Tag Archives: Larry Nance Jr.

Cavaliers lose to Celtics 112-106

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The Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves without some key players yet again, but still managed to fight until the final whistle. They must have taken the team hashtag of #BeTheFight pretty seriously, because they nearly came away with a win against a superior Boston Celtics team Wednesday night. Boston was also without some key players of their own. Kemba Walker, Gordon Hayward, and Jaylen Brown all missed the contest. That did not stop them from handing the Cavaliers a 112-106 loss. 

Cleveland was led by Collin Sexton, setting a new career-high in scoring for the second consecutive game. Sexton’s 41 points nearly carried the Cavs all the way back in this one, but Boston was just too much. Sexton’s impact was not limited to just scoring as he finished with 6 assists, 3 rebounds, and 1 steal. Sexton had to pick up the slack for his teammates who missed the contest (Tristan Thompson, Andre Drummond, and Darius Garland) and Kevin Porter Jr. leaving early on in the game with a head injury. 

Kevin Love was the Cavs second-highest scorer with 26 points on 9-17 shooting (5-10 3PT). Love also grabbed 14 rebounds to finish with a double-double.

Larry Nance Jr. got the start and impressed yet again with a double-double of his own. Nance had 19 points, 15 rebounds, 4 assists, and 4 steals. When Nance has been given the opportunity to play significant minutes he has taken it and ran. Larry Nance Jr. frequently stuffs the stat sheet and is certainly making a case for more playing time moving forward. 

Cleveland returns to action Saturday against the Denver Nuggets

Shorthanded Cavaliers fall to Jazz 126-113

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The Utah Jazz were just too much for the shorthanded Cleveland Cavaliers Monday night. Cleveland was able to keep things interesting for the majority of the game but were not able to come away with a win, losing by a score of 126-113. 

Cleveland only suited up nine players Monday night. The Cavs were without Andre Drummond, Darius Garland, Tristan Thompson, Dante Exum, and Alfonzo McKinnie. The first three more of a surprise than the latter two. Drummond was not mentioned as someone who would miss the game as this was something that developed throughout the day. 

Collin Sexton has a career-high 32 points on 11-17 from the field. Sexton made 4 of 6 attempts from deep en route to his now career-high scoring performance. Sexton would round his night with 5 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals.

Kevin Porter Jr. got his third career NBA start and while there were some highlight worthy plays, he struggled shooting the basketball. Porter made 2 of his 9 three-point attempts (5-14 overall) and finished with 16 points after going 4-5 from the free throw line. 

Kevin Love was Cleveland’s second-highest scorer with 22 points. 6 of Love’s 7 made field goals were of the three-point variety as he only managed to make 1 of his 4 two-point attempts. 

Larry Nance Jr. also started for the Cleveland Cavaliers due to the absences of Drummond and Thompson. Nance finished with 16 points and 8 rebounds in 39 minutes. 

Matthew Dellavedova did not do much in the scoring department but manage to finish with 9 assists.

Cleveland returns to action Wednesday at home against the Celtics

Cavaliers improve to 3-1 under Bickerstaff

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With the Cavaliers defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 108-94 Wedneday, Cleveland is now 3-1 under new head coach J.B. Bickerstaff.

Yes, you read that right. J.B. Bickerstaff has won three of his first four games as the head coach of the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs handled the visiting 76ers quite easily Wednesday night and won by a score of 108-94. This was the Cavaliers second consecutive win and third in four games. This game was a bit easier when compared to Monday’s epic comeback win over the Miami Heat. At one point Cleveland led by 20 while Philadelphia did not lead at any point during the game.

Collin Sexton led all scorers with 28 points on 9-16 from the field. Sexton was efficient from deep and the free throw line (2-3 3PT, 8-9 FT) which helped him lead the game in scoring.

Tristan Thompson got the start with Andre Drummond being out with a calf strain. Thompson delivered with 14 points and 13 rebounds in his spot start. Thompson’s job did get a little bit easier considering that Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid only played 8 minutes due to a shoulder injury.

