The Cleveland Cavaliers won their first game at home since December 23rd. A 127-105 victory over the visiting Atlanta Hawks.
It happened, it finally happened. The Cleveland Cavaliers won a home game for the first time this decade. Their 12-game losing streak at home has now been snapped with their 127-105 win over the Atlanta Hawks Wednesday. It is quite fitting that the Cavs won at home against the last team they managed to beat at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, putting proper bookends on their 12-game home losing streak.
Wednesday’s tilt came right after Sunday’s embarrassing home loss, worst in team history. Add in the fact that this was the final game before the All-Star Break and a win a home is nice way to end the first portion of the season.
The Kevin Love-less Cavaliers were able to pull ahead in the 1st quarter and didn’t look back. Cleveland outscored Atlanta 33-19 in the opening quarter and proceeded to do so in the following three quarters.
Cleveland’s three big men all had double-doubles on the night. Larry Nance Jr. had the best all around perfjoamcne of the three.
Larry Nance Jr.: 23 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, 2 blocks, 2 assists
Andre Drummond: 14 points, 15 rebounds, 2 blocks, 1 assist
Tristan Thompson: 27 points, 11 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 assist
This is exactly what Cleveland needed in order to win without their best player in Kevin Love. Love missed the game with Achilles soreness.
Cleveland’s young guns also had good games. Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Kevin Porter Jr. stepped up when their team needed them to. That is a huge step forward in their development.
Collin Sexton: 23 points, 6 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal
Darius Garland: 12 points, 7 assists, 1 block
Kevin Porter Jr.: 18 points, 4 rebounds, 3 assists, 1 steal
Cleveland having 13 assists between Sexton and Garland is encouraging to see. Sexton’s passing has certainly improved and Garland is someone who has bounced back from a rough stretch not too long ago.
What is important is to not look too much into this win. Yes, the win is nice, but Atlanta only has one more win on the season than Cleveland. The Hawks are not exactly a powerhouse and Wednesday’s win, while great, just needs the proper perspective.
