Who are these Cavs and what did you do with the old Cavs? Hanging a 30-point win on a Lakers team who is pretty good and a good road team (16-10 entering the game) without Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Max Strus.... isn't nothing. Donovan Mitchell said in his postgame interview the team's intensity level on both ends of the floor has been the difference and he's not wrong. Two straight games they've held a team under 100 points and now three times over their last five games. They made the Lakers waive the white flag with 8 minutes left in the game. They dominated the boards, shared the ball, took care of the ball, played together, played smart, and played a total team win.
By the Numbers
42: Point 3Q by the Cavs, that put them up 22 entering the 4Q
+10: Rebounding advantage for the Cavs
14: Offensive rebounds for the Cavs
+16: Shot attempt advantage for the Cavs
21: Assists by the Lakers, the third lowest total allowed by the Cavs this year
+24: 3PT advantage for the Cavs
8: 1Q fast break points for the Lakers
5: 1Q fast break points the rest of the game for the Lakers
11: FGA for Jarrett Allen -- the Cavs remain undefeated (9-0) when he hits 10+ FGA
+15: For the Cavs starting lineup -- the best of any 5-man unit
+43.3: Cavs net rating with Mitchell off the floor
93rd: Percentile Cavs points per play in halfcourt offense
-23: LeBron's on/off -- how fitting is that?
By the Players
Donovan Mitchell: The Lakers came out early and were aggressive in how they were defending Mitchell -- blitz screens and make him give up the ball. Mitchell had some trouble at first (2-8 FG in 1Q) but once the team started to hit shots it loosened up the defense and let Mitchell go to work (7-13 FG 2Q-4Q). The best part of the game is the Cavs didn't need Mitchell to go full hero mode -- they were a +19 in 19 minutes Mitchell was off the floor and actually built up part of their 2Q lead with him on the bench. I'm sure he will take a dunk and under 29 minutes played in a win any day of the week.
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Sam Merrill: Welcome back, Sam. Tim Legler called Merrill one of the most automatic shots in the league and he's not wrong. Merrill only took 4 shots, and looked like that finger/hand may have been bumped again, but led the team with a +31. In the same way Dean Wade is efficient, efficient, mistake free and impactful in a lot of ways on both ends, Merrill is that -- he's just an elite shooter too. Oh, and Cavs had a net +36.7 offensive rating with him on/off the floor as well.
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Jaylon Tyson: Forget giving Donovan Mitchell his flowers, give this man his flowers. From where Tyson was at last year to begin this year is quite remarkable. He was probably was the Cavs best player on the floor and the second best player on the floor for the game. For someone who said, "They fear no man," when asked about battling LeBron James, he certainly showcased it. The continued aggression in his ability to get downhill but also the ability to be a playmaker off the bounce, and in the P&R, adds a different dynamic to the team offensively. He's playing at a high clip right now and is one of the Cavs most important players.
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Dean Wade: Any time Dean is hitting his three's, it's a good night. Wade finished 2-for-3 from deep, and scored double digits for his second time in the last three games. In his customary role, Wade spent time on LeBron and Luka. The Cavs don't have many guys who can do that, and do it effectively, and what makes Wade role so important right now.
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Jarrett Allen: The TNT guys (yes, they're on ESPN but they're TNT) had a great discussion on Jarrett Allen. It's one that's been had on several levels but the key point was Allen's effectiveness is highly dependent on his involvement. The Cavs are paying him enough for that not to be the case but it's always been part of his play. With Evan Mobley out, he should be a lot more involved and will see the bulk of the P&R opportunities. Allen had 11 FGA and 5 of them came in the 1Q.
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Craig Porter Jr: Steady, efficient and creating possessions. 3-5 FG, 0 turnovers, 1 offensive rebound, 2 steals, and a +16. CPJ is good at impacting the possession game and some flashes of offensive aggressiveness helps. More vertical spacing plays, please. A +41.4 net rating is a positive.
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Tyrese Proctor: He played well for the minutes he was given (8 pts, 2-2 3P, 3 asts, 1 stl, 0 tov) but got stuck on one of the lone ineffective lineups that sunk his plus-minus and net rating for the game. The more he can be effective in limited minutes and give a spark offensively, the more Kenny will lean on him.
