It wasn't always pretty but the Cavs did something they haven't done much this season: Pull one out in the clutch. While the Fan Duel Sports Network feed cut out for the final few possessions, Darius Garland did enough while the cameras were still rolling to push a wobbly Cavs team across the finish line. It shouldn't take this type of effort against the league's worst team, and defensively things have to be cleaned up, but a win is a win and the Cavs will take all they can get especially in a Donovan Mitchell-less game.
By the Numbers
-9: Cleveland was outscored 93-84 through three quarters
+13: Cleveland outscored the Pacers by 13 in the final quarter
36:45: Time that Indiana lead throughout the game
15-6: Cavs advantage in the clutch
93: Third quarter points by Indiana, the league's worst per 100 possession team on offense in the league
+16: The Cavs decisive rebounding advantage
29.5%: Of the Cavs shots were 3PAs, the lowest total this year
+22: Cavs advantage in paint points
18.4%: Cleveland's TOV% was the third highest this year
21: Indiana points off turnovers
9: Indiana fast break points, 4.7 below their season average (23rd in NBA)
14: Darius Garland 4Q points -- nearly half of his game total
By the Players
Darius Garland: It didn't start well (11 pts, 41.7% fg%, -9) in the first half but it ended really well in the second half (18 pts, 81.8% fg%, +10) including a big time shot that just about sealed the game for the Cavs. Austin Carr at halftime was a bit critical of Garland saying he needed to continue to move forward and get everyone involved. He had three assists in each half but his going forward scoring wise in the second half is really what propelled Garland and this team. Garland makes in the 4Q: 4', 11', 5', 16'. That mid-range is always going to be Garland's bread and butter and the more he can get it going, the better for all involved.
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Sam Merrill: The Cavs ask Merrill to do a lot and he delivers on all of it. Be a positive influence, +5, check. Provide gravity, 6-10 on 3's, check. Defend, team best 48.5% opponent eFG%, check. Merrill was the only Cavalier with more than 1 3PM, and was basis of the Cavs perimeter shooting. The Cavs were a 4 points better in oRTG with Merrill on/off but 17.8 points better in dRTG on/off. With no Strus, Tyson having an off night, and Wade getting injured, the Cavs perimeter defense required someone else to step up and Merrill played a role in that.
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Dean Wade: Unfortunately, Wade went down in the 2Q on a drive and didn't return. He had been dealing with a knee injury that seems to not be fully healed after missing the last few games.
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Evan Mobley: There were good moments, and other good moments, but there were also some questionable moments and some that may explain his struggles on offense. Mobley had 8 shot attempts in each half but 4-of-5 FGMs in the second half were in the restricted area compared to zero of his first half FGMs. Mobley is never going to be a Kevin Garnett demonstrative type player but he can play with more assertiveness than he does. There are times when he makes quick decisions, and is willing to be the first one to initiate contact on drives. He also can be an asset when he's on the move, and taking bigs off the dribble. But at other times, he's too passive around the rim. Pump faking Aaron Nesmith with him pinned, is not necessary. Ending up with a fading shot while starting on the block is also not necessary. Mobley can do better to go up and go through as opposed to go away and around. 24% of his shots are in the short mid-range area (4' to 14') yet he is shooting just a career low 37%.
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Jarrett Allen: Leave it to Fan Duel Sports Network to not have live TV footage of Allen grabbing a defensive rebound in Indiana to seal the game. Allen was the only Cavalier with double-digit rebounds (12) and led the Cavs in defensive rebounds (9). Interestingly enough, the Cavs grabbed rebounds 13.3% better with Allen off the floor. Allen ended the game with 19 points on 13 shots, and the Cavs now move to 8-0 when Allen has 10+ FGA on the year. It may be a small sample size but it makes sense: More touches and field goal attempts help keep Allen engaged, and the Cavs are a better team when they use and play through their bigs. There's also this that they can do more of.
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Craig Porter Jr: The more he plays, the more he leaves Lonzo Ball in the dust. CPJ almost joined rare air of putting up a triple-double off the bench - 8 pts, 9 rebs, and 9 asts. Oh, and 2 steals and 3 blocks. While Porter Jr doesn't have the scoring that is lost from Ty Jerome he is (ironically) making his waves in the ways Lonzo Ball was supposed to like Koby Altman talked about in his acquisition -- hustle plays, on the defensive end, on the boards, and winning on the margins to provide advantages. His 9 assists tied a season high, and while not the passer that Garland is, he's value lies in breaking down the defense and making quick decisions. Porter Jr was created with 4 bad pass turnovers, that saw CPJ play a bit sloppy at times, but one his best plays may have been his last assist. His last block was most definitely his best play.
