Tag Archives: Cavaliers

Cavs best Celtics in overtime, again

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Cleveland defeated Boston in overtime 114-113.

For the second time in less than a week it was the Cleveland Cavaliers taking down the Boston Celtics in overtime. While the Cavs margin of victory was not as large as their last meeting (nine points), a win is a win and Cleveland will certainly take it.

It was a back and forth all game with both teams holding double-digits leads (BOS 12, CLE 11). The fact each team was able to rally is even more impressive considering their lack of success from three-point range. Cleveland was just 11-39 while Boston 11-41 from deep. These shortcomings were made up in other areas. The Cavs held a 56-42 advantage in points in the paint, the Celtics meanwhile made 26 of 27 free throws compared to Cleveland’s 19-24.

What this game come down to was scoring at opportune times. The Cavaliers were able to build a five-point lead with less than two minutes remaining in overtime. This small lead proved to be more than enough as Boston’s two final shot attempts in the last 30 seconds down one were not successful.

Player notes

Darius Garland returned to the Cavs lineup for the first time since the season opener. Garland finished with 29 points, 12 assists, five rebounds, and three assists in 42 minutes. The return of Garland did not disrupt the Cavaliers flow on offense as they continued to be an incredibly productive unit.

Cleveland’s second-highest scorer was Donovan Mitchell. Mitchell has proven to be such an upgrade for this Cavs team as his outstanding play night in and night out provides Cleveland with another weapon on offense. It was a casual 25 point, six assist, four rebound, two block, one steal night for newest Cavalier.

Jarrett Allen finishing with a double-double is pretty much a sure thing at this point and Wednesday was no exception. Allen’s 14 point and 14 rebound performance is expected at this point as his presence on this Cavs team has proven to be incredibly valuable.

Looking ahead

Cleveland is off Thursday before heading out on a five-game road trip which lasts until the middle of November. First up is Detroit, followed by both teams in Los Angeles, then Sacramento, and finishing off in Golden State. Their 6-1 record and status as second place in the Eastern Conference will be put to the test.

Cavaliers top Celtics in OT 132-123

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The Cleveland Cavaliers take down the Boston Celtics powered by impressive performances from Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert.

It was going to take some spectacular performances from multiple Cleveland Cavaliers if they were going to take down the Boston Celtics without Darius Garland. The Cavs were able to rally from a 15-point deficit and tie the game in regulation before pulling away in overtime. This was the type of character building win that this young Cavs team needs.

Leading the way was Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert combining for 82 points (41 each). Mitchell was 15-25 from the floor (5-9 3PT) and made all six free throw attempts. LeVert made 12 of 21 field goal attempts (6-8 3PT) and went 11-12 from the charity stripe. This was not the typical performance as the duo managed to make some Cavaliers history. Mitchell and LeVert are only the second pair of teammates to score 40 or more points in a single game. Being in the same stratosphere as LeBron James and Kyrie Irving’s performances in the 2016 NBA Finals is impressive.

The Cavaliers big men also pulled their weight in this contest. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen each finished with a double-double, 19 points, 10 rebounds and 12 points, 11 rebounds respectively.

Cleveland is now 4-1 on the year and have won four straight without Garland. This was the first notable win of the season for the Cavs as they have not played a particularly difficult slate of opponents thus far. That being said the important takeaway here is that the Cavaliers are winning and that is all that matters at the end of the day.

Up next are the New York Knicks at home Sunday at 6:00 P.M.

Cavaliers to be without four players vs Boston

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The Cleveland Cavaliers will continue to be without some key players for Friday’s game.

The return and season debut of several Cavaliers players will have to wait a bit longer. Darius Garland, Dylan Windler, Isaiah Mobley, and Ricky Rubio have been listed as out for Friday’s contest against the Boston Celtics.

Garland has missed the last three games with an eyelid laceration, but that has not stopped the Cavs from reeling off three wins in a row, Wednesday’s 11-point win over Orlando. Mobley has also been out of action since the season opener. Rubio and Winder are still yet to play this season. Rubio is recovering from his season-ending ACL injury from last season while Windler has been dealing with an ankle injury.