Larry Nance Jr. also stepped up big time with 13 points, 15 rebounds, 3 assists, and 1 steal. Nance was all over the place and made an impact on both ends of the court.

The surprise performance of the night? Matthew Dellavedova. Delly made all 5 of his field goal attempts (2-2 3pt) and finished 12 points in 25 minutes off the bench. Dellavedova’s playing time may see an increase moving forward due to Dante Exum’s recent injury.

Cleveland will head out on the road to face Zion Williamson and the New Orleans Pelicans Friday before returning home for five straight home games beginning Saturday February 29th.

Cavaliers come back to beat Heat in overtime

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Kevin Porter Jr.’s career-high 30 points helps power Cavaliers in 125-120 comeback win over Heat in overtime

The Cavaliers needed a hero Monday night and that is just what they got. Rookie Kevin Porter Jr. scored a career-high 30 points off the bench and helped the Cavs complete their comeback at home against Miami.

For the majority of the game this seemed to be another lopsided loss for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Then something happened. The team was able to put together an impressive run beginning at the end of the 3rd quarter that propelled them to a 125-120 in overtime over the Miami Heat. 

The Cavs were down 99-80 at the start of the 4th quarter, but managed to scratch and claw their way back into the game.  Eventually taking a 107-104 lead with just over 4 minutes remaining, their first lead of the night. Kevin Porter Jr. would make a three to give the Cavs the lead. 

The game was tied at 111 at the end of regulation. Cleveland edged out Miami in OT 14-8 to complete the epic comeback.

Cleveland was able to use a 45-20 scoring advantage in the 4th quarter and overtime to avenge Saturday’s loss down in Miami. 

Five other Cavaliers players scored in double-digits Monday. Kevin Love (17), Larry Nance Jr. (16), Tristan Thompson (15), Andre Drummond (13), and Collin Sexton (13). They all contributed to the Cavs win, but still Kevin Porter Jr. was the star of the night.

One has to wonder if John Beilein and the Cavaliers did not part ways if this comeback happens. J.B. Bickerstaff is now 2-1 as the coach of the Cavs, both wins being of the comeback variety. 

The Cavaliers will face Philadelphia at home Wednesday at 7:00 P.M. 

Cavaliers win first home game since December

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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.

The Cleveland Cavaliers return to action Friday February 21st in Washington.

Cavaliers keep things close, fall late to Thunder

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to keep thiings close late, but still found themselves on the wrong end of the final score in Oklahoma City.

Make that five straight losses for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their latest begin a 109-103 loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.

Coming to this game there was the possibly that the game could end up being lopsided. The Thunder were one of the better teams the Cavaliers have played over the past few games. Considering Cleveland was blown out by the last-place Golden State Warriors on Saturday, things could have gotten ugly.

The Cavs had more assists than the Thunder (31-21). It is a bit surprising before realizing that both teams are similar in team assist numbers this season. After Wednesday’s game Cleveland is ahead of Oklahoma City by 0.2.

There are two clear areas that Oklahoma City was clearly superior in, free throws and turnovers. The Thunder got to the line more often than the Cavs. Oklahoma City went 24-30 from the line while Cleveland went 6-11. The turnover prone Cavs had 20 on the night while the Thunder only had 12.

Collin Sexton leads Cavs with 23 points

Collin Sexton has certainly improved as this season has gone on. Sexton is usually one of the Cavs top scorers and Wednesday was no exception. The second-year guard went 9-18 from the field, including making 4 of 6 three-point attempts. Sexton also had 3 rebounds and 2 assists.

Kevin Love scores 20

The Cleveland Cavaliers power forward ended up with 20 points on the night on a 8-17 shooting effort. Kevin Love went 3-7 from deep, including a three-pointer down the stretch that kept Cleveland in the game temporarily before there intentional foul fest began. Love also finished with 7 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal on the night.

