It’s fun watching someone grow up. That someone is Evan Mobley.
The talk has always been Donovan Mitchell can’t be the best player to lead a team; or, at the very least, Mobley needs to be one of the best players on the Cavs. The Charlotte game does not accomplish this goal but it’s a significant sign of progress.
Mobley finished with a career high 41 points, led the team in shot attempts (23) and hit six three-pointers (one more than Mitchell). This all would have been hard to grasp even just one year ago.
It likely would have happened sooner if not due to injury, but Mobley did not hit his six three-pointer on the year until February 7, his 26th game on the year. Mobley hit six three-pointers in one game against Charlotte. His previous most in a game was three; he had that in the first quarter in Charlotte,
Mobley has four games this year of 2+ three-point makes in a game; he had four the entirety of last year (50 games).
The shot has always been the focus for Mobley, and the outburst is an exciting development. Some still may be skeptical of how long this lasts but keep in mind his FT% has kept pace at 79.8%, another career high. Typically, free-throw percentage is a strong indicator for perimeter development, especially for bigs, and makes this productive start even more believable.
Mitchell was the early beneficiary of Mobley’s torrid start – he had six assists in the quarter, and they were all to Mobley. Mitchell’s passes to Mobley were without hesitation just like Mobley’s shot.
In a true Cavalier start, they raced out to 13-3 lead. Getting on top of teams quick, and early has been a staple of the Kenny Atkinson era. They lead the league in first quarter net rating at +23. The next best is the Oklahoma City Thunder at +19.7.
On the flipside, the Hornets are 26th in first quarter offensive rating. So it’s only fitting it took them until the 4:56 mark to reach double digits in the quarter.
By then Mobley had already matched them with 10 points of his own, and his onslaught continued in the closing stages of the first. Three-pointer. Three-pointer Three-pointer. Dunk. Dunk.
Just like that, Mobley quickly outscored the Hornets by himself in the first 23 to 18. Mobley’s first quarter was somewhat reminiscent of Kevin Love’s first quarter against the Trail Blazers when he couldn’t miss and poured in 34 points. It had that similar feeling.
Heading into the second quarter, the Cavs slowed down just as Mobley did. Five points for Mobley isn’t a terrible quarter but it by no means kept pace with his 23 points, Likewise, the Cavs put a 40-spot up in the first but only managed 23 in the second.
It seemed like the Cavs reliance on Mobley’s hot hand in the first got them out of wack for long stretches in the middle of the game. That’s not to say Mobley’s start was a bad thing but it may have thrown the team offense for a loop.
The Cavs had 14 assists in the first quarter alone. They had 14 total the rest of the game.
This provided enough of a window for the Hornets to buzz back through. They took advantage of the opening and responded with a 34-point quarter.
Most of their damage was done inside – 10 of their 15 made field goals in the quarter were in the paint and restricted area. Mark Williams and Brandon Miller contributed to six of those 10 field goals inside.
Williams really changed the tone of the game with his physicality and finishing around the rim, so it was a bit of a surprise he did not see the floor the rest of the game. On a team full of injuries, he was the only true size the Hornets had.
For a minute there it seemed like journeyman DaQuan Jeffries could not miss. He poured in two three-pointers and had another basket for eight points in the quarter.
Getting back to Williams: He had more second quarter points (10) then the Cavs did as a team eight minutes into the second. It took the Cavs almost eight minutes to reach double digits. The Hornets went on a 23-9 run in that stretch.
The normally steady Mobley + Mitchell + Ty Jerome + Sam Merrill lineup got outscored by 5, and the Jaylon Tyson minutes got outscored by 9 points in the quarter. It was a tough look for a Cavs bench that scored just four points in the second quarter.
Charlotte’s 18-4 in bench points, and 11-0 in fast break points kept them in the game. They managed to cut it to an 11-point deficit by half.
The physicality really changed in the second quarter and continued throughout the rest of the game. The Hornets were called for seven fouls in the second, nine in the third and another seven in the fourth. It really could have been more had the referees not looked past some Hornets plays.
It was good to see Jarrett Allen a bit more involved offensively in the first half. He had nine points on six shots and ended up with a double-double on the night. It was his first double-double over his last five games which is a long time considering his double-double production to begin the year.
Garland came into the game with the best FG% in the paint (non-restricted area) in the NBA thus far at 64.8%. Think about that… better than Nikola Jokic, Domantas Sabonis and others.
That’s Garland’s spot. Every great offensive player has one and for Garland it’s that in between game. He’s got his touch back in that area this year after it looked shaky towards the end of last year.
