Tag Archives: Kevin Porter Jr.

Cavaliers fall to Pelicans at home

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to win a second consecutive game, falling to the New Orleans Pelicans by a score of 125-111.

Coming off defeating the Detroit Pistons in the front end of a back-to-back, the Cleveland Cavaliers took on the New Orleans Pelicans. New Orleans proved to be too much for the Cavs as they were unable to turn one win into a winning streak.

There was not one specific quarter which led to the loss. This is a bit different when compared to previous losses. The 3rd quarter has been where the Cavaliers typically fall apart. New Orleans outscored Cleveland by 3-6 points in the first three quarters, it was a consistent and gradual extension of the lead, not just one blowout quarter.

Collin Sexton and Kevin Porter Jr. lead Cavaliers offense

There were only two members of the Cleveland Cavaliers to eclipse points in the game, Collin Sexton and Kevin Porter Jr. Collin Sexton led the team in scoring with 24 points on 9-20 shooting (2-5 3PT) with 4 assists, 3 rebounds, two steals, and one block. That block was an epic moment for Collin Sexton. Of all the Pelicans that Collin Sexton could have blocked, he managed to block Zion Williamson.

This was perhaps the most surprising play of the game. Williamson having a dunk attempt thwarted by Collin Sexton was not expected by anyone. Tristan Thompson? Maybe. But Collin Sexton? Absolutely not.

Kevin Porter Jr. led the Cavs bench scoring effort with 21 points in 26 minutes. This was Porter’s second game since returning from his knee injury. Porter made half of his shots (8 of 16), five of which were three-pointers. Porter also had 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 1 steal in the contest.

A tribute from Larry Nance Jr.

When Larry Nance Jr. first arrived in Cleveland he donned the number 24 for a handful of games. That was before putting on his more familiar number 22 that his father also wore and has been retired by the Cavaliers. Nance started Tuesday’s game wearing the number 24 jersey.

Larry Nance Jr. was a teammate of Kobe Bryant for one season in Los Angeles. Like many NBA players, Nance wanted to pay tribute and honor Bryant’s legacy. Nance wore the number 24 in honor of his former Lakers teammate.

Larry Nance Jr. had quite a game for the Cavs, filling the stat sheet out quite nicely. Nance finished with 17 points, 11 rebounds, 7 assists, and two assists. Nance’s 17 points came on 6-10 shooting, 1-3 from deep, and making all four free throw attempts.

The Cavaliers have a tough matchup ahead of them on Thursday as the reigning NBA Champion Toronto Raptors come to town.

Kevin Porter Jr. returns for Cavaliers

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Kevin Porter Jr. returned to the Cleveland Cavaliers lineup Monday and contributed to snapping their seven-game losing streak.

After missing the previous 10 games, Cleveland Cavaliers forward Kevin Porter Jr. returned to action Monday night in Detroit. Porter was out due to a knee injury. An injury which initially had a return timetable of 1-2 weeks. After reevaluating his knee, the determination was made that more time was needed in order to recover. 

Kevin Porter Jr. came off the bench and played 16 minutes in the Cavaliers 115-100 victory over the Pistons. Porter went 4-8 from the field and made his lone free throw attempt of the night, totaling nine points. Porter also had three steals a, one block, and one rebound. 

Kevin Porter Jr. was the only Cavs bench player to finish was a plus/minus over +10.  In fact, Porter’s plus/minus of +11 was better than two of Cleveland’s starters (Collin Sexton and Darius Garland both finished at +10 in the contest). 

The Cavaliers look like a completely different team when they have Kevin Porter Jr. There is certainly more athleticism in the lineup with Porter in it The Cavaliers appear to mesh a bit better compared to when others are in the lineup. 

Kevin Porter Jr. is currently averaging 8.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 21.8 minutes per game this season. Porter should be an integral piece for the Cavaliers moving forward. Cleveland is looking for pieces that will help them in the long-term and Porter looks like a legitimate long-term piece. A core consisting of Porter, Collin Sexton, and Darius Garland could be a promising start as the Cavaliers continue to build in the second post-LeBron era.

Cavaliers could be without four players Thursday

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The Cleveland Cavaliers could find themsleves a little shorthanded as they could be without four players Thursday as they face the Washington Wizards.

There was already an expectation that the Cleveland Cavaliers would be without a few players on Thursday. Kevin Porter Jr. and Ante Zizic being the most notable. Now it appears that they could be without the services of Brandon Knight and John Henson as well. Kelly Russo of The Athletic tweeted an update of the Cavs injury report.

