The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to win their second straight game as they took down the Oklahoma City Thunder by a score of 129-102.
The 3rd quarter is usually a complete letdown for the Cavaliers, but this time it went Cleveland’s way. Cleveland surprisingly outscored Oklahoma City 28-14 in the 3rd en route to their 27-point win over the Thunder. It wasn’t just the 3rd quarter that they held an advantage in, is what the 4th quarter as well. The Cavaliers dropped 36 points in the final quarter to solidify their win on the road. It was an all around good performance for Cleveland as their lowest point total in any quarter was 27 in the 2nd quarter.
Perhaps in what may be the outlier of all outliers, Cleveland drained 13 three-pointers on 37 attempts in the contest. The Cavaliers average 9.4-28.1 per game from deep, both which rank dead last in the NBA. This upturn is actually a sign of improvement and maybe a light at the end of the tunnel.
SexLand leads the way
As is the case for the Cavaliers in their wins this season, Collin Sexton Darius Garland led the charge. This performance was just a bit different as SexLand’s shooting was improved (9-17, 8-15) while they also cut down on turnovers, all 3 of which belong to Garland. There have been questions about how viable this combo could be multiple times this season, but a night like this provides optimism.
Love, Okoro, Wade all step up
It wasn’t just SexLand who carried the team, all five of the Cavaliers starters scored in double-digits. Kevin Love had 18 points and 11 rebounds on 6-12 shooting (3-8 3PT, 3-4 FT). Isaac Okoro added 15 points on a 6 for 13 from the field, making 2 of 6 three-point attempts. Even Dean Wade scored 12 points, half of which came off his two three-point makes.
Prince off the bench
Taurean Prince had himself a night off the bench yet again, scoring 22 points in 28 minutes. Prince went 3-5 from deep (9-15 overall) and finished with 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. The veteran forward is proving to be a valuable contributor off the bench for the Cavs as of late.
