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How? The Cavs were down 20 in the second quarter and ending up coming back on the road versus a Luka Doncic led team to win by 3? How? If you watched the first half and saw the end, you would be confused. If you watched from the second half on, things might make a little more sense. The Cavs lost the first and second quarters but won the third and fourth quarters. The Mavericks scored 69 points in the first half but only 41 in the second half. Every game sans Evan Mobley and Darius Garland, the Cavs have had one truly terrible defensive quarter. It just so happened against the Mavericks it was the first quarter. The Cavs allowed 39 total points which was the 4th worst defense quarter on the year – three of their five worst defensive...

Winners of four of their last five games, the Cavaliers head to Dallas to take on the 18-12 Mavericks, who are 8-6 at home. The Athletic had this synopsis of their season yesterday: Dallas Mavericks (17-12): 21st-toughest schedule; 1-7 against the top six in the West; 6-10 against non-losing teams. Résumé Meter: The Mavs have been destroying bad teams, almost exclusively. The Mavericks beat Phoenix 128-114 on Monday as Luka Doncic went for 50 points. However, Phoenix did not have a center as they started three guards and two power forwards, one being 35-year-old Kevin Durant. The Mavericks have a point differential of +1.5. Recently they lost to Houston by 26, the Clippers by 9 and 19, Minnesota by 18, Denver by 26. In the last...

Donovan Mitchell isn’t the only Cavs guard eligible for an extension, so is Isaac Okoro. Entering his fourth season, Okoro is set to hit free agency next summer if he isn’t extended. The Cavs can make him a restricted free agent with a $11.8M qualifying offer. Otherwise, Okoro will be set free. The Cavs and Okoro's agent could have pursued a deal this year, however the decision was always headed towards both sides waiting until next offseason to talk further – unless Okoro was content taking a below market deal. While the Cavs are likely interested in retaining Okoro long-term, both sides will have to evaluate Okoro’s development to understand what an extension may look like. Right now, there is more hope for what Okoro could be...

Who are these guys? John Michael and Austin Carr uttered that sentiment, and most of the United Center fans were likely thinking the same thing. “These guys” were 7 rostered players, and 3 two-way players. The Cavs were down their four highest scoring players, and top four minute getters, and somehow they stopped the Bulls three game win streak. The Cavs somehow came out with 32 first quarter points. They came out putting up three-point shots early and often and it didn’t stop all night. 16 of their first 25 shots were from three. They finished the game with 51% of their shots being 3PA. Jarrett Allen came out strong from the gates and had one of his best games as a Cavalier. 10 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists to start, and he finished...

After a successful 3-1 homestand the Cavaliers hit the road for a short two-game trip, starting with the first game of the season against the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls got off to a rough start but have righted the ship and won 8 of their last 11 games. The winning streak coincides exactly with the injury to star guard Zach LaVine. The Bulls are 5-13 when LaVine plays and 8-4 without him. The Bulls have won five straight at home. In the last 11 games their only losses were to Miami and Milwaukee on the road and Denver at home. They beat Milwaukee, New Orleans, Philly, and the Lakers. The split with Milwaukee involved both games going to overtime, so at the moment they are playing at the same level as the 21-7 Bucks. The Bulls are playing...

Well, the clock hit midnight. The Cavs finally came down to earth (a bit) with no Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, or Donovan Mitchell. Being short handed off a back-to-back versus a rested, albeit equally snake bitten team, doesn’t help but the cavalry could only hold off the opposition for so long. The Cavs benefitted from good starts during their mini win streak, and while scoring 28 points in the first quarter is usually productive, it hurts when you allow 36 points. During this era of no Garland, and no Mobley, they’ve had 5 of their worst 15 defensive quarters on the year – tonight was one of them. They allowed 41 vs. Houston, 41 vs. Atlanta (top two worst), 36 tonight, and 36 to Utah. Their defensive rating on the night was a scary...

The Cavs stay home for the second night of a back-to-back against the New Orleans Pelicans. Both teams are 16-12. The Cavs are 9-6 at home while the Pelicans are 7-7 on the road. The Pelicans were off yesterday. The Pelicans have won 4 of 5, but three of those wins were against Charlotte, Washington, and San Antonio. But they beat the team with the NBA’s best record, Minnesota, at home five games back. In their last game they lost to the Grizzlies at home in Ja Morant’s first game back after a 25-game suspension for waving a gun around. Not exactly consistent with the "NBA Cares" image the league is trying to market. These teams have yet to play this season. The Pelicans have some big boys on their roster. Jonas Valanciunas is 6’11”...

The Utah Jazz come to town and what would be a Donovan Mitchell revenge game, turns to a Donovan Mitchell trade package (Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji) revenge game to a Sam Merrill breakout game. Merrill led the way for the Cavs as they’ve now won three straight since Evan Mobley, and Darius Garland went down. Mitchell was a late scratch with an illness. For a team that has sustained so many injuries thus far, this is just another bump in the road. Enter CRAIG! Porter Jr into the starting lineup and away the Cavs went. Without Mitchell, the Cavs had a bit of a feeling out to start the game without a bail-out player – someone they could throw the ball to create a last second shot or opportunity. However, the overall...

The Cavaliers' home stand continues with their first meeting of the season with the Utah Jazz, who have failed to thrive since the Donovan Mitchell trade. The Jazz are 10-17 overall but just 2-12 on the road. For the second straight game the Cavs face a team with one of the worst road records in the NBA. The only teams the Jazz have defeated on the road are Portland and Memphis, both with 6-19 records. Former Cavalier Jordan Clarkson will miss this game. Clarkson is second on the Jazz in scoring and assists, but he’s only shooting 40% overall and 29.5% on 3’s. The Jazz are being outscored by nearly 5 points per 100 possessions when he is on the floor, so I’m not sure how much his absence will hurt them. Clarkson is now 31 years old...