Larry Nance Jr. came to play

Larry Nance Jr. returned to a bench role Wednesday and still stuffed the stat sheet. Nance had 14 points, 10 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal in 32 minutes. It was a lot of time on the court for Nance and he certainly made the most of it. Part of the reason Nance saw so much time was due to Tristan Thompson being held out for the second consecutive game.

John Henson starts for Tristan Thompson

John Henson stepped in for Tristan Thompson and had a double-double (10 points, 11 rebounds). It was a pretty admirable performance from Henson who saw season-high in minutes Wednesday (31). It is very possible that the Cavs were using their game against the Thunder to show off Henson to potential trade partners and if that was their plan, it may have worked.

Cleveland has a few days off before their next game, Sunday at home against the Los Angeles Clippers.

Cavaliers lose to Knicks in overtime

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The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the New York Knicks in overtime by a score of 139-134. This was the eleventh consecutive home loss and fourth straight overall.

The Cleveland Cavaliers took on the New York Knicks Monday in desperate search of a win to snap a six-game losing streak at home to start the decade. Tristan Thompson did not participate in the contest due to quad soreness, but some believe it could be due to the trade deadline being just a few days away. Cleveland is shopping the veteran center and could be looking to preserve his trade value and not risk Thompson suffering a serious injury.

1st half

At one point in the 1st quarter the Cavaliers held a 10-point lead, but they found themselves trailing at the half 63-62. Cleveland made 10 three-pointers in the 1st half and 53.5% of their shots overall. The Cavs were getting beat in the paint early and often, allowing the Knicks to score 36 points in the paint during the 1st half while only scoring 20. New York’s bench outscored Cleveland’s 31-6 in the 1st half. Part of this can be attributed to Larry Nance Jr. being inserted into the starting lineup for the Cavs, but overall it is just bad defense.

Kevin Love was electric in the 1st quarter, scoring 17 points. The 2nd quarter was quite a bit different with only 2 points for Love.

Collin Sexton had 16 points at the half. The second-year guard went 6-12 from the field including 2-3 from three-point range and making both free throw attempts. Sexton excelled an area that his lack of proficiency has been criticized since he played in his first NBA game, assists. Sexton had a team-high 4 assists at the half, a bit of surprise to anyone who has watched him play.

2nd half

The Cleveland Cavaliers did something in the 3rd quarter that they have not done often this season. Outscore their opponent. Cleveland actually surpassed their total 3rd quarter points in Saturday’s loss to Golden State (19) just over five minutes into the quarter. The Cavs dropped 38 points in the 3rd and they really needed it. New York scored 32 points of their own to keep things rather close.

Cleveland came into the 4th quarter with a 100-95 lead. While they were outscored in the quarter, it was not to the magnitude that may are used to. New York scored 32 points compared to Cleveland’s 27. A clutch three from Collin Sexton tied the game at 127 with 33.2 seconds left. A tough defensive stand kept New York from ending the game in regulation as the 4th quarter ended tied at 127 apiece.

Overtime

Overtime was not as kind to the Cavaliers. Cleveland started off on a little 5-2 run over the first 2:13. This success did not last. New York took over and outscored Cleveland 10-2 over the final 2:17 to give Cleveland their seventh consecutive loss at home in 2020. In fact, it is their 11th consecutive loss at home overall, their last win at home coming back on December 23rd against the Atlanta Hawks.

Bench points and points in the paint are the story here

As mentioned above, Larry Nance Jr. being a starter did not help the Cavaliers bench scoring. Cleveland’s bench was outscored 61-25 in the contest. This is an incredible margin. It is worth mentioning that New York played six bench players compared to Cleveland’s four, but the scoring output still wouldn’t have been close if the amount of bench players were equal.

The other interesting takeaway is points in the paint. The Knicks absolutely dominated the paint, outscoring the Cavaliers 72-48. New York knew they could bully the Tristan Thompson-less Cavs down low and took advantage all game long.

Kevin Love and Collin Sexton lead Cavs

The top two players for the Cavaliers were Kevin Love and Collin Sexton yet again. It is basically a formality now that these two will lead Cleveland in scoring.

