The Cleveland Cavaliers falter for the second time against an injury-riddled Oklahoma City Thunder team, falling 124-116
Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
Player of the game
James Harden
19 points, 6 assists, 9 rebounds, 2 blocks
The Cavaliers would have had no pulse in their contest with the Thunder if not for Harden. It felt like even when the Cavs were down by double digits in the second and third quarter that Harden was the only one really trying to assemble an offense.
Harden might not have
been the most efficient player on the floor. He was, however, the true spark keeping the Cavaliers within arm’s reach. In a loss where the bulk of the team was struggling to match the Thunder’s energy on the floor, Harden met the task.
Grade: B+
Grades
Evan Mobley
16 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, 3 blocks
Without Jarrett Allen for most of the game, you would have figured that Mobley would become an even bigger focus on offense. However, Mobley was not up to the task tonight. If Mobley did not have an open lane, it felt like he would vanish on offense.
While he ended up putting up a respectable stat line, those who watched the game would note how invisible he felt at times.
Grade: C+
Donovan Mitchell
27 points, 3 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 turnovers
It is strange to put a player who scored the bulk of the team’s fourth-quarter points not as the player of the game; however, it felt like it took until the last few minutes of the game for Mitchell to emerge as even a factor in the contest.
Mitchell put on an absolute clinic in the last five minutes, scoring 17 of his 27 points to get the Cavaliers back within single digits. While appreciated to try and lead one last push, it felt like if this type of aggression was there earlier on the Cavaliers wouldn’t have faced such a tough deficit to overcome.
Grade: B
Meleek Thomas
9 points, 1 rebound, 1 steal
This was arguably the most disappointing outing for the young rookie. Thomas was able to put the ball in the hoop, however, this felt like the most desperate shot volume of his young career.
The shots seemed rushed, or even like Thomas was trying to shoot himself into a groove. Games like this happen, and Thomas was still a shot of energy in the lineups he was placed into.
Grade: C
Jarrett Allen
0 points, 1 rebound, 7 minutes
Jarrett was essentially a non-factor in this contest as he suffered a lower leg injury. This injury took place when he went knee-to-knee during a standard pick. Allen was able to walk off the floor under his own power. Head coach Kenny Atkinson didn’t have an update on the severity of the injury post-game.
Grade: Incomplete
Mario Hezonja
12 points, 8 rebounds
Hezonja was one of the few players who were providing a spark for the Cavaliers against the Thunder. His perimeter defense and being engaged off-ball allowed him to score 12 points in a variety of ways. As Hezonja continues to put up quality minutes, one would hope this would allow him to see minutes with the core four.
Grade: A
Sam Merrill
10 points, 7 rebounds, 1 assist
On a night where Merrill didn’t go nuclear from the arc, this was probably the closest you would get to a good outing from the sharpshooter. He was an active presence on the glass, keeping his value on the floor going even if the elite volume and percentage were not there tonight.
Grade: B-
Tyrese Proctor
11 points, 1 rebound
Proctor got the starting nod tonight with Jaylon Tyson and Peyton Watson out and was…fine? Proctor shot the ball well enough, he just was not dynamic enough otherwise to feel like additive to the starting five. It’s nice not to worry about whether his shots will fall, but there is not much else to really gain for Proctor in the starting lineup.
Grade: C+
Thomas Bryant
8 points, 0 rebounds, 0 assists
This could be a me problem. I really did not enjoy my Thomas Bryant experience tonight. It felt like the bulk of his possessions were him hoisting up shots from beyond the arc.
They are tolerable when they fall. When they don’t, they feel like the most painful offensive possessions the Cavaliers can muster.
Grade: F
Tristan Enaruna
4 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Enaruna got some serious run tonight and put up mixed results on the floor. It felt like a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency type of nomination, and there certainly were growing pains in the outing. Enaruna flashed some good on-the-ball decision-making while also being composed with the ball in his hands.
Where Enaruna struggled was from the perimeter. Never seen so many in-and-out threes in one game as he had tonight.
Grade: C