John Henson is listed as probable, so it seems he may play. Although lower back injuries, especially with big men. A flareup could occur, resulting in Henson missing Thursday’s contest against the Wizards.

Brandon Knight has missed the past three games due to left knee soreness. The Cavaliers already have a handful of guards receiving plenty of playing time the season. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are the starters with Dante Exum receiving an increased role. Matthew Dellavedova is playing his fair share of minutes, although he is not the most effective player on the court.

Ante Zizic was diagnosed with a vestibular condition and will out indefinitely. The absence of Zizic will have an impact on the team if they decide to move on from one of their three big men. The trade deadline is fast approaching and it is not out the question that one of Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson, and John Henson could be on the move.

Kevin Porter Jr. now expected to miss 4-6 weeks

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have given an update about Kevin Porter Jr.’s recovery timeline and is now stands at 4-6 weeks instead of just two weeks.

There is an update regarding the status of Kevin Porter Jr. The update comes Kelsey Russo of The Athletic.

The Cavs decision to bring back Alfonzo McKinnie on a 10-day contract. A two week return seemed a little quick for how serious Porter’s injury appeared to be.

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At the time, Porter’s injury appeared to be season-ending. Non-contact injuries are rarely good and the initial two week timeframe gave hope that he would return sooner rather than later. Losing Porter hurts. Porter was starting to blossom into an integral part of the team. There could have been chance to crack the starting lineup if the injury would not have occurred. As the now extended recovery timeframe is draws closer, another update is sure to come.

4-6 weeks is a long time and it could ultimately seal the fate of some other players on the team who could be move. Including the likes of Brandon Knight and John Henson. Last year a series of injuries set forth a series of trades, this could be the injury that puts Cleveland clearly in sell mode.

Cleveland has to hope that Kevin Porter Jr. returns before the season is up and builds upon his earlier success. A strong finish for Porter could go a long way in his overall development and help build confidence moving forward.

Love-less Cavaliers defeat Timberwolves

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Kevin Love was held out of the game, but the Cleveland Cavaliers were able to defeat the Minnesota Timberwolves by a score of 94-88.

Kevin Love was held out of Saturday’s contest with the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Cavaliers caught a break of their own with Minnesota being with out their best player in Karl-Anthony Towns. Even without Love, Cleveland was able to bounce back from Friday night’s loss to Boston with a 94-88 victory in Minnesota.

Collin Sexton and Darius Garland led the Cavaliers scoring attack with 18 points each. Garland was a bit more efficient from the floor (8-11 FGA, 2-4 3PT) than Sexton (5-17 FG, 0-1 3PT). Sexton was able to go 8-11 from there free-throw line to make up for his troubles shooting the ball and grabbed a surprisingly high seven rebounds.

Tristan Thompson had a typical Tristan Thompson game. Thompson scored 12 points and grabbed 15 rebounds. Four of Thompson’s rebounds were of the offensive variety. Thompson also struggled shooting the ball (2-9), but was able to salvage the evening with his effort at the free throw line (8-11).

Larry Nance Jr. started in place of Kevin Love and finished with nine and nine. Nine points and nine rebounds. Nance did his best Kevin Love impression, going 1-3 from deep.

Like many other Cavaliers, Kevin Porter Jr. struggled when shooting the ball. Porter went 3-10 from the field and 0-3 from three-point range. Porter also went 4-6 from the free throw line, helping him get to 10 points on the night.

Highs and lows for the Cavaliers

Cleveland out-rebounded Minnesota 61-39. Rebounding made free throws (26) and the final score were the only positive areas for the Cavaliers. There were plenty of issues for Cleveland.

One of the main issues with Cleveland has been turnovers. Committing the second-highest amount of turnovers per game, Cleveland committed another 29 Saturday. The Cavaliers are not going to get away with almost 30 turnovers and win often, but they managed to that against Minnesota.

Three-point shooting is another area of concern. While they attempted only 20 three-pointers, they only made four. Minnesota also struggled in that area, but made double the amount that Cleveland made.

The Cavaliers were also on the wrong side of fast break points and points in the paint. Minnesota was able to score 15 points in transition compared to Cleveland’s six. Minnesota was also able to dominate points in the paint, edging Cleveland 50-44.

The Cavaliers managed to win despite being outplayed in several key areas. This is unlikely to be a common occurrence for a team like the Cavaliers who are young and lacking talent across the board.

Cleveland will take on the Raptors in Toronto on New Year’s Eve at 7:00 P.M.

Cavaliers unable to continue win streak vs Celtics

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were unable to extend their winning streak to four as they fell to the Boston Celtics by a score of 129-117.