Kevin Love had 33 points on 12-20 shooting (4-9 3PT). Love also had 13 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block. Quite a strong performance from the Cleveland big man.

Collin Sexton added 29 points of his own while going 11-22 from the field. Sexton was able to have one of his better shooting nights from deep, making 3 of 5 attempts, but the story with Sexton isn’t his shooting. It is his passing. Collin Sexton had a team-high 7 assists, this was also his season-high. Sexton has improved as a passer lately and it is certainly showing. Even though the Cavs lost, there is hope for someone that many people cast aside as someone who can’t pass.

Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman, and Darius Garland round out the Cavs starting lineup who all scored in double-digits.

Every Cleveland starter scored in double-digits. In addition to Kevin Love and Collin Sexton hitting double-digits, Larry Nance Jr., Cedi Osman, and Darius Garland did as well.

Larry Nance Jr. went 8-13 from the field, totaling 18 points on the night. Nance also had 8 rebounds, 6 assists, and 1 block. Nance displayed he can be more than just a bench player while filling in for the injured Thompson.

Cedi Osman had a good game that is a bit overlooked due to the performances of Kevin Love and Collin Sexton. Osman scored 15 points while going 6-10 from the field and making 3 of 6 three-point attempts. 4 rebounds and 2 assists rounded out his stat line for the contest.

Darius Garland continues to trend back in the right direction. Garland had some rough games, but appears to have found level again, making half of his shots, including four three-pointers, the rookie guard was able score 14 points in 39 minutes of play. Darius Garland also had 5 assists, 1 rebound, 1 steal, and 1 block.

Kevin Porter Jr. highlight machine

The description of this game cannot be completed without mentioning Kevin Porter Jr.

The Cavaliers rookie had an absolutely amazing alley-oop dunk late in the 4th quarter.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsCavs/status/1224513861606309890?s=20

Here is the same dunk from a different angle.

https://twitter.com/ThisIsCavs/status/1224515541576179714?s=20

Kevin Porter Jr. looks like the real deal and should have many more dunks just like this in his future.

The Cleveland Cavaliers head out on the road to take on the Oklahoma City Thunder Wednesday as they look to get back into the win column.

Cavaliers blown out by Warriors at home

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The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the Golden State Warriors by a score of 131-112 , their third straight loss and 10th in the past 11 games.

This was a matchup of two of the worst teams in the league. Golden State came in with the worst record in basketball and Cleveland with the third-worst. The difference between the two teams is that the Warriors are bad without their two-best players in Stephen Curry and Klay Thompson, while the Cavaliers are bad with their best players.

Things were relatively close through the first half, although a late run by Golden State put momentum clearly in their corner. That momentum carried over into the second half and combined with Cleveland’s terrible 3rd quarter performances, it was a recipe for disaster. Golden State outscored Cleveland 44-19 in the 3rd, essentially putting the game away right then and there. While the Cavaliers did have a better 4th quarter, it was still too much to come back from. Cleveland ended up on the wrong side of a blowout, losing 131-112 to Golden State.

Collin Sexton started out hot

Collin Sexton made 5 of his first 7 shots, including both three-point attempts. While this start was encouraging, it did not continue. Sexton would go 4-9 overall and 1-3 from deep over the remainder of the game. While he did finish with a team-high 23 points, his fast start did not lead to a win.

Kevin Porter Jr. led the Cavs bench

This has become a nightly occurrence, Kevin Porter Jr. leading the Cavaliers bench unit. Porter scored 19 points in 24 minutes on 5-12 shooting (3-9 3PT) and making all six free throw attempts. It is very possible that Porter sees his role increase as long as he continues to show that he can score. Possible trades and a change in rotations may lead to Kevin Porter Jr. having a much larger role.

