Game Recap: Cavs at Spurs

*** The Spurs have one of the best young big men in the league. Unfortunately for them, the Cavaliers have two of them – and on Saturday night in San Antonio, the duo flexed their muscles from the opening tip – building a big lead and essentially cruising to the finish line for the 117-104 victory, Cleveland’s fifth straight and 13th in its last 14 games. Evan Mobley scored 15 of his 28 points in the second quarter and Jarrett Allen posted a double-double by intermission as the Cavs opened up a 22-point halftime lead. Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 31 points before being ejected with less than a minute to play.

*** With Saturday’s lopsided victory, the Wine & Gold improved to 31-16 and are now 18-4 (.818) since December 16 – the top winning percentage in the league over that stretch. They’ve won seven of their last nine on the road and topped their seventh Western Conference foe in the last eight tries. Against sub-.500 teams, Cleveland is now 20-2. 

*** Evan Mobley came out on a mission in his third game back from left knee surgery that sidelined him for 22 games. The 3rd-year man from USC notched 19 points in the first half and overall doubled-up with 28 points and 10 boards in just 24 minutes of work – going 11-for-15 from the floor overall, including 3-of-3 from long-range. 

*** Mobley spoke postgame about how his diligence during the rehab process allowed him to hit the ground running in his return. “I feel like hard work always pays off, so since the first day I got my surgery, I’ve been just striving to get better as quick as I can without forcing it too much. And as I got later into my rehab, I feel like I, what word do I want to use? I feel like I excelled in my workouts. Felt free. I felt like it was just a time for me to just work on my game – basically summertime in the middle of the season. So, it just felt good to really touch up on my game and fill any holes that were there.”

*** After missing most of the second half of Thursday’s win in Memphis with an ankle injury – having his double-double streak snapped at 16 in the process – Jarrett Allen came back with a vengeance on Saturday – doubling-up with 20 points and 11 boards in the first half and finishing with 26 points and 16 rebounds overall, going 12-for-18 from the floor in the win. In two games against the Spurs this season, Allen averaged 27.0 points and 16.0 rebounds. 

*** Head Coach J.B. Bickerstaff stated postgame that both of his big men wanted to make a statement on Saturday night. “I do think there was a little bit of a message being sent to everybody. Our big guys were pretty good, between (Mobley) and (Allen), the job that they did tonight. I think they stepped up. They wanted to prove a point as well.”

*** Donovan Mitchell topped the 30-point plateau for the 12th time this season, leading both teams with 31 points and leading Cleveland with seven assists – going 12-of-20 from the field, including 4-of-9 from long-range, to go with eight boards, two steals and a pair of blocked shots. Mitchell also got the heave-ho after shoving San Antonio’s Zach Collins following a hard foul mere seconds after hitting a triple to put the Cavs up 17. Collins received a Flagrant-2; Mitchell, the double-tech – and both players hit the showers with under a minute to play in regulation. 

*** J.B. Bickerstaff did not mince words when discussing the play in question. “It was a dirty-ass play. A kid was upset at a play that happened before, and he retaliated, which was (b.s.) on his part. And Donovan did what Donovan does: he stood up for himself. I think I understand the rule, but if a guy takes a cheap shot on you, you should be able to protect yourself. But that was a dirty-ass play.”

*** Aside from the extracurriculars, Mitchell notched his 4,000th field goal with his third basket of the night and now has 4,009 for his career. The five-time All-Star and reigning Eastern Conference Player of the Month sits in 47th place on the NBA’s active player list, above Joel Embiid (3,929) and below former Cavalier, Jordan Clarkson (4,207). Saturday also marked the 12thstraight game that Mitchell has handed out at least six assists. 

*** After wrapping up the two-game trip with a one-sided win over the Spurs, the Wine & Gold make a brief stop at home – welcoming the Kings to town on Monday night – before getting right back on the road, with stops in Washington on Wednesday, Brooklyn on Thursday and Toronto on Saturday. Cleveland heads into the Break the following week with a pair at home against the Sixers and Bulls.