Boston will be the best team Cleveland has faced this season and being without players like Garland and Rubio will make it a bit more difficult. The Cavaliers should still be able to put up a good enough fight to be at least competitive against the Celtics.

Cleveland won just one of three contests last year against Boston. The Cavs were not exactly healthy during those games, additionally they have more depth and talent this season. Anything is possible.

Cavs defeat Magic, win third straight game

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The Cavs managed to win their third consecutive game, coming out victorious 103-92 over the visiting Orlando Magic.

It was a triumphant night for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they took on the Orlando Magic at home. Even without Darius Garland the Cavs were able to take care of business, winning by 11 points. Cleveland was in control for most of the game as the last time they trailed was late in the 2nd quarter. Orlando’s slim four-point lead did not last as the Cavs rallied and did not look back as they blew past the Magic. Very few teams can withstand a Cavalanche and it is quite clear the Magic are not one of them.

The difference between the Cavs and Magic came down to the three-point and free throw lines. Cleveland was 10-33 and 21-30 respectively while Orlando was 6-24 and 16-21. The advantage for Cleveland here made up for Orlando outscoring the Cavs in the paint 54-46.

All five Cavaliers starters scored in double-digits with Evan Mobley’s 20 points leading the way. Jarrett Allen turned in one of his nightly double-doubles, finishing with 18 points and 16 rebounds. Making the most of his first start of the season was Dean Wade, scoring 12 points on 4-7 from three-point range.

Cedi Osman’s hot start to the season continued, scoring 14 points (5-12) in 31 minutes. Osman has scored in double-digits off the bench in every game this season. While track record says that a correction is coming, getting this type of production while Garland is out has been incredibly helpful.

Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert did not have great shooting nights, combining to go 8-31 from the field (4-14 3PT). While they both eclipsed the 10-point mark and combine for 14 assists, the rest of the Cavs were able to overcome this inefficient night from the floor.

Cleveland is off Thursday before returning to action Friday in Boston to take on the Celtics. It will be their first of two matchups in three games with Boston.

Darius Garland not expected to play vs Magic

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The Cleveland Cavaliers guard is not expected to play Wednesday.

Darius Garland is getting closer to returning to the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup, but it will come on Wednesday. Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff stated that Garland is not expected to play versus Orlando. Garland has missed the last two games due to an eyelid laceration in the opening night loss to Toronto. The fact that Garland has been able to return some on-court activities points towards a return happening sooner rather than later.

Cleveland missing a key player such as Darius Garland in previous years would have been too much to overcome. Luckily it has been Donovan Mitchell putting the team on his back, propelling the Cavaliers to two straight victories. Mitchell built upon his impressive debut, managing to set a Cavs franchise record along the way. It is the play of Mitchell (and others) which gives the Cavs more breathing room when it comes to handling Garland. Should Garland need more time to recover this Cavs squad is more than capable of holding down the fort.

Donovan Mitchell sets Cavs record

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The Cleveland Cavaliers guard has set a new franchise record.

Donovan Mitchell is special. Just how special you ask? Special enough to set a new Cavaliers record for most points scored through the first three games of a season. Mitchell’s 100 points has surpassed Austin Carr’s previous record of 90.

Donovan Mitchell has score more than 30 points in all three games, including 37 in Sunday’s overtime win over Washington.

With the Cavs being without Darius Garland they were going to need someone to pick up the slack in his absence. Donovan Mitchell has just done just that as Cleveland has won both games without Garland. The decision to acquire Mitchell appears to be paying off quite early for the Cavs as they would not be able to overcome this situation in their previous form.

Garland, Rubio, Windler out for Cavs Saturday

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The Cavs will be without the services of three players Saturday night.

Darius Garland, Ricky Rubio, and Dylan Winder have been officially ruled out for the Cavs tilt in Chicago Saturday. Cleveland will still have four of their five regular starters in Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen when they take on the Bulls.

