The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up a huge win on the road against the San Antonio Spurs. Let’s see who won and lost the night.
WINNER – Darius Garland’s Quarterbacking
The Cavs have missed their point guard.
This game showcased exactly why Garland is such an important piece of this puzzle. He’s the quarterback. The one who gets the offense organized and ensures they play with the correct process, even when the results lag behind.
Cleveland didn’t light it up in San Antonio tonight. They actually struggled to score at various points of the game.
But anytime Garland was on the floor, the Cavs generated quality shot attempts. This would have been lethal if the Cavs had shot more efficiently, but Garland continued to chip at the dam until it eventually broke in the Cavs’ favor.
The box score doesn’t paint the full picture. This was a masterful playmaking game from DG.
WINNER – Jaylon Tyson and Craig Porter Jr.
Let’s take a moment to respect two role players who helped Cleveland seize control of this game.
Neither Tyson nor Porter was notable in the first half. But both of them made pivotal plays as the Cavs began to dominate the fourth quarter.
Cleveland outscored San Antonio 37-23 in the fourth quarter. It started when Tyson nailed three consecutive three-pointers to give the Cavaliers their first lead of the second half. Tyson then crashed for an offensive rebound, which turned into two free throws for Jarrett Allen.
Now with the Cavs in front, Porter checked in to help close it out. Porter took Lonzo Ball’s place in the rotation tonight and was a
LOSER – Donovan Mitchell forced it
This wasn’t a great game from Mitchell. He was visibly frustrated with the Spurs’ length and athleticism. It wasn’t easy for him to turn the corner. And if he did… well, meeting Victor Wembanyama at the rim is no reward.
Mitchell settled for a bunch of three-point attempts early in this game. None of them were falling. He then tried to force his way to the basket, where he found no salvation and turned it over multiple times. Mitchell had just 5 points through the first three quarters.
To his credit, Mitchell eventually found his rhythym. He threw an incredible no-look lob to Tyson in the second half, and expertly dropped it off to Mobley during the Cavaliers’ closing run.
WINNER – Active Jarrett Allen
Man, Allen needed this.
Allen scored 27 points and grabbed 10 rebounds as he helped anchor Cleveland’s offensive efforts. That’s right, Allen was the Cavaliers’ leading scorer and maybe their most important offensive player outside of Garland.
Sure, it might seem easy for Allen to score when he’s being giftwrapped opportunities at the rim. But we’ve learned that setting him up can be easier said than done. The Cavaliers have largely abandoned Allen to start the season. He’s hardly been involved offensively — and I think we saw how much of a mistake that has been tonight.
Allen isn’t blameless for his slow start. He’s talented enough to create opportunities for himself. Yet, he’s not the caliber of player who is going to dictate how his team plays. The Cavs have to make an effort to involve him. That’s just the reality of the situation.
Tonight, they did that. Garland, especially, took it upon himself to force-feed Allen the ball. It turns out that if you can get the big man rolling, there’s less pressure on the rest of the offense to score at the rim. Allen’s vertical gravity opens up much of the floor for Cleveland. It’s about time they finally went back to this well.