It’s his shot that really sets up everything else. He’s getting better at stepping into more threes, and has shot better at the rim, but he wants to get into that short-mid to cause havoc.
So for most players taking shots like thesewould be a less than stellar shot in today’s NBA but that is how Garland gets his juice and breaks down defenses.
The Cavs could have used more of it in the third because the Hornets did not want to go away. Brad Daugherty said it best: The Hornets just kept looking for opportunities and were willing to be scrappy to get it done.
Continuing the physicality of the second quarter, the Hornets intensified it in the third. They had several fouls where they chucking Cavs pick setters; so much so they could be playing tomorrow with the Panthers.
The Hornets were also being extremely aggressive at the point of attack and challenging the first dribble immediately. Perhaps the refs were a little too lenient in their hand checking, but this is something we’ve seen before with defenses crowding the Cavs ball-handlers. It disrupts timing, it disrupts sets, and they’re able to get under the Cavs skin.
Charlotte went really small at times in the third, and it would be a look they carried over into the fourth. Taj Gibson saw about six third quarter minutes but the rest of the time the Hornets operated without a true center or power forward and instead ran with some guards and undersized wings. It worked though. They were a +3 in the non-Gibson minutes.
You saw this show up in some ways on stat sheet such as three steals and ten fast break points. They were using their speed and peskiness to their advantage.
So, when Mobley is having a career game, and the Hornets are throwing small players on the Cavs bigs, to only see seven shot attempts between Allen and Mobley for the quarter was a bit disappointing.
The Boston game with Jayson Tatum on Darius Garland focused on not playing into mismatches too much but when there is a significant size and skill mismatch as much as there was in the paint for the Cavs, not going to it more than they did was bailing out the Hornets and allow them to stay small.
Although, this could be part of a larger issue for the Cavs worth exploring. They are 14th in the NBA with a net rating of just +0.8 in third quarters this year. Their offensive rating is 9th but their defensive rating is 18th.
For whatever reason, the Cavs worst quarter has been the third and where they struggle the most.
Between the second and third quarter, the Hornets shot 60% and 57.5% from the field. They were 64.7% and 77.8% on two-pointers. Unacceptable for team any but especially this Hornets team who threw out G-League lineups for much of the second half.
The Hornets kept battling and battling and got it to within five midway through the fourth quarter. This would be the closest they got it since the start of the game.
And it looked like the Cavs may pull away and make it a laugher in the fourth including going up twelve but give the Hornets credit.
There was a three-minute stretch in the fourth quarter where the Cavs did not score a field goal. The Hornets used this to their advantage to cut the Cavs lead to four.
Then, finally, the Cavs started to execute and go inside more. Garland 6’ jump shot. Mobley 3’ hook shot. Mobley 2’ dunk.
This then manifested itself into opening opportunities on the perimeter as a Mitchell three-pointer and one by Mobley sealed the deal; and Mobley’s three tied the bow on an incredible performance.
And to the Cavs credit, they turned up their defensive performance when they needed it most. They allowed just 19 Charlotte points on 26.3% shooting. The Hornets were 1-for-12 from deep.
Perhaps it’s part of a bigger trend? Don’t look now but over the Cavs last five games they have the NBA’s second-best defensive rating at 103.7. Their fourth quarter defensive rating leads the league in that stretch at 96.
The Cavs bench got significantly outworked in this game: 44 bench points to 21 bench points. Outside of Merrill, the bench was relatively efficient (5-11 FG) but didn’t see the type of shot opportunities that would have permitted additional output.
84 shot attempts is not the lowest on the Cavs list this year but it comes in sixth. Ironically, the Cavs second fewest shot attempts on the year also came against this same Hornets team a few weeks back.
The Cavs only had 11 turnovers, but the pace of the game really slowed to 90.5. That’s way below the Cavs pace this year of 97.17 and would explain the low number of shot attempts.
It was a true dichotomy on how both team succeeded: The Cavs offense was 93rd percentile in the halfcourt while the Hornets offense was 83rd percentile in transition.
Two games back for Dean Wade, two starts, and two wins. Say it ain’t so.
It was a bit uncharacteristic to see three Cavalier technical fouls during the game – one by Kenny, one by Niang and one by Garland. If anything, it speaks to the physicality of the game and the Cavs feeling it wasn’t being called how it should.
The Cavs will now travel to Miami for the second night of a back-to-back. Luckily, the Heat also played on Saturday beating the Suns.
This site uses cookies to help personalise content, tailor your experience and to keep you logged in if you register.
By continuing to use this site, you are consenting to our use of cookies.
