Allen was a beast.
It’s officially April. That means the Cleveland Cavaliers are (hopefully) gearing up for their best basketball yet. A big win over a depleted New York Knicks team is a good way to start.
Grades are based on our expectations of each player.
Darius Garland
17 points (8-15 shooting), 6 assists, 4 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 turnover
Garland was steady at the controls tonight. He scored a quiet 17 points and shot efficiently from the floor. Outside of an errant pass in the first quarter, Garland took fantastic care of the ball and kept his team in a position to win this game by double-digits.
It wasn’t anything fancy but DG got the job done.
Grade: B+
Isaac Okoro
11 points (5-10 shooting), 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 steals
Okoro showed something valuable tonight. He managed to be an overwhelming positive despite shooting 1-of-6 from deep. The fact that Okoro can stay on the floor and be a contributor even when he’s not shooting the three-pointer well is a development. His role as a screener — and aggressive attack on the ball that led to six rebounds — gave Okoro another role to hang his hat on.
He’ll have to sustain this for more than a few games. And of course, the three-point shots do have to fall at some point. But blitzing the Knicks with his off-ball movement and pursuit of the ball is something that Okoro needs to build on.
Grade: A-
Evan Mobley
13 points (4-11 shooting), 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 1 block, 1 steal
This wasn’t the best outing from Mobley. He had trouble scoring the ball and was less impactful than usual on defense. New York was far too comfortable scoring in the paint during the first half — though Mobley eventually turned the tide in the second.
His best moments came when he was isolated against Karl-Anthony Towns. The Knicks had no answer for Mobley once he got himself rolling downhill. This is a useful thing to know in a potential (yet unlikely) playoff matchup.
Grade: C+
Donovan Mitchell
27 points (10-18 shooting), 6 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 blocks, 1 steal
This game began to change once Mitchell took it upon himself to rally the troops. His scoring bursts allