With a win tonight, the Cavs now have a slight win percentage edge over the Houston Rockets. That’s a not a sentence I expected to write coming into the year but here we are. It took 53 minutes to decide a winner, and the Cavs used up every last second.
Like the Atlanta game, the Cavs came out humming. They started the game on a 13-4 run, including going 7-0 after Alperen Sengun on the bench with early foul trouble. However, unlike the Atlanta game, the Cavs gave it right back. Over the next 4 minutes, the Rockets took the lead with a 19-9 run.
When Donovan Mitchell has his stepback jumper going, it’s a sight to see. He was cooking early and had 6 of his first 8 first half points within the first 4 minutes. However after that, he only had 2 points in the rest of his first half minutes.
The Cavs have turned around their 1st quarter defense over the last 15 games -- they're now up to 7th in the league with a 108.5 defensive rating. Despite the Rockets coming off a back-to-back, the Rockets put up 34 points, shot over 60% from the field and out-biged the Cavs with a +3 in rebounds, and +6 in points in the paint.
One of the things I appreciate about CRAIG! Porter Jr is his ability to get deflections. He’s incredibly active, and adept at being involved despite being a point guard. In 9 minutes, he collected 3 rebounds and 1 steal. Despite all that, that’s all the playing time he got, and another guard seems to have jumped ahead of him in the rotation…
And that’s one Sam Merrill. Without him, the Cavs probably don’t win tonight. He’s now got 4 straight games with 2+ three-pointers made. More than all that, he seems to have JB Bickerstaff’s trust. Which, I can’t blame him. Merrill has an incredibly quick release, puts pressure on defenses, and is willing to do the little things on defense. He’s collected charges in consecutive games, get on the floor for loose balls and eliminates mistakes. All the things that Bickerstaff seems to appreciate.
Quick aside: Mitchell has now played 86 minutes in the last 2 games without Darius Garland, while CRAIG! has played 24 minutes. If the Cavs are going to sustain this, it’s going to have to be some with better managing the workload of Mitchell.
Back to the game, the second quarter was pretty even however there was a key stretch late in the 2Q that was incredibly important. The Rockets started to create some separation with their largest lead of the game (9). In the last 9 seconds, the Cavs went on a 7-0 run heading into half only down 2 and with momentum on their side. It could have easily went the other way but they managed to stay in the game.
Of course, in the second game without Garland and Mobley, the Cavs put up quarters of 41 and now 42 (tied for season high). The Rockets match it with a 39 in the 3rd which combined for 81 total 3Q points.
Jarrett Allen was managing foul trouble throughout the game which lead to Tristan Thompson getting some extended run. Ime Udoka used this to his advantage to steal some extra possessions by utilizing a hack-a-Thompson. He went 2-6 in a few short minutes.
Bickerstaff decided to pivot and go to a small ball lineup that has had success before with Niang at center. That decision paid off with a quick 9-2 run in the 3Q. Briefly fast forward to the 4th quarter, and Bickerstaff went with this lineup again. This time they went on another run to the tune of 13-6.
Despite the Cavs pushing their lead to 12 points again midway through the 3Q, the Rockets fought back. They tied the game within the last minute of the 3Q that saw both teams a possession away from 100 points through three quarters.
While Mitchell had a relatively quiet first half, he responded with 29 second half points and finished with 37 points on the night. After a stretch of some less than stellar perimeter shooting, Mitchell has put together 4+ made threes and 50%+ from the field in 3 of his last 4 games.
The Rockets tied the game a minute into the 4Q, never lead the entire 4Q, and ended up tieing the game with :36 seconds left. The Rockets fought most of the way despite the Cavs holding the lead for most of the way. Only 1 point was scored the last 90 seconds of the game, which was the Sengun free throw. Otherwise, the Cavs were 0-4 in 4 offensive possessions. They had opportunities to put the game away but couldn’t.
It’s a problem that needs to be addressed sooner rather than later. The Cavs rank 26th in 4th quarter offense with a 107.9 offensive rating – right in front of the Pistons. Somehow the Heat and Suns are worse, and the Lakers and Timberwolves aren’t far behind, but the late game offense is going to come back to bite them at some point in the future.
But that time was not tonight. If the 4Q is a puzzle they can’t figure out, they have all the answers for OT. Bickerstaff decided to put Merrill in the OT starting lineup in place of LeVert, and it paid off with Merrill scoring 5 quick points. It put a cherry on top of the cake for Merrill who ended up with a career high 19 points.
It won’t show up in the box score, but Isaac Okoro was huge to start OT. Point Okoro made two assists, and create an extra possession via a hustle offensive rebound that lead to a Merrill layup. Bickerstaff has placed more responsibilities on Okoro’s plate after Garland’s injury including more ball-handling in certain lineups. He’s responded with 9 assists over the last two nights, and is averaging 5 rebounds, 4.5 assists, and 14.5 points. The opportunity is there and it’s been good to see Okoro seize it, for now.
With Allen in foul trouble most of the night and playing under 30 minutes, the Rockets used it to their advantage. They finished +10 in rebounding, and +10 in points in the paint. Without Allen, the Cavs are an incredibly small team, and teams are able to out physical, and out bully them at times.
A stat I only care about: The Cavs are now 9-3 when Max Strus and Niang hit 2+ three-pointers.
Up next: Cavs continue their homestand by welcoming the Jazz on Wednesday at 7PM (ET).
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