The Cleveland Cavaliers found themselves on the wrong end of a three-point barrage. It didn’t help that Ivica Zubac cleaned up any rare misses from the LA Clippers in a 28-point, 20-rebound performance.
Grades are based on our expectations of each player.
Donovan Mitchell
18 points (5-18 shooting), 11 assists, 4 rebounds
Mitchell didn’t shoot the ball well tonight. He struggled against Orlando and is a combined 14-46 (30%) from the floor over his last two games. Still, his offensive process was a bit better tonight. He wasn’t pressing as often and finished with 11 fewer attempts than his shot-chucking performance against the Magic.
The Cavs offense was actually flowing for most of the game. Mitchell’s playmaking made this possible. His 11 assists indicate that he was seeing the floor well. A better shooting night might have been enough for the Cavs to win this shootout.
Grade: B-
Darius Garland
17 points (6-14 shooting), 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 2 steals
The Cavs are still waiting for Garland to have a typical night from downtown. He again struggled from deep with a 2-6 shooting game. Garland’s on-ball creation has been a plus but the end result isn’t up to par recently.
Nonetheless, Garland’s shooting wasn’t the reason Cleveland lost the game. Nobody can really be blamed for their offensive output. It was the defense that couldn’t muster up a stop. Not to say the effort was bad — it wasn’t — but none of the Cavs could assert their will on LA. Garland included.
Grade: B+
Evan Mobley
17 points (7-12 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
This was Mobley’s first game back from a foot contusion that caused him to miss last game against the Magic. That said, it wasn’t the best return to the floor.
Mobley finished with only 3 rebounds in a game where the Cavs desperately needed stops. This is an outlier as Mobley has been one of the better rebounders in the league this season. But tonight, he didn’t have it.
At least Mobley was active on offense. His 17 points looked effortless and it’s another sign that of Mobley’s leap this season. It doesn’t take much to get him involved even on lackluster nights.
Grade: C+
Jarrett Allen
8 points (4-7 shooting), 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 block
Allen is going to get most of the blame for conceding 20 rebounds to Zubac. That’s not entirely unfair. Down the stretch, in particular, Allen was outworked and outmuscled by Zubac for a few key rebounds.
Yet, as in the past, Allen was only one symptom of Cleveland’s defensive woes. Sure, the game looks better if Allen wins this matchup — but there’s a general lack of help that can’t be overlooked. The trio of Mobley, De’Andre Hunter and Dean Wade only combining for seven rebounds (to Allen’s eight) says it all.
That said, Allen has to win his matchup. Or at the very least, deal some punishment of his own. Zubac controlled the glass with little resistance in the second half.
Grade: D+
Max Strus
24 points (8-12 shooting), 4 rebounds, 1 assist
Strus nearly saved the day with his scoring. The Clippers were pouring it on all night but a third-quarter flurry from Strus kept the Cavs within striking distance. His season-high 24 points on 5-8 three-point shooting ultimately went in vain. But his off-ball movement and transition scoring are a reminder of why Strus is in the starting lineup. He’s a ticking time bomb that can torch opponents on any given night.
Grade: A+
Sam Merrill
3 points (1-3 shooting), 1 rebound
Merrill was fine in this game. He didn’t truly change things for better or worse. That might sound like a knock — but it’s good for a bench player to tread water if they aren’t overtly helping the team. With that in mind, Merrill could have been more of a help if he either knocked down more shots or got involved on the glass.
Grade: C-
Dean Wade
2 points (1-1 shooting), 3 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal
Look, Wade didn’t have any of the counting stats to support this grade. But — the only stretch of the game where it felt like Cleveland could get some stops — was when Wade was on the floor during the fourth quarter.
Wade’s switchability made him a useful tool against LAC’s drive-and-kick game. He had the size to battle in the paint and was agile enough to scramble and recover. I think Kenny Atkinson could have closed this game with Wade under different circumstances.
But I can’t deny the box score looks underwhelming.
Grade: B-
Isaac Okoro
3 points (1-4 shooting), 2 assists, 1 steal
Okoro had a rough first stint. The Clippers’ offensive barrage didn’t slow down when he entered the game and it felt like Atkinson might pivot away from Okoro as he did last game.
But then Okoro received another opportunity to play in the second half — and it went much better. Not fantastic, but better.
Okoro’s athleticism had much of the same impact as Wade’s. He was able to fly around defensively and cover more ground than Merrill or even Allen. Okoro’s offensive limitations were too much to keep him on the floor but he may have been their best bet at generating stops down the stretch.
Grade: C-
De’Andre Hunter
17 points (7-10 shooting), 1 rebound
Hunter was blazing hot to start this game. It wasn’t until the second half that he started to cool off. Even then, the boost of scoring he gave Cleveland in the opening quarter would be more than enough on most nights. It wasn’t entirely his fault that the Clippers simply couldn’t miss for 48 minutes
However, Hunter’s grade takes a huge ding for the lack of rebounding. I understand this has never been his strong suit — but it’s an area of the game Cleveland needs him to improve. Only one rebound is tough to excuse. His efficient scoring will save him from a harsher grade.
Grade: B+
Ty Jerome
10 points (4-9 shooting), 4 assists
Jerome has shown us that his game does come with some variance this season. He’s not always a walking Ty-Phoon. In some games, he goes 0-4 from deep like tonight.
Overall, Jerome was passable. He shot 4-5 from inside the arc and worked his way to the free-throw line five times. The issue is, he missed three of those five FTAs. This isn’t the reason the Cavs lost but it sure does sting.
Grade: C+