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De'Andre Hunter: At first Hunter played like someone who wanted to stay in Cleveland was trying to scare off the Lakers going 0-for-5 to begin the game and looking out of sync offensively. Then, he looked like someone the Lakers were going to have to throw a bag after with 17 points (3-4 3P) in the second half. The first half and second half is representative of a on-again, off-again season Hunter has been having. Sometimes he looks ghastly, and sometimes he looks like the player the Cavs traded for. The 3 rebounds and 1 assist limit his value to his scoring but perhaps more downhill looks would help expand that.
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Nae'Qwan Tomlin: Hello, NBA Dunk Contest? Tomlin had an impactful second half with a +15, and was the beneficiary of being active (as he always is) and creating possessions alongside CPJ -- 1 steal, 1 block, 1 offensive rebound all in the second half. There's also Kenny experimenting with Tomlin on primary ball-handlers of all sizes that has been intriguing to see how he handles it as the more he can, the more it looks to a future of what could be without Dean Wade.
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Larry Nance Jr: A team worst -14 in 12 minutes is a big reason why the Cavs need to do more to insulate their risk behind Mobley and Allen especially in light of Mobley's injury. It's unfortunate to see the decline in play from where he was at when he left, which do wonders as a third big, but there may not be as much left in the tank as we had hoped in the offseason.
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Thomas Bryant: Maybe it means more Bryant minutes? Think Kenny prefers more mobility both on offense in being able to handle and pass, and more mobility on defense where they can switch more but Bryant is still a productive player on the boards and offers a pick-and-pop/spot up big (2-5 3P) look they don't really have otherwise.
Game Notes
- JJ Redick seemed to have found something on the scouting report with the Lakers getting out in transition but using their wings/forwards to pin Cavs defenders under the rim for easy buckets. It happened too many times to count early. It will be interesting to see if the Cavs try to replicate this strategy as the Cavs are smaller across their backcourt and for teams with bigger wing players, it's an effective strategy as much as they can get out.
- Which it's always been all year --- the Cavs offense is their defense. The better they shoot and the more efficient they are with possessions, the less opportunities teams have to get out on the break. The Lakers could get on the break because the Cavs shot just 33.3% and turned it over 3 times in the 1Q. The Lakers also were pushing the pace (106 for the 1Q) and making it game in transition.
- But the Cavs adjusted. Hitting shots cures a lot, and so does taking care of the basketball. But the Cavs pace didn't rise above 98 for the rest of the game. The Lakers were not executing well offensively in the halfcourt (34th percentile pts/play) and the more the Cavs could keep the Lakers out of transition and in the halfcourt, they were going to win that battle. The Cavs also have a team that isn't the best in transition defense so there's a balance of managing pace, and playing fast, with how a team defends at that pace.
- Really liked some of the mixing and matching Kenny did with the second unit with now Mobley out along with Garland. He put his best shooters/playmakers around CPJ and Allen with Tyson, Hunter and Merrill. And then with Mitchell, he kept CPJ but paired some length and defense with Hunter, Tomlin and Nance.
- Seeing how the Cavs utilized Allen more in the P&R on the roll and enabling Tyson to be more of a playmaker are things they're going to be required to explore more with Mobley and Garland both out, and things that Allen and Tyson can both handle.
- Missing Evan Mobley is the Lakers shooting 72.7% on 22 restricted area FGAs and 53.3% on 15 paint FGAs. No Mobley means smaller lineups on the floor, less clean up on the backend, and more put on Allen's plate defensively. The Cavs managed well in the end, largely because the Lakers couldn't hit any perimeter shots and there was little help outside of Luka, but the paint was vulnerable without Mobley.
- The Lakers shot 48.1% and yet they didn't hit 100+ points -- that's what happens when you win the possession game. Shootign 52.6% helps too but the Cavs had 16 more FGAs, 6 more offensive rebounds, and 6 less turnovers. The extra possessions created a significant advantage for the Cavs that otherwise helps make up for other issues that came up throughout the game.
- The ball was moving well offensively, and that is represented in 11 players recording an assist. Tyson led the way with 6 assists but no player stood out and rather the Cavs relied on ball movement to help create looks, and were not letting the ball stick. The pass moves quicker than a dribble and with Garland out, the better the pass, the more open looks they can create.
- The 3Q is where the Cavs really pulled away -- hustle plays, Hunter and Tyson getting hot, and Mitchell being the finisher. But 7 different people scored. 6 different people had assists, and 5 different people had a steal furthers the "team" basketball notion.
- Tim Legler -- big Nae'Qwan Tomlin fan, even BIGGER Jaylon Tyson fan.
Highlights & Box Score