The Cavs’ balanced approach proves overwhelming for the Pelicans, 141-118

CLEVELAND, Ohio — In the spirit of the season, the Cavs decided generosity was the theme Tuesday night, as they shared the wealth in front of the Rocket Arena faithful on their way to a 141-118 victory over the Pelicans.

Passes flying. Bodies cutting. Defenses bending.

Kenny Atkinson’s first gift came before the opening tip. With Cleveland still very much in its tinkering phase, Atkinson reached for Sam Merrill in the starting lineup — his second game back from injury — sliding him in over Jaylon Tyson. It was a small tweak with outsized consequences.

From the jump, the floor breathed differently.

Merrill’s presence alongside Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Dean Wade and Jarrett Allen stretched New Orleans horizontally and vertically.

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Gravity is an overused word, but it fit here. Merrill and Garland demand attention the moment they cross half court, and when both are willing to put the ball on the deck and collapse the paint, the geometry becomes uncomfortable for a defense. One step late turns into two. One help rotation turns into a scramble.

Cleveland punished every inch of indecision.

“You guys are going to get tired of me saying connector, connect, but he connects. He connects the game,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said pregame. “He connects pieces. He connects the bigs and the smalls. He’s running. He’s just causing chaos out there. And that just opens up space and then we can throw the ball to space.”

The Cavs assisted on 12 of their first 13 shots. Six of those fell from deep. The ball never stuck. The movement wasn’t frantic, either. It was deliberate. Paint touch. Kickout. Relocation. Cut behind a ball-watcher.

The Pelicans were reacting instead of dictating, and that’s a losing posture against a lineup where every player on the floor can make a decision with the ball.

“Everybody on this team can shoot, I believe,” Craig Porter Jr. said after putting up 12 points, eight rebounds and eight assists. “When you put all those different pieces on the floor, it’s just hard. You got to, at that point, just pick your poison. And a lot of times it works in our favor. The gravity those guys just draw in, it just helps all of us just overall be a collective group and just make plays for one another.”

By halftime, Merrill and Wade had combined for 25 points and seven 3s. More importantly, they had quietly siphoned responsibility away from Mitchell and Garland.

New Orleans still had to respect the stars because that danger never goes away, but the supporting cast strained their efforts. Help too far off the corners and they paid. Stay home and the lane opened.

That decision rippled into the second unit, where Cleveland has searched for consistency all season.

With Tyson and De’Andre Hunter, the first two off the bench, the Cavs found immediate shot creation without sacrificing spacing. Both can get downhill. Both can pull up. Both can punish a late closeout. Suddenly, the offense didn’t dip when the starters sat.

“I think it’s obviously helps when there’s so much unpredictability,” Mitchell said about the lineup variations. “But that’s been our biggest thing about us, right? Like, that’s who we are when we’re at full strength and at our best. ... We’ve shot well the past two nights, but I think the biggest thing is just our intensity level. Both ends of the floor has been great.”

That mattered even more with New Orleans bringing Zion Williamson off the bench.

There was no single answer for Williamson. There never is. Cleveland treated him like a problem to be solved collectively.

Hunter took the initial contact, absorbing the force and meeting him early. Tyson lurked as a helper. Allen, Wade or Thomas Bryant waited at the rim, arms up, bodies ready. The goal wasn’t to stop Williamson outright. It was to complicate his reads.

It worked.

Williamson went into halftime a perfect 6-for-6 with 14 points. He also had three turnovers and a minus-10 plus-minus. Every drive required a decision. Every spin came with a second body. It was a chess move that only exists with trust, with players willing to accept uncomfortable assignments and a coach willing to adjust on the fly.

The Pelicans kept things interesting — at least in the first half. Down 18 in the second quarter, they chipped away, slicing the deficit to three before Cleveland steadied itself and carried a nine-point lead into the break.

Their blueprint was never a secret. New Orleans entered the night taking the fourth fewest 3s in the league and ranking fifth worst in percentage. They had one goal.

“We are what we are, and we’re going to impose our will,” Pelicans coach James Borrego said before the game. “... We want to be physical. We want to get downhill. We want to get to the paint.”

Cleveland knew that will was coming. It has struggled against it before, especially against teams that thrive in transition. The Cavs’ transition defense still flickered at times, but the response was different. It had more resistance.

Yves Missi tangled with Allen on the glass, hands everywhere. Williamson barreled into Hunter. Tyson hounded ball-handlers. Loose balls turned into collisions. And instead of letting frustration seep in, Cleveland matched the tone.

Allen, usually the league’s friendliest giant, wasn’t made an example. This time, he made a point. He shoved back. He mixed it up. He fought for all nine of his rebounds. He cared less about the whistle than about the message. New Orleans felt it. More importantly, they learned he wasn’t going anywhere.

“My challenge with JA, he can do better,” Atkinson said postgame. “Like, I want more. Like, this is how the playoffs are. They go at you, they pound you. But I thought he put up pretty good resistance tonight. Right now, with Evan out, he’s kind of our guy.”

At that point, the game turned into arithmetic.

The Pelicans weren’t taking or making enough 3s. The Cavs were meeting them at the rim and burying shots on the other end. Balance won.

Cleveland cracked 100 points with more than 2:30 left in the third quarter because the looks were clean and plentiful, the result of structure returning.

That third quarter slammed the door.

Cleveland poured in 41 points while holding New Orleans to 31. The margin stretched beyond reach, and even 12 more minutes couldn’t bridge it.

The Cavs won the points in the paint battle 72-54. They won the second chance points game 27-18. They made 20 triples. They had a season-high 40 assists. Cleveland ended up imposing its will on every part of the game.

Mitchell still was the team’s leading scorer with 27 points, but it wasn’t stressful and he was able to sit for the majority of the fourth quarter.

Eight other Cavaliers eclipsed double digits. It was the second time in franchise history the Cavs have had nine players score 10 or more points. The only other time Cleveland achieved that feat was on Nov. 10, 1992, versus Washington.

Merrill finished with 22 points and six triples. Tyson added 18 points and six boards. Bryant had 15 points and seven rebounds.

Monday night was about Garland and Mitchell reminding everyone how devastating they can be when they take over. Tuesday was proof that they don’t always have to. Proof that when the Cavs play this way, the burden is shared and the ceiling rises.

Next

Cleveland heads to New York City on Christmas Day to face the Knicks at Madison Square Garden, the franchise’s first holiday game since 2018. Tipoff is set for noon Eastern.

Read the original article on cleveland.com.