What is the story about?
The
Cleveland Cavaliers picked up a much-needed victory as they defeated the San Antonio Spurs 113-101 on Monday evening.
Now, let’s dive into some of the stats.
- The Spurs finished with their lowest point total of the season. Their fewest going into Monday’s game was 102.
- San Antonio converted just 55.2% of their attempts at the rim (13th percentile). The Spurs came into this game completing 67.9% of their shots in the restricted area. This led to Cleveland having a narrow 48-46 advantage in points in the paint.
- San Antonio had an 87.1 offensive rating with Victor Wembanyama on the floor. It’s always dangerous to read too much into a player’s offensive rating for a single game. I’m just highlighting this as some sort of proof that the Cavs did a great job of defending Wemby with their jumbo starting front court of Dean Wade, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen.
- The Spurs also went 7-31 (22.6%) from three. Cleveland played good defense and took away what Wembanyama and the Spurs’ offense do best. However, they did benefit from an exceptionally poor shooting night from San Antonio.
- Cleveland shot 31% or worse from three for the 14th time this season. They went 13-42 from beyond the arc. They are now 5-8 when they fail to eclipse 31% shooting from three.
- Donovan Mitchell’s 10 points are his lowest point total for a game this season. He also took a season-low 12 field-goal attempts in the win.
- This was the first game the Cavs have won this season when Mitchell plays and scores 21 or fewer points. Cleveland is now 1-6 in these situations. Conversely, they’re 8-1 when he scores 35 or more points. The team has typically gone as Mitchell’s scoring has this season.
- Mitchell did make an impact as a facilitator with seven assists. It was the eighth time this season he provided seven or more assists. The Cavs are 4-3 when he does so.
- The Cavs are now 7-1 when Allen scores 16 or more points. Moreover, they’re 6-0 when he takes 10 or more shots. Getting Allen more involved has led to good things for the Cavs.
- The Cavaliers held San Antonio to just 11 offensive rebounds. This is a good number against a team that came into this game 10th in offensive rebounding percentage. The Spurs narrowly won the second-chance points battle 17-15.
- Jaylon Tyson hit three triples in the fourth quarter. This was the second time he’s hit three triples in the fourth quarter of a game this season. Tyson scored nine points in the final frame, and the Cavs won the five and a half minutes he was on the floor by 12 points.
- De’Andre Hunter was a team-high +14 in the fourth quarter. Hunter played arguably his most complete game of the season. He made an impact on the glass as he finished with a season-high nine rebounds.
- Evan Mobley had three blocks in the win. This was the fifth time he’s had three or more blocks in a game this season. Cleveland is now 4-1 when he does.
- The Cavs’ offense registered a 78.4 halfcourt offensive rating (7th percentile). Cleveland’s guards struggled with San Antonio’s length inside, particularly Wemby’s shot-blocking capabilities.
- Cleveland added 9.1 points in transition per 100 possessions (90th percentile) in the win. They did a good job of running off of steals (20 points off of turnovers) and offensive rebounds. Adding transition points is crucial when you struggle from three and in the half-court as much as the Cavs did.
- Darius Garland picked up a season-high 11 assists. This was the fourth time he’s had a double-digit assist total this season. The Cavs are 2-2 when he does.
- The Cavaliers are now 4-8 against teams that are inside the top ten of point differential. Two of those wins have come against the Spurs.
