The Cavs are back to winning.
The Cleveland Cavaliers really needed this win. They beat the Charlotte Hornets 139-132.
WINNER – Darius Garland is officially back
I can’t blame you if you’ve felt down about the Cavs during the first 30-ish games of the season. But if there’s one thing to feel good about — it’s the fact that Darius Garland is seemingly back to playing elite basketball.
It wasn’t clear when or if Garland could turn the corner on his toe injury. He was a shell of himself to start the season and his re-aggrevation in November was alarming. The Cavs typically go as Darius goes, so it’s natural that the team was struggling at the same time he was.
That might be changing.
Garland has gradually settled into a groove over the last two weeks. He’s regained some mobility and fully found his confidence after shooting below his averages for the first months of the season. Even when he takes an awkward step and limps for a few possessions, Garland has been able to shake it off and be a positive contributor.
DG scored 27 points and dished 10 assists tonight. He had 35 points the game before. If this is the version of Garland that we’re going to see moving forward, then I feel confident the Cavs can turn this thing around.
WINNER – Offensive Harmony
A big part of having Garland back is that the Cavs’ offense can finally flow as expected. This team is built around having two dynamic guards. They simply aren’t the same team when only one of Donovan Mitchell or Garland is playing at a high level.
Tonight, both Mitchell and Garland had it going. The duo combined for 57 points and 15 assists.
The two guards were deliberate in their attack, getting into the paint and dishing to their teammates. This drive-and-kick had the defense in scramble mode, and it gave the Cavs a sense of harmony for the first time in weeks. Of course, it helps that they finally shot the ball efficiently from downtown. Cleveland shot 24-44 from deep (55%), a dramatic swing in the right direction after weeks of cold shooting.
This wasn’t a perfect game. The Cavs didn’t play defense for 48 minutes at the level they’ll have to in the playoffs. But seeing them figure it out on at least one end of the floor is encouraging.
LOSER – Defending on a String
As I said, the defense wasn’t ideal tonight. The Hornets had 36 points in the opening quarter and they weren’t working particularly hard for those points.
The Cavs have had issues on defense all season. Some of it is scheme-related. They’ve been more aggressive trying to generate turnovers, and that has led to some costly mistakes and explosive three-point shooting nights from their opponents.
Cleveland has also experimented with crashing the offensive glass more often, which results in transition opportunities for their opponent. This has cost them more than anything this season, as teams are consistently beating them on the open floor.
Tonight, though, the biggest issue was defending on a string. The Cavs were able to defend Charlotte’s initial action, but they couldn’t rotate and recover to stop the rest of the possession. This made it too easy for the Hornets to generate quality three-point looks by getting Cleveland into unsuccessful scrambles.
Cleveland also had trouble rebounding the ball. The Hornets beat them 44-31 on the glass.
For whatever it’s worth, the effort was high tonight, and the Cavs did put some impressive defensive sequences together. That’s more than I can say for most of their games in December. I thought the defense was better than it has been — and Charlotte had a bit of luck on their side with some offensive rebounds that bounced the wrong way.
WINNER – De’Andre Hunter Wakes Up
Hallelujah.
No one on the roster had been slumping harder than Hunter. His jumper was gone, his handle was lazy, and his defense was even worse. But finally, Hunter delivered an efficient scoring performance that might have re-energized him.
Hunter scored 27 points on 9-13 shooting. It’s the first time he’s scored 20+ points since November 21st.
There are a few standout moments from Hunter in this game. Whether it be fighting for a few contested defensive rebounds — or taking an elbow to the face, bleeding on the court, then knocking down a free throw and a three-point jumper on the following flagrant possession.
This is what battling through adversity looks like. Hunter let loose a few smiles throughout this game, and it was something the team desperately needed to see. He’s a game-changer when he plays like this.
Category: General Sports
