Oh My! How about these rugged Cavs being 3-1 on West Coast! – Terry Pluto’s
CLEVELAND, Ohio – Scribbles in my notebook after the Cavaliers crushed Utah, 111-91, Wednesday night. They have won in Portland, Sacramento and Salt Lake – losing only to Golden State on this West Coast basketball safari.
1. From Salt Lake, you’ll hear a lot about how Utah had its lineup benched by COVID – especially big men Rudy Gobert, Hassan Whiteside, Udoka Azubuike and Rudy Gay. The Jazz started 6-foot-5 Royce O’Neale at center. So there’s the disclaimer.
2. But here’s the other point. The Jazz were at home. The Cavs playing their fourth game in six nights on a West Coast trip. More than a few past Cleveland teams in a situation like that failed to capitalize on their advantage. The excuses come, such as “Hey, we’re on the road. We’re tired. Things happen.”
3. Things certainly did happen. Like Darius Garland having the first triple-double of his career: 15 points, 15 assists, 10 rebounds. That’s right, 10 rebounds for the 6-foot-1 Garland.
4. Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said he challenged Garland and his team’s other guards to help on the boards. Utah loves the 3-point shot, takes 40 a game – second most in the NBA. When the Jazz miss, that creates long rebounds. Earlier in the trip, Golden State hurt the Cavs by grabbing those long rebounds and loose balls. That irritated Bickerstaff. He warned against a repeat in Salt Lake.
5. So Garland ran down 10 rebounds. Fellow guard Lamar Stevens had seven boards. The Cavs owned the boards, 50-32. Evan Mobley tied Garland for the team-high with 10 rebounds.
Lamar Stevens scored 23 points, including Cleveland’s first 13 points in the third quarter.
AP
6. Things happen, like Stevens being the team’s leading scorer on this night. He finished with 23 points. He opened the third quarter by scoring the Cavs first 13 points. We’re talking Lamar Stevens, the undrafted player from Penn State. We’re talking Lamar Stevens, one of the gritty “Junkyard Dogs” labeled by Bickerstaff. We’re talking Lamar Stevens, who scored 15 points in that third quarter – compared to 16 for the entire Utah team.
7. Bickerstaff on Stevens: “His defense is what we expect. It’s how he’s earned his way on the court…He doesn’t have to jab (shoot) from 3 (point range). His game is in the paint and in the mid-range.”
8. The 6-foot-6 Stevens is a physically punishing shooting guard. He realized Utah couldn’t stop his drives to the rim. Nor could Golden State, where he scored 17 points on Sunday. He has taken over for the injured Isaac Okoro at shooting guard. He is growing into the position. On this 4-game trip, he’s averaging 14 points, shooting 64 percent from the field.
9. Things happen, besides Stevens leading the team in scoring and Garland matching Mobley’s team-high 10 rebounds in Utah. There was Lauri Markkanen being the team’s second-leading scorer with 20 points. Markkanen is having a nice trip, averaging 14.8 points. There are times when Markkanen loses confidence in his shooting and disappears on offense.
10. Bickerstaff on Markkanen: “He is a big part of what we do. We tell him to keep taking his shot.”
Evan Mobley block’s a shot by Utah’s Eric Paschall.
AP
11. The biggest missing piece for Utah was the 7-foot-1, 258-pound Gobert. He is the 3-time NBA Defensive Player of the Year. He averages 15 points and 15 rebounds a game. When he plays, Utah allows 106 points a game. In the four games he’s missed, Utah had coughed up 119 points a night.
12. That said, Utah had four of its top five scorers on the court, only Gobert was missing. The Jazz are the NBA’s top scoring team (115 points per game). They had scored at least 100 points in 22 consecutive games, the longest streak in the NBA. The Cavs ended that Wednesday, holding the Jazz to 91 points on 40 percent shooting. A 26-point scorer, Donovan Mitchell had only 17 points on 6-of-16 shooting. Stevens spent much of the night defending him.
13. Kevin Love came off the bench to score 16 points and grab seven rebounds in 21 minutes. Mobley was incredibly efficient, 15 points (7-of-9 shooting) with 10 rebounds and seven assists. The rookie’s passing skills are unique for a 7-footer.
14. Bickerstaff on Mobley: “It’s how dependable he is, you don’t see the wild swings (from game to game) like with most rookies…There is a level of trust, his teammates are willing to put the ball in his hands.”
15. The Cavs are now 24-18. They are 13-9 on the road, a testimony to their defensive mindset. Rajon Rodno didn’t play due to a sore hamstring.
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