- Tonight was a battle of attrition. The Hawks were without three of their top six rotational players, while we know very well where the Cavs stand. To make matters worse, the Hawks were on the second night of a back-to-back versus a somewhat rested, yet depleted, Cavs team. And boy, did it show.
- JB Bickerstaff rolled out a Jarrett Allen, Dean Wade, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro and Donovan Mitchell starting lineup. For now, it looks as though Bickerstaff will take a point guard by committee approach with the first group, and keep key bench pieces like Georges Niang and Caris LeVert coming off the bench.
- Leave it to the Cavs to come out with their highest scoring quarter of the year their first quarter without Evan Mobley and Darius Garland for weeks on end. Everything was working for them early, as they pick-and-rolled and three-balled the Hawks to the tune for 41 points. This was only the second time they scored 40+ points in a quarter – the other was November 25 at home versus the Lakers.
- One of the most impressive feats from the Cavs 1Q was their 11 assists. The ball was moving. They only made one free-throw attempt, and did chip in 4 three-pointers, but for the most part they were getting good, high percentage shots and converting them.
- Speaking of which: Tonight was their second highest overall assist total on the year with 32. Their season high was 33 in a November 21 win in Philly. The Cavs are 3-1 this year when putting up over 30 assists. Ball movement + player involvement = good results.
- The Cavs went at the pick-and-roll early and often, and Allen was the beneficiary. He scored a career high 18 points in the quarter, and was on his way to his second highest point total on the year (25). For a guy who has really struggled of late and will be a key focal point with Mobley out, Allen really needed this game.
- The Cavs started out with a 16-3 run, and led by as many as 19 points in the 1Q. The Hawks pushed the later in the game but their only lead all night was 3-2 in the game’s opening minute.
- Guess who’s back from the dead? CRAIG! Porter Jr entered the game in the 1Q, and ended up playing into the second quarter for the bulk of his 15 minutes on the night. During his 9-10 minute shift, he put up 4 points, 2 rebounds, 1 assist and was a +6. Good things happen when CRAIG! is on the floor, and the hope is Bickerstaff gives him a longer leash.
- In things you notice while at the game, Bickerstaff was all over CRAIG! after a missed driving layup attempt passed up an open Sam Merrill in the corner for a three. Bickerstaff was vocal towards CRAIG!, providing feedback on the missed opportunity for the young guard.
- Speaking of Merrill: When he’s hot, he’s hot. Merrill made 3 three-pointers in the span of about 3 minutes in the 2Q. Similar to the Miami game just a week back, he’s put up 9 quick points to provide a lift off the bench. Over his last 3 games played, he’s shooting 53.3% from 3 (8-15), and is at 52.3% from 3 (11-21) in his last 5 games played. With the scoring the Cavs lost in Garland, having some quick perimeter buckets off the bench will be critical in these next 10-20 games. Can he keep it up?
- The Hawks weren’t playing terrible offensively in the first half, it’s just the Cavs were shooting so well in the half that it made it difficult to keep up. The Hawks put up 52 points at half, however the Cavs went into half time with 70 points on the board. That was their 2nd highest scoring half this year, while their 21 (!) assists in the 1H was the highest they put together in a half this year. As a team, they’re averaging 25.2 per game this year.
- About midway through the third quarter, the Hawks started to eat into the Cavs lead. They got it down to 7 at one point, as the Cavs only had 11 points 8 minutes into the 3Q. However, that lasted less than a minute and the Cavs quickly pushed their lead back into double digits.
- As how it usually begins, the Cavs had 5 of their 11 turnovers in the 3Q. It’s been a bad habit of the Cavs this year in their mistakes creating opportunities for teams to get back into games. They have to take better care of the ball in general, they’re 21st in turnovers on the year, but especially when they have a lead.
- Mitchell turned out a points (22) and assists (13) double-double but it was quite he tale of the two half’s for him. The first half was focused on getting others involved with 9 assists. His scoring took a back seat with only 5 points at half. However, the second half Mitchell was more aggressive looking for his shot with 17 points in the 2H including 10 in the 4th quarter.
- The Hawks had their best offensive quarter of the night with 38 points in the 4Q, getting the lead down to 6 just minutes into the 4Q. But like earlier in the game, the Cavs quickly extended it back to double digits in short order. The Hawks never really got any closer the rest of the way, as the end box score made it look like a closer game than it actually was all night.
- Strus and Niang continue to have a rough shooting stretch over their last 5 games. Combined, the pair have shot 24% (13-54) on 10.8 three-point attempts per game. The Cavs haven’t had trouble scoring over that span, but they are 2-3 in that same time frame.
- The difficult part with Niang is when he’s not hitting shots he’s not contributing much else. And now with depth issues being what they are, you can’t not play him. Over the last 5 games, Niang has grabbed only 14 rebounds, dished out 5 assists and posted a -31. The Cavs need him to do more when he’s on the floor to positively impact winning.
- Okoro had a strong night with 16 points, 5 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal, 4-7 from 3 and a +6. This stretch with Garland being out will really put the spotlight for Okoro to produce, especially if he’s in the starting lineup. This also means the ball will likely be in his hands more from the outset with no true point guard in the starting lineup. For a guy due a contract extension this off-season, and who has struggled since coming back from injury, this is a big opportunity to get things back on track.
- Wade put up a season high 16 points, which was also his first time all year scoring in double digits. This is also his 11th start on the year. The Cavs will really need Wade and Niang to pick up some of the front court scoring lost with Mobley.
- Quick side tangent: For all the talk of Mitchell and Garland not working, if people really want to see what two guards not working looks like look no further than the Cavs opponent tonight. The Hawks are 51-66 in the Dejounte Murray and Trae Young era, while the 2-man pairing posted a -2.7 net rating this year, and a +0.3 net rating last year. Compare that to Mitchell and Garland, and the team has gone 65-43 over that same span and posted a +9.7 net rating this year and a +8 net rating last year. And for all the talk of Mitchell and Garland being too ball dominant, their assist percentage, which shows how often they’re assisting teammates, is 59.4% and 57.4% the last two years, whereas the Murray and Young combination produced assist percentages of 57.1% and 55.1%. The Hawks duo is an example of an incongruent pair of guards, whereas the Cavs is anything but.
- Up next: The Cavs continue their mini homestand with Houston this Monday at 7:00PM (ET).
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