Cavs Top 3: Cleveland Cavaliers choke away win against Sacramento Kings

The Cleveland Cavaliers choked a rare game away on Friday against the Sacramento Kings

It’s rare to see the Cleveland Cavaliers choke away a win, but that’s what happened on Friday against the Sacramento Kings. The Kings aren’t a bad team, but this wasn’t a game the Kings won, but more so a game the Cavs lost. Whether it was the loss of Donovan Mitchell, Dean Wade, and Kevin Love or the fact the team ran just eight players, six of with getting 26 minutes or more.

Lamar Stevens and Raul Neto were the only two players to post a positive box +/- on the night, while another four players Evan Mobley, Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, and Cedi Osman did a bulk of the shooting, taking 82% of the shots between just the four of them.

Things looked good heading into the fourth and final frame, with the Cavs up 80-79, but the team fell apart, and part of that may have been do to Jarrett Allen’s foul trouble on the night. He had five, and it limited him to just 32 minutes of action and five shot attempts. Normally 32 minutes would be a lot, but as he was the only center to see minutes, with Mobley filling in on the five, he was looking at a 40-minute night.

The lack of Allen really affected the game. While Mitchell and Garland may make the offense go, it’s clear that Allen is the defensive heartbeat and that as he goes, so too does the team.

The Kings just shot better than the Cavs, a situation that we have to hope doesn’t become a recurring problem.

The Cavs fell to 16-10 after their 106-95 loss and will play again on Saturday.

Cleveland Cavaliers top 3 vs. the Sacramento Kings

1 Point – Cedi Osman

35 minutes,  17 PTS,  7-14 FG, 3-8 3PT, 4 AST, 4 REB, -4 BPM

2 Points – Darius Garland

35 minutes, 19  points, 7-17 FG,  6 AST, 2 STL, -13 BPM

3 Points – Evan Mobley

41 minutes,  16 points, 5-13 FG,  7 REB, 4 AST, -4 BPM

Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings

1. Donovan Mitchell –40 Points
2. Darius Garland – 29 Points
3. Evan Mobley – 24 Points
4. Cedi Osman 17 Points
5. Jarrett Allen – 15 Points
6. Kevin Love – 12 Points
7. Caris LeVert – 8 Points
8. Isaac Okoro – 5 Points
9. Dean Wade – 3 Points