Player Grades: Cavs at Nuggets

The offense continues to be impressive as Cleveland picks up their 27th win.

The Cleveland Cavaliers set a franchise record for points in regulation with 149 points over the Denver Nuggets. Yeah… you could say that it was their night.

Grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.

Donovan Mitchell

33 points (10-17 shooting), 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 steal

Mitchell began this game with a bang. He scored 16 points in the opening period, swishing four three-pointers to cap off a 40-point Cavalier quarter. Mitchell’s shot-making often gives Cleveland a respectable baseline but he can elevate them to invincible status when the rest of the team is rolling alongside him.

He didn’t slow down as the game went on. Mitchell continued to keep his foot on the gas and delivered fuel to the fire whenever Denver felt like they had a chance at dousing the flame. His six three-pointers were the driving force behind Cleveland’s immense scoring output.

Grade: A+

Evan Mobley

26 points (9-13 shooting), 6 assists, 5 rebounds, 1 block

It took a while for Mobley to introduce himself tonight but the third quarter was his world. He put Denver’s defense into the blender, gluing together consecutive possessions where no one could stop him. By the fourth quarter, Mobley had found his confidence from deep and began nailing three-point jumpers at a wild rate. He finished by shooting 4-6 from three-point range, the second most makes of his career.

Mobley’s growth as a scorer has given the Cavaliers one more layer to an already expansive offense. His new ability to space the floor — and then use that gravity to create runways to the rim, has made Mobley a world-class talent on both sides of the ball.

Grade: A+

Darius Garland

25 points (10-18 shooting), 7 assists, 4 steals

Mitchell stole the show in the first quarter but Garland wasn’t far behind him. His interior scoring set the tone throughout the night as Garland repeatedly penetrated Denver’s defense to punish them with a floater.

In the second quarter, Garland began expanding his range with a momentum-swinging three during Cleveland’s Cavalanche. This team becomes nearly unstoppable when Garland is cooking at the same time as his star running mate.

Grade: A+

Jarrett Allen

22 points (10-13 shooting), 10 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals, 1 block

Allen was everywhere in this game.

His defensive effort against Nikola Jokic was as impressive as it gets — fronting him in the post and deflecting numerous entry passes. Allen’s activity led to a handful of steals and an emphatic block at the rim when Denver attempted to run in transition.

On the other end, Allen’s effortless scoring was equally as deflating. It felt like he could do no wrong, converting 10-13 shot attempts. His two-way onslaught left Jokic in a bind as the Nuggets’ supporting cast gave him no relief. This was one of the best performances of Allen’s career.

Grade: A+

Dean Wade

11 points (3-4 shooting), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 blocks

With everyone around him firing on all cylinders — Wade just had to fill in the gaps. He played his role perfectly tonight, shooting efficiently and serving as the connective wing this team has always sought after.

Grade: A+

Max Strus

5 points (2-5 shooting), 4 rebounds, 1 assist

Strus is still working himself back to mid-season form. This was only his third game of the year and he played a season-high 24 minutes. The three-point shot wasn’t there tonight but you can see how Strus will fit on this team once he’s in stride. His off-ball movement and on-ball creation give this team another weapon on offense.

Grade: B

Caris LeVert

13 points (5-10 shooting), 3 assists, 3 rebounds

LeVert has been great for most of the season. But tonight’s performance was rough when he first stepped onto the court. We can’t blame LeVert for taking quality shots within the flow of the offense. However, the results were… not great. He smoked two layups in the opening minutes and whiffed a three-pointer that hit nothing but backboard.

It wasn’t all bad. He was engaged on defense and buried a pair of triples to extend the lead to 20 points in the third quarter. By the end of the game, he had totally turned things around and avoided a spiral of despair. This is a sign of growth — both from LeVert and the Cavaliers, who are not over-reliant on LeVert to break out of cold spells as in previous seasons.

Grade: B+

Sam Merrill

9 points (3-4 shooting), 4 rebounds, 1 assist

I don’t want to get carried away. But… is Sam Merrill back?

The last two games have been season highlights for Merrill. He previously scored 22 points against Utah and followed it up with three triples in the first half versus Denver.

This was a complete performance from Merrill. He was engaged defensively and even managed to create a few stops of his own. Then on offense, he found his usual success as a motion shooter. Seeing both sides of the floor (momentarily) click into place for Merrill is beautiful to see.

Grade: A+

Georges Niang

3 points (1-5 shooting), 3 assists

Niang was the only Cavalier who played significant minutes and didn’t outright shine tonight. He was rejected at the rim and didn’t hit his first three until the waning moments of garbage time.

I can’t be too harsh on the guy. But this performance stuck on like a sore thumb when the rest of the team was so potent.

Grade: C-