It was a dicey fourth quarter, but the Cleveland Cavaliers held off the Brooklyn Nets 131-124 to pick up their first win of the season. Despite blowing a 25-point lead, the Cavs dug in for the final four minutes and played physical basketball to avoid a full collapse.
Grades are based on our expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
35 points (10-15 shooting), 2 rebounds, 5 assists
Another superstar performance from the All-NBA guard, though it looked like he was headed for a short night given Cleveland’s enormous
lead. Instead, Mitchell played to the final buzzer, finishing with 35 points. After some hand-wringing over not getting enough rim pressure against the Knicks, Mitchell applied it himself. This nifty move to get him to the rack looked all too effortless.
Grade: A
Evan Mobley
13 points (5-12 shooting), 8 rebounds, 5 assists, 2 blocks
It was not the offensive showcase he had in the first game of the season, but it was still a very effective showing for the reigning Defensive Player of the Year. This was a very typical game for Mobley last year, barring perhaps the five assists. He exacted his will on defense, forced guys to give up the basketball, and deterred those from even attempting to get to the rim.
The final stat line does not reflect it, but the post moves and willingness to shoot are good to see regardless (mostly) of the results for right now. However, it seems like he is hitting more of those shots than in the past. Hard to complain with that.
Grade: B+
Jarrett Allen
22 points (8-11 shooting), 6 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals
Well this was a very nice return to form. Allen flipped the script after a very poor first game of the season, looking much more aggressive on offense and continuing to be active on defense. He hop-stepped past a defender and dunked, very sternly and emphatically, in a glistening first half.
Still, there is something slightly concerning about Allen wilting in the bright lights of Madison Square Garden only to look like a completely different player against the vastly inferior Nets. This is the type of game that should be expected of Allen when he is the better player than his matchup (and the Cavs are clearly the better team). Hopefully, there are far more of these types of games for Allen going forward, regardless of the opposing team.
Grade: A-
Sam Merrill
22 points (6-10 from three), 5 assists, 4 turnovers
Overall, it was another very solid game from the Sam Merrill. He tied for the team lead with six three-point makes, displaying the lethality from beyond the arc that the Cavs desperately need. However, he also had a team-high four turnovers after managing just one against New York last time out.
Two games in, the Sam Merrill experience has been a very good one for the Cavs.
Grade: B
Jaylon Tyson
8 points (3-4 shooting), 4 rebounds, 1 assist
It was better than his first game, and a lot is being expected of him, but Jaylon Tyson was mostly average against the Nets. Tyson won’t be in the starting lineup once De’Andre Hunter is healthy, but for now, it’s a good opportunity for him to demonstrate to the coaching staff that he is ready for a heavier workload – should he be called upon for it. So far, it seems that Tyson is still best left a few spots into the bench.
Grade: C-
Dean Wade
6 points (2-7 shooting, 1-6 from three), 6 rebounds
Dean Wade does what he does best: be inconsistent from deep yet do one or two other things well enough to have an “ok” game. This time around it was rebounding, in which he nabbed six of them. Wade is one of head coach Kenny Atkinson’s favorite players, so he will continue to see minutes. But the Cavs are awfully deep once healthy, so playing time will likely become more sparse for Wade.
Grade: C
Lonzo Ball
2 points (0-4 shooting), 2 rebounds, 8 assists, 2 steals
Maybe this is just what the Lonzo Ball experience is going to be for the Cavs. He has started the year 1-11 from the floor, 1-9 from beyond the arc, and with six turnovers — some of them quite bad. In the first half, he lazily tried lobbing a ball into the post only to see it easily picked off to set up a Nets fast break.
Still, the eight assists off the bench are encouraging. Ball has not shot the ball well to start the year, but playmaking is still spacing. He has 14 assists in two games, an impressive mark even for a starter, let alone a bench player. It would be nice if the shooting eventually came around, but at least Ball is still contributing in multiple ways.
Grade: C+
Larry Nance Jr.
9 points (4-8 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Not much to say about Larry Nance Jr., as he put together a fine game for the second time in a row. Another quality 15-ish minutes for the fan favorite, who may see his minutes fluctuate again as Hunter gets set to return to the rotation — which could be any game now.
Grade: B-
Craig Porter
14 points (6-7 shooting), 2-2 from three, 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Hey, this was unexpected! After playing just six minutes in the season opener, Craig Porter Jr. more than doubled his court time and scored seven times more points. Porter received less court time against the Knicks than rookie Tyrese Proctor, but the dependable point guard made his case for more minutes.
Grade: B+
Tyrese Proctor
0 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
A forgettable game for Proctor, as he failed to build upon a quiet positive effort in game one of the season. Proctor missed all of his shots, which all came from beyond the arc, and had a +/- of -11 in just 11 minutes of action. The rookie has plenty of growing to do.