Garland left the season opening loss to Toronto with an eyelid laceration and missing at least one game is far from a surprise. Windler is still working his way back and his return seems to be coming sooner rather than later. The return of Rubio still appears to be on track for sometime in December.

Even without these three players the Cavs will have a chance to get their first win of the season. Chicago is down two key players in Lonzo Ball and Zach LaVine, making the Bulls path to victory a bit more difficult. This is the type of game Cleveland needs to win and things appear to be lining up for exactly that.

Cavaliers fall short in Toronto, lose 108-105

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It was a tough night north of the border as the Cleveland Cavaliers were not able to come away with a win against the Toronto Raptors.

The 4th quarter began with the Cleveland Cavaliers holding on to an eight-point lead and were just 12 minutes away from starting the season on a winning note. Cleveland held a one-point lead until Toronto took over with 3:31 left to play. The Raptors would outscore Cleveland 12-9 over the final few minutes as they handed the Cavaliers a three-point loss. This stretch from Toronto was actually just a small snippet of what they were able to do in the final quarter. Cleveland was outscored 32-21 as they were simply not able to keep up with Toronto.

A big reason for the Cavs loss was an injury which forced Darius Garland to leave the game late in the 2nd quarter. It was revealed after the game that Garland has a laceration on the inside of his eyelid. The absence of Garland for over half of the game was a clear issue for Cleveland. Losing a player as talented as Garland would take down most teams in the NBA and the Cavalier were no exception.

Player notes

Donovan Mitchell was outstanding in his Cavaliers debut, leading Cleveland with 31 points on 12-21 shooting and nine assists. Mitchell was a primary reason why the Cavs were in the game for as long as they were. Without Mitchell the final differential may have been a bit lopsided.

Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen started the season off on the right foot as he finished with his usual double-double. Allen scored 13 points and grabbed 10 boards in addition to two blocks.

The leading bench scorer and second-highest Cavs scoring effort came from Cedi Osman. Osman had one of his on nights, making six of 12 field goal attempts including 3-6 from downtown.

Second-year star Evan Mobley was the second-highest scoring Cavaliers starter with 14 points on 5-9 from the field. Mobley also had six rebounds, one assists, one steal, and one block.

Kevin Love had a productive night in 21 minutes off the bench. Love totaled eight points, seven rebounds, and two assists for Cleveland.

The Cavaliers are off until Saturday when they travel to Chicago to take on the Bulls as they look for their first win of the season.

Darius Garland has eyelid laceration

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The Cleveland Cavaliers guard exited Wednesday’s loss with an eye injury.

Darius Garland left in the 2nd quarter of the Cleveland Cavaliers loss to the Toronto Raptors and did not return. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the game it was laceration on the inside of his eyelid.

Garland had 4 points, 3 three assists, 2 steals, 1 rebound, and 1 block prior to exiting the contest. It was not a particularly night efficiency wise for the Cavs guard as he was 2- 8 from the field (0-1 3PT) and turned the ball over five times.

The Cavaliers are off until Saturday when they will take on the Chicago Bulls. Hoping that Darius Garland returns for this contest may be a bit too optimistic as it seems likely that he will miss some time.

New look Cavaliers begin season in Toronto

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are set to take on the Toronto Raptors.

An offseason roster shakeup has the Cleveland Cavaliers looking to build upon last season and go to the next level. The backcourt pairing of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell look to lead the Cavs to new heights. Cleveland will begin their campaign on the road as they look to start the season on a high note against the Toronto Raptors.

In four matchups last season it was the Cavaliers coming out three times over the Raptors including a lopsided 144-99 win in December. Cleveland outscored Toronto by an average of 10 points per contest 113.5-103.5. It would not be surprising to see this trend continue as the Cavs trajectory is clearly trending upward.

The Cavaliers will be without Dylan Windler and the recently signed Mamadi Diakite while the Raptors have listed Otto Porter Jr. as out. Of the three players listed out Porter Jr. is the only true impact player, averaging 22.1 minutes for Golden State last season. Both teams have their full starting lineup available and that is what should decide the game.