The Cleveland Cavaliers entered their second straight game against the Miami Heat without Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley or Jaylon Tyson. That didn’t matter. This resilient crew pulled off a win on the road by rallying together and playing hard for 48 minutes.
Jarrett Allen came up big. The only member of the core four to suit up in this one — Allen put on a clinic by controlling both ends of the paint. He was aggressive, attacking on the catch and forcing his way to the rim. This is the type
of asservite performance we want to see from Allen on a routine basis. He finished with 30 points and 10 rebounds on 12-20 shooting.
Of course, Allen won’t shoot the ball 20 times when the team is healthy. Nor will he score 30 points very often. But his aggression shouldn’t change even if his touches are diminished. Allen has proven he can be a two-way beast. Tonight, he reminded us how talented he is once again.
Craig Porter was also a standout. He came off the bench and led the team in minutes, posting 19 points, 8 assists, 4 rebounds, 4 blocks, and 3 steals. Porter was steering the Cavaliers’ offense with intention, picking apart Miami’s defense with his pocket passing in the pick-and-roll.
Other shout-outs go to Thomas Bryant, Nae’Qwan Tomlin and Luke Travers. All of whom impacted this game by playing with intensity. Bryant, in particular, led by example and finished with 7 rebounds in just 13 minutes. The bench really stepped up tonight.
Lastly, Tyrese Proctor put together a fine second half. His shot-making gave the Cavs a lifeline when trying to rally back from a deficit. You can’t always count on a second-round rookie to work through a cold spell like this. But Proctor kept his composure and ended the game with 12 points and was a plus-19 in 23 minutes.
