If this is how the Cavs are going to play on their 14-game, 13 slate to end the season then it’s going to be a pretty good run. It may not be a stretch to say it was one of the Cavs better all-around games on the season.
Donovan Mitchell was welcomed back after a seven-game absence to one of Darius Garland’s best performances this season. His game score (30.2) was the highest of the season. Garland had two 5+ assist quarters on his way to 11 assists on the game.
After the game Mitchell said he thought Garland had one of his best games, especially managing the game. There have been times Garland has been criticized for his turnovers, or how the offense has looked under his guidance, but Mitchell’s analysis was correct. The offense was flowing well under Garland’s watch, and it looked like as good as it has all year.
Mitchell made sure his return was known with two three-pointers right out of the gate.
In a play that would be on repeat all night, Jarrett Allen had eight first quarter points thanks to the lack of size on rotations off pick-and-roll as well as on the short roll. Allen was able to take advantage of the size mismatch off pick-and-roll all night.
Speaking of size: Down big man, JB Bickerstaff went with a Damian Jones and Allen pairing early. Bickerstaff noted after the game how it worked well for the Cavs. The two played 4:30MIN together and were a -2 in those minutes.
Credit to Jones though: He played well when called upon. He had six points in the first quarter and played one of his better games as a Cavalier.
The Cavs went on a little 11-2 run to end the first quarter. All six of Jones first quarter points came during that stretch.
The Pelicans are one of the best first quarter teams in the league. They’re 3rd in net rating (+12) and are also 3rd in offensive rating (120.7). The Cavs were a +8 after the first quarter and held the Pelicans to an 84.6 offensive rating.
The Cavs committed a couple of turnovers to start the second quarter which the Pelicans quickly converted to points. However, the Cavs turned that into a 14-0 run with a barrage of three-pointers.
In that barrage, Sam Merrill was finally able to get off the Scheid. He was 6-35 (17.1%) from three-point range his last five games. He hit two during the 14-0 run and ended up with five on the night.
After having twice as many two-pointers (9) as three-pointers (4) in the first quarter, the second quarter was quite the turn of events. They scored 21 of their 23 points from three-point range, and only made one two-pointer. 15 of their FGA were 3PA.
While they lived by the three, they also died by the three. The Cavs went into a mini slump with only three points the final five minutes of the second quarter. After being up by as much as 16 points, the Pelicans went on a 12-3 run to end the quarter and get the lead back to eight.
Within that, while the Cavs got 14 points from Allen and Jones in the first quarter, they only got two points in the second quarter. The Cavs started inside out and went a little bit away from that in the second despite their perimeter success.
Garland + Niang + Merrill + LeVert was +15 in the first half, and tied for the team’s best four-man unit (+18) on the night.
New Orleans shot 38.6% from the field through the first half while they only managed 18.2% from 3P. That three-point percentage would remain however they would only be able to bump their field goal percentage up to 43.8%.
It’s been over a month since the Pelicans scored less than 96 points. It’s only their fifth time on the year they’ve scored less than 100 points.
Zion was active inside the paint all night, and the Cavs were content to let him go to work. This is a game where not having Dean Wade was even more noticeable, as Georges Niang and Jones were mostly tasked with guarding Zion. He ended up with game-high 33 points on 61.9% shooting.
However, don’t let that dissuade you from another solid Niang performance. He had 16 points, 6 rebounds, hit 2 3PM and was a +11. Guarding Zion put him in a little bit of foul trouble. It’s his 5th game of 2+ 3PM over his last 6 games. It’s also his 4th 10+ point over that span.
Over almost a 12-minute span from middle of the second quarter to middle of the third quarter, the Cavs had 11 straight buckets via the three-point line.
Once again, the Cavs hit a bit of a lull in the third quarter. The Pelicans went on a 9-0 run and got within five points.
But, like the second quarter, the Cavs quickly kicked it into gear and went up 19 at the end of the third quarter. In five minutes, the Cavs were a +14.
It was a mix of everybody during the third quarter run. Two more Merrill threes. A few Garland two-pointers and three assists. Six more Jones points. Two LeVert assists and his first made bucket on the night.
It wasn’t until nine minutes into the fourth quarter before the Cavs attempted their first free throw. They ended up shooting two more on the night which was a season low.
However, the Cavs also had a season 38 assists. They assisted on 80% of made field goals.
Merrill tossed in a career high 9 assists on the game.
Within the first three minutes of the fourth quarter, Garland had eight points and quickly put to rest any thought of a Pelicans run to get close. He would later hit a dagger three-pointer with 4:38 left to force Willie Green to empty his bench.
Garland would finish with his third points and assists double-double on the year. He had 18 last year.
The Cavs had six players score in double-digits. Caris LeVert was not one of those guys but still managed, five rebounds, 9 assists, and was a +27.
Only three Pelican players scored in double digits.
Despite giving up a size advantage on the perimeter, the Cavs were a +3 in rebounding but -4 with points in the paint.
Mitchell looks like he might be a few games away from getting back. While he came out, his explosiveness wasn’t quite there.
The Cavs led for 42:35, and never went down after the first quarter.
The Cavs seemed to be on a mission to push the ball off misses and turnovers. They scored 26 fast break points, and Garland was over 100 for pace on the game.
Over their last seven games, the Merrill + Garland two-man pairing is a +9.6 net rating. They’re putting up an offensive rating of 120.2. Over the last five games, it’s a +20.7 net rating and a 126.7 offensive rating.
Up next: Cavs travel to Houston for a 5PM (ET) Saturday game.
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