 3Q, I’m not sure where this game ends up. He was hitting some incredibly difficult shots and really put pressure on the Raptors defense with his ability to hit them from beyond the arc and off of movement.
An updated stat tracker: Strus and Georges Niang have each hit 2+ three-pointers in 5 straight games.
How did the Raptors hang around all game despite shooting 41.6% from the field and 25% from three-point range? They went 20-29 from the free-throw line while the Cavs only made 5 free throws all night.
There was a key stretch early in the 3rd Q when Allen went to the bench with 4 fouls. The following minutes the Cavs went +8. While the Raptors don’t have the size to punish such foul trouble, it was a key stretch that kept the Cavs afloat as they went on to outscore the Raptors by 12 in the 3Q.
Credit to JBB for utilizing Tristan Thompson off the bench when the Cavs needed a spark. For about a 4 minute stretch late in the 3Q and a short time into the 4Q, the Cavs went from down 3 to up 7 in that stretch after Thompson came in. He provided a much needed lift with his energy, effort and scrappy play. On a team lacking some veteran leadership, it would seem beneficial if JBB can carve out 3-4 minute stretches each half where Thompson can impact the game.
Credit to the Cavs defense for really putting the clamps down in the 2H. After shooting 54% from the field in the 1H, the Raptors finished shooting 41.6% from the field. The Raptors were pretty even point wise 1H versus 2H (52-50) but they had to work much harder for their points, and were much less efficient. Ultimately, the Cavs offense came alive as well with the 2H with 63 points after a 42 point 1H.
The Cavs had a pretty comfortable lead for most of the 4Q but the game got pretty tight in the end and came down to the final possession. The Cavs defense held firm on a final possession that didn’t even see the Raptors get off a shot.
A couple of eye popping numbers: The Cavs were +12 in assists, and +11 in fast break points. For the year, the Cavs are 7th in fast break points while being 17th in pace. The pace is a considerable step up from last year when they ranked dead last, and were 24th in fast break points. So not only are the Cavs playing with more pace, they’re also getting out in transition more. The Cavs are also up to 19th this year in passes made compared to 26th in passes made last year which speaks to their assist numbers.
Up next: The Cavs will be home against the Hawks on Tuesday.
One wrinkle JBB seemed to play around with this game is getting Mobley in spots where he can get downhill to the basket. One particular play in the first half had Mobley looping around from the side of the floor into the middle on a type of dribble hand-off that lead to him getting a shot at the rim. With his size, mobility and dribbling ability, this is an interesting way to utilize him off the ball and maximize the Cavs starting lineup shooters. The Cavs need more rim attacks and with his ability to shoot or pass, it’s something we hopefully see more of.
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