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Jaylon Tyson: Even though he was questionable to play with an illness, Tyson attempted to give it a go. Unfortunately, Tyson continued his slumping play over the last three games. He's shot 6-for-18 (2-for-9 on 3's) over that stretch, and is a -25. His 4 turnovers haven't helped either. It may be a reminder for as well as Tyson has played of late, he's still a second year player and those players tend to go through stretches like these.
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De'Andre Hunter: Credit is due where credit is earned. His evening started out poorly with a few turnovers and questionable shot but responded well after that stretch -- 12 pts (5-8 FG), 9 rebounds, 2 assists and 3 turnovers. Some of the decision making and sloppy play has to be cut back, but that is also kind of who he is at times, but the shot creation came in handy when the Cavs were looking for scoring to complement Garland and the bigs, and there not being a lot of shot creation behind them. Hunter is a +27 over his last 4 games -- are the tides turning?
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Nae'Qwan Tomlin: He gets money worth when he's on the floor purely based on activity level -- there's no doubting where Tomlin is at. He was a team best +10 in just over 20 minutes of play while the team had a +22.2 net rating with him on the floor but a -8.3 net rating with him off the floor. The Cavs rebounded 32% better with Tomlin on the floor as well. If Wade's injury turns out to be a longer term issue, there's a chance for Tomlin to continue to make his way into the rotation just as he did over Larry Nance Jr and as CPJ has done over Ball. The more the corner 3's keep going in, the better.
Game Notes
- Maybe it's something, maybe it's nothing, but the Cavs have been a bit more careless with the ball than they have over the course of the season. On the year, the Cavs are 9th best in TOV%. However, over their last three games they've had three of their 7 highest TOV% games. Garland had a poor Denver game but just 2 turnovers over the last 2 games. CPJ had 7, Hunter with 8, Mobley with 6, Allen with 6, Merrill with 5 and Tyson with 4.
- Donovan Mitchell touched on it in a recent postgame interview about the Cavs needing to continue to stay connected and communicating defensively. Well, that didn't always happen. Not here. Or here. Or here. Or here. Look, there's going to be some defensive breakdowns. Teams are playing offense at an all-time high level. But the defensive mistakes the Cavs make often isn't good offense beating good defense. It's bad defense leading to good offense. The Cavs are often their biggest enemy on the defensive end with missed assignments and poor communication leading to open shooters. It's something that has happened for too long and can't happen too much longer if they want to have long run playoff aspirations. Every possession matters in the playoffs and these types of possessions will come back to bite.
- It shouldn't take Micah Potter being in the game for Evan Mobley to be aggressive.
- It also shouldn't take the Cavs as long as they did to consistently put Jay Huff in perimeter actions and make him do anything defensively that isn't being a drop big. He had 13 points on 7 shots at halftime.
- Seeing TJ McConnell knock in perimeter three-point shots gives flashbacks to Golden State Shaun Livingston just terrorizing the Cavs in the midrange. Two ugly shots but maddeningly effective.
- The Dean Wade experience is for him to be playing well and find his footing only for that to be disrupted by some injury. Best wishes for Dean, nothing serious, but these nagging injuries really impact his runway to be really impactful.
- More of this, please. The Cavs are playing quicker this year averaging 13.4 seconds per possession, up from 13.7 per possession last year. Quicker isn't always better if it leads to worse shots. There have have been times where the offense settles for the first shot, and not the best shot, and this is a good example of finding the best shot and not the first shot.
- Will continue to harp on the need to... play...through...the...bigs...more. It doesn't even have to be shot attempts, but it does have to be touches. It's a way to keep them engaged, keep the offense diverse, make the defense guard all five players and can help create offense that isn't so guard reliant. Both bigs are good passers. That can be good decision makers. And have a good feel about them. Use them. It doesn't even have to be complicated action but more they can touch it the better the offense can flow. Even Brad Daugherty was harping on it.
- Last year's Cavs team was really good in the clutch while this year's Cavs team is not -- it's one of many differences. It's against the league's worst team, yes, but seeing Garland take over like he did makes you feel better about the Cavs chances when it matters. Because if he can't, then it's trouble.
Highlights & Box Score