Despite it being a random regular-season contest at the end of December, Monday night’s matchup between the Cleveland Cavaliers and San Antonio Spurs felt like a must-win for both teams. The Cavs needed to get back on track in a big way after losing five of their last seven games, and the Spurs needed to prove that their hot stretch and dominance of the Oklahoma City Thunder was no fluke, after a tough loss to the Utah Jazz. Neither team looked great, but ultimately the Spurs’ inability to create
consistent offense buried them, as they lost 113-101.
San Antonio shot just 39% from the field and 23% from three, while turning the ball over 18 times on Monday. Not only were their shots not falling, but they weren’t generating many good looks. There was a lack of movement and offensive flow that made it hard for shooters to get open, and for the team to generate anything other than forced drives to the paint. The one aspect of the Spurs’ offense that did work was their ability to draw fouls. San Antonio went 30-36 from the free-throw line.
Those offensive woes didn’t hurt the Spurs too much through three quarters. They were never able to pull away from Cleveland, but they did just enough to keep their heads above water until the fourth. Most of that had to do with the fact that they were in the bonus for the second and third quarters. Whenever the Cavs would make any sort of run, the Spurs would draw a few fouls and knock down free throws.
If the Spurs weren’t getting to the line, they were relying on their superstar big man, Victor Wembanyama, to make magic happen offensively. Wemby led the Spurs in scoring with 26 points and added 14 rebounds to secure a double-double. He had two incredible highlight plays in the first quarter. The first was an alley oop slam following a lob off the backboard from Stephon Castle. Then, at the end of the frame, he hit a one-legged runner from the three-point line, similar to the ones he hit while playing professionally in France.
Cleveland’s offense didn’t fare much better through three quarters. The Cavs shot only 43% from the field and 31% from three. They exploded in the clutch for 37 fourth-quarter points, shooting 11-22 from the field to secure the win. Jaylon Tyson and Jarrett Allen were huge for Cleveland in the fourth quarter. Tyson hit a trio of threes, and Allen was dominant around the basket. The Cavs’ center led all scorers with 27 points and had 10 rebounds in the win.
San Antonio is now 0-2 on this homestand and will have another tough matchup in the final game when the New York Knicks come to town. The Spurs lost to New York 124-113 in the NBA Cup Finals a few weeks ago. San Antonio will look to snap its two-game win streak, get some revenge, and get back on track all in one game on New Year’s Eve.
