Cavs Top 3: Cleveland Cavaliers win despite being embarrassed by Kemba Walker’s big night
By Chad Porto
The Cleveland Cavaliers took home the win against Kemba Walker and the Dallas Mavericks
The Cleveland Cavaliers eeked out a win on Saturday night, with a final score of 100-99, just hours after the Cleveland Browns won their sixth game of the year, just a few miles east of Cleveland’s Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. Like the Browns, who caught a break with a Lamar Jackson-less Ravens squad, the Cavaliers caught a break by facing a Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks team.
Both teams won, but both teams should’ve won by much more than they did. Specifically, the Cavs, who somehow allowed Kemba Walker to go for 32 points against the Cavs, and sent the game to overtime with just 3.1 seconds on the clock.
Had his 16-foot jumper gone in with 12 seconds left in the overtime period, the Cavs would have seen their two-game winning streak snapped. Walker’s shot missed, however, and the Cavs moved to 20-11 on the season and have now won three straight.
The same issues that have lingered all year, poor perimeter play defensively and inconsistent three-point shooting were the benchmarks of this game. Cedi Osman and Kevin Love netted only 17 and 15 minutes a piece, while Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Caris LeVert shot for a combined 2-19 from three.
Love played well in just 15 minutes, but Mitchell’s poor defense and shot selection really did hold the team back some.
The Cavs as a team shot just 19.4% from behind the arc and it allowed the Mavs to be able to keep pace with the Cavs all game despite not having Doncic on the floor. Walker on his own carried the Mavs and frankly, a decade ago, you’d be ok with that. Walker was once a Top 5 point guard in the league but injuries to his knees have limited him in recent years.
I’d love to see Walker return to form with the Mavs and make a comeback of sorts, but that’s unlikely. If anything, the Cavs’ defense letting him go off as he did only further proves a change is needed in the backcourt.
Whether that means LeVert is gone, Lamar Stevens is gone, or even Isaac Okoro is, something has to change. The Cavs may hold off until they get Ricky Rubio back, who is expected to be that catalyst that is sorely needed.
If he’s not, then this team may have to look elsewhere to fix these issues.
light. Related Story. Cavs Top 3: Cleveland Cavaliers come from behind late to defeat the Indiana Pacers
Cleveland Cavaliers’ top 3 vs. the Dallas Mavericks
1 Point – Kevin Love
15 minutes, 9 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists, +3 BPM
.300/.333/.000
2 Points – Evan Mobley
17 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, +3 BPM
.600/1.000/.800
3 Points – Darius Garland
44 minutes, 18 points, 12 assists, 7 rebounds, +14 BPM
.444/.167/.750
Cavs Top 3 Seasonal Standings
- Donovan Mitchell –47 Points
- Darius Garland – 33 Points
- Evan Mobley – 28 Points
- Jarrett Allen – 18 Points
- Cedi Osman 17 Points
- Caris LeVert & Kevin Love – 12 Points
- Isaac Okoro – 5 Points
- Dean Wade – 3 Points
- Lamar Stevens – 2 Points
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