Cleveland Oh. – With 6 and a half minutes to go, the Cavs faithful had seen enough and started making their way out because the Cavs had the game wrapped up. Up 44 points late in the fourth quarter, the only suspense was what the final score would be. It ended up 140-101 for the good guys, and honestly, it wasn’t that close.
Max Strus started the onslaught with three first quarter threes. And even though the Cavs defense wasn’t great in the first, they did enough to win the quarter34-31. But then the Cavs kept scoring. And scoring. And scoring. The second quarter saw the increase their lead to 12 while they didn’t shoot a free throw in the first half. They shot 61% from three and made 13 in the first half. The Cavs have been focusing more on threes since the injuries to Evan Mobley and Darius Garland. Coach JB Bickerstaff said after the game, “We talked to the guys about how to find those numbers without trying to be someone they aren’t.” The Cavs have made a concerted effort to push the pace but not just jack up threes, but to get good quality threes.
Photo via Cavaliers
The Cavs did just that tonight. The Wizards came into tonight’s game 6-26. So, it isn’t like the Cavs just beat a playoff team. But it does say something to beat a team by 39 points and be up as many as 44 late in the fourth quarter. Not having to play your stars in the fourth quarter. These kinds of performances *can* spark something. The Cavs are in the middle of a home stretch where they play the Wizards again Friday night, the Spurs Sunday, before going to Paris and playing the Nets. All of these opportunities are bonding moments for the Cavs. And that’s what tonight’s game can spark. Coming off what the Cavs believe was a controversial loss to the Raptors, the Cavs could have come into tonight’s game flat. And defensively they did. The Wizards tried to make the game a shootout. But once the Cavs tightened up the reigns, the Wizards had no answer. And with the Cavs getting whatever they wanted, it became a blowout quickly.
One of the bright spots for the Cavs has been the emergence of Jarrett Allen and his playmaking. 7 assist tonight was a big reason why the Cavs have been so hard to defend. Allen said he knows the Cavs need him to step up and he has been. If I had to choose a Player of the Game, it would be Allen who also pulled down 19 boards with 7 offensive.
It was just one of those games where everything seemed to work. The test though, comes on Friday as they play the wizards again. Knowing you just beat a team like this, they may come out hungry, and the Cavs come out flat, it will be a long night. The Cavs need to have Friday night’s game be a continuation of tonight and get a nice win streak started. Because it’s January. It’s time to make moves to solidify playoff seeding and remind people just how good this team is.
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