Kevin Love did not have the best performance

Yes, Kevin Love had a double-double (14 points, 11 rebounds), but it came on 5-13 shooting night. Not necessarily his best shooting performance. While Love did go 3-4 from two-point range, he did miss seven three-point attempts. Kevin Love has shown he is capable of making a higher percentage of shots this season, but there is always a clunker mixed in. This may have been Love’s poor performance mixed in among other better shooting nights in the future.

Larry Nance Jr.keeps on stepping up for Cavs

Larry Nance Jr. made half of his shots Saturday (5-10 FG, 2-4 3PT) leading to 12 points. This is the seventh consecutive game that Nance has scored double-digits in. While Nance did not have or come close to another double-double, he did manage 5 rebounds and 2 assists on the night. John Beilien clearly trusts Nance when it comes to how many minutes per game he is playing and his fit with some of the younger players on the roster.

Cleveland will look to snap their three-game losing streak Monday at home against the Knicks

Cavaliers keep things close late, lose to Raptors

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The Cleveland Cavaliers nearly came away with an upset victory, but were unable to finish their comeback attempt against the Toronto Raptors.

The Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves down one point with just 1:18 left to go in the game. Cleveland actually had a chance to upset the reigning champs. Unfortunately their rally from down 14 earlier in the quarter came up short as Toronto outscored Cleveland 10-3 to close out the game. The Cavaliers found themselves on the wrong end of a 115-109 final score.

Turnovers were the story yet again for the Cavs. Cleveland had 23 turnovers in the game compared to Toronto’s 14. It is hard to win any game with that amount of turnovers, much less a game against a team as good as Toronto.

Collin Sexton and Kevin Love led Cleveland’s scoring effort

Kevin Love and Collin Sexton both had 23 points on the night. Kevin Love went 8-13 from the field, 6 of his 9 makes were three-pointers. The 12-year veteran is averaging three made three-pointers per game in the month of January. Love also had 5 rebounds, four assists, and one steal.

Collin Sexton finished going 9-17 from the field and 1-5 from deep. Sexton also made all four free throw attempts. Sexton’s recent trend of increase in assist numbers continued as he had 4 assists. The second-year guard is averaging 4 assists per game over his past five games. Sexton also had 4 rebounds, 1 steal, and one block.

Darius Garland with a bounce back performance

Darius Garland had a rough stretch coming into this game, combining to go 16-59 from the field (27.1%) over the previous four games. Garland’s assist number also took a bit of a tumble, down to 2.8 from his average of 6 per game prior January 20th. The Cavaliers rookie was in need of a good game, he had one. Garland had 16 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, and 1 steal. Hopefully this is a sign of things to come because his previous performances were rough, possibly leading to his absence from the loss to New Orleans on Tuesday. Garland was kept out of the game due to rest and it seems like he really needed it.

Larry Nance Jr. has another excellent game off the bench

Larry Nance Jr. had another good game off the bench, scoring 13 points on 5-10 shooting (1-2 3PT) in 26 minutes. Nance also grabbed 9 rebounds and blocked one shot. Nance was one of two Cavs bench players to play more than 20 minutes in the game, there other being Kevin Porter Jr.

The 27-year old Cavaliers power forward has been quite productive since returning from injury. In his last eight games, Larry Nance Jr. is averaging 13.6 points, 8.6 rebounds, 2.8 assists, and 1 steal per game. Nance is shooting 61% from the field and 42.1% from deep over this stretch and has been one of the better bench players for the Cavaliers as of late.

Kevin Porter Jr. has an up and down performance

Kevin Porter Jr. scored 13 points in 29 minutes off the bench. Porter made 5 of 9 attempts, including going 2-4 from three-point range. Porter also had 3 rebounds, 1 assist, and 1 steal in the contest.

Not everything was great for Kevin Porter Jr. Porter committed 7 turnovers in the game. Two of his turnovers came within 16 seconds of each other with the Cavaliers still fighting to comeback in the game. Kevin Porter Jr.’s turnover are not the reason why Cleveland lost, but they certainly did not help as they came at a crucial time.

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to snap their two-game losing streak when they host the Golden State Warriors at 8:00 P.M. Saturday

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.