The Cavaliers winning streak had to end sometime. That time just happened to be Friday afternoon against the Celtics. Boston had control of the game from the start, scoring 33 points in the 1st quarter. Cleveland is just not equipped to compete with teams that take an 11 point lead after just one quarter. At one point, Boston extended their lead to 23 points, hardly a surprise for a superior Celtics team. While the final differential was only 12, it was more due to the fact of Boston emptying their bench and not Cleveland fighting their way back into the game.

Love, Sexton and Porter Jr. lead Cavaliers scoring effort

The Cavaliers were led scoring-wise by Kevin Love. Love scored 30 points, going 10-16 from the field, this includes 6-11 from deep. While Kevin Love was one of the bright spots for Cleveland on offense, things did not appear to be going well on defense Early on in the game Love was frequently frustrated after Boston would score. Things appear to be getting worse before they are getting better.

Collin Sexton was the only other Cavaliers player who scored 20 or more points. Sexton added 21 points on 9-20 shooting. Sexton limited his three-point attempts again, only taking two and missing both. This was the sixth straight game in which Sexton attempted two or less from deep. It appears that Sexton his either aware of his struggles from three-point range this season or he is being instructed to take less. At some point his efficiency will have to improve, Sexton is only making 27.7% of his attempts from three this season. This is 13% worse than last season. Sexton has shown that he is better than what he has shown this season and it is entirely possible he corrects the problem sooner rather than later.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored in double-digits for the second consecutive game. With 16 points on 5-9 shooting and made all five attempts from the free throw line. Porter will need to contribute and be an integral part of the Cavaliers game plan moving forward. Perhaps at some point Porter could enter the starting lineup. There will be plenty of opportunities for Porter to prove himself. Cleveland has to evaluate their young players and build for the future. Porter certainly appears to be a part of Cleveland’s future.

Cleveland will look to get back into the win column on Saturday. The Cavaliers face the Timberwolves in Minnesota at 8:00 P.M.

Is it time for Kevin Porter Jr. to start?

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With a presumed shuffling of the roster on the horizon, it may be time for the Cavaliers to start thier young players. This includes Kevin Porter Jr.

There is a distinct difference in how the Cleveland Cavaliers offense looks with Kevin Porter Jr. on the floor with the starters. A perfect example was the 4th quarter against the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Porter and Darius Garland combined for the first 17 points for the Cavaliers and propelled the team to victory. The Cavaliers offense just looked more fluid with Porter on the floor.

Yes, Kevin Porter Jr. is young. There will be growing pains. There will be times when the team looks out of sync. But, the Cavaliers timeline is not meant for this season. The timeline is about the future. Getting experience and developing their game. Being coached up by John Beilein and buying into the overall plan for the Cavaliers. Kevin Porter Jr. just seems to be a better fit as a starter than off the bench. Conversely, Cedi Osman seems to be a better option off the bench than starter. It just seems that Osman can maximize his skill set in shorter spurts at select times.

The team is going to start trading their veteran players and embrace the youth movement. There will be extra minutes to distribute, Porter could receive them.

Kevin Porter Jr. as a starter seems to be more of a legitimate long term plan than Cedi Osman. Porter is more dynamic and may be a better fit with the likes of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland. Porter’s skill set could bring out the best from Sexton and Garland. Porter looked great with a few starters at the start of the 4th quarter on Monday. The 4th quarter had Porter on the floor with both Sexton and Garland, but not at the same time. Even with the staggering of minutes, Porter looked effective on the court with either guard.

Granted, this performance was against the Hawks. Atlanta is not very good and this could be a product of that. Although, this could be a preview of things to come for the Cavaliers starting rotation.

Cavaliers defeat Hawks 121-118

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The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Atlanta Hawks 121-118 at home in order to win their third consecutive game and ninth overall.

The game was tied at 94 as the 4th quarter began. Cleveland needed some help from their younger players if they were going to win. Luckily for the Cavaliers, they got just that. Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. combined to score the first 17 points for the Cavaliers in the fourth quarter as they narrowly won their third straight game.

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 15 points off the bench, nine of which came in the fourth quarter. Porter had himself a game and made plenty of highlight worth plays.

Kevin Porter Jr. definitely took advantage of every opportunity he was given Monday. Porter performing like this is definitely a great sign moving forward.

Darius Garland scored 10 points in the fourth, eight came in that early stretch to being the final quarter. Garland finished with 21 points in the win.

Porter and Garland were not the only Cavs players to have a good game. Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers in scoring with 25 points on 12-20 from the field. What is noteworthy about Sexton’s performance was that he missed his only three-point shot and went 1-2 from the charity stripe. 19 field goal attempts came from two-point range.

Kevin Love also scored 20 points, going 7-16 from the field. Love did not have a ton of success from deep, only making three of 10 attempts from distance. Luckily Cleveland was carried by Porter and Garland to start the 4th, so they did not need to rely on Love to pull ahead of Atlanta.

Cleveland made a trade before the game

The Cavaliers agreed to a trade prior to the game. Sending Jordan Clarkson to Utah for Dante Exum and two second round draft picks. This will allow for the Cavaliers to use their younger players in more prominent roles. Meaning that players such as Darius Garland and Kevin Porter Jr. could be more integral to Cleveland’s strategy moving forward.

Cleveland will look to win their fourth straight game Friday as they head out on the road to take on the Boston Celtics at 4:00 P.M.

Cavaliers hang on to defeat Wizards

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to keep the lead and come away with their first road win of the season with a 113-100 against the Washington Wizards.

It was going to happen eventually. The Cleveland Cavaliers are now in the win column on the road. Cleveland came away with a 113-100 win in Washington.

At one point the Cavaliers led by 21 points. Even though Cleveland was seemingly in control throughout the game, Washington fought back to make it a one point game in the fourth quarter. That was as close as the game would get down the stretch as the Cavaliers pulled away for the win.

The Cavaliers were led by another tremendous outing from Tristan Thompson. Thompson scored 21 points on 8-12 shooting from the field and added five points at the free throw line. With 12 rebounds on the night Thompson had his seventh double-double in eight games.

Kevin Love also had a double-double. Love finished with 16 points and 12 rebounds. Love also added two assists and two blocks to his final line.

Collin Sexton did not have the best night shooting the ball as he went 7-19 from the field, including 2-5 from deep. Despite the rough shooting performance Sexton was able to score 16 points.

There was a bit of a spotlight on Darius Garland in this contest. Garland was once on an AAU team the was coached by Bradley Beal. Garland did not seem fazed by that and managed to score 15 points on 6-11 shooting and assisted on six other baskets.

The Cavaliers are now 3-5 on the season which includes a 1-3 record on the road. This win also got Cleveland their first win in their red uniform this season.

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Cleveland will continue their road trip when they face the Knicks in New York Sunday at 7:30 P.M.

Poor shooting buries Cavaliers in Orlando

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A poor shooting performance led to the Cleveland Cavaliers dropping thier opening game of the season to the Orlando Magic by a score of 94-85.

It is hard to win in the NBA when a team as a whole struggles to shoot. The Cleveland Cavaliers only converted 33 of 89 field goal attempts (37.1%) in their opening night loss to the Orlando Magic. Making less than 40% of their shots in a game very rarely leads to a win. Wednesday was no exception.

Collin Sexton made five of 15 attempts on the night, totaling 16 points. The story is ineffectiveness from inside the three-point line. Sexton made three of eight three-point attempts. This means that only two of seven two-point attempts went in. This is not a reason to a panic, but it is a disappointing first outing from someone that is expected to take a big step forward.

Jordan Clarkson struggled in the worst way. The Cavaliers sixth man had an abysmal night from the field (2-12 overall 0-5 from three-point range). Clarkson is someone that the Cavaliers will lean on to lead their second unit. Yes, Clarkson struggled but this should not be the norm for him moving forward.

Kevin Porter Jr. did not have a good start to his NBA career. Porter when 0-6 in 17 minutes of play. Like Collin Sexton, there is no reason to panic with Porter. Young players typically take some time to get going, Sexton and Porter are no exception.

Some Cavaliers performed better than others

Tristan Thompson had the best shooting night out of all the Cavaliers starters. Thompson made eight of his 11 field goal attempts, finishing with 16 points. Thompson also grabbed 11 rebounds, two were on the offensive end of the court.

Speaking of good rebounding performances, Kevin Love had a good night on the boards. This sort of made up for only going 4-10 from the field. Love corralled 18 rebounds (17 defensive) and led both teams in rebounds.

Cedi Osman was the only Cavaliers player to finish with a plus in plus/minus (6), Tristan Thompson finished with zero while all others finished with a negative in this category. Osman scored 13 points thanks to making half of his three-point attempts (6).

Is one game a reason to have some concern about the Cavaliers season? Absolutely not. There are 81 more games to play. There were times when the Cavaliers looked like a competent team. The times that they didn’t is when they fell behind and could not keep up with the Magic.

The Cavaliers take on the Indiana Pacers Saturday at 8:00 P.M. in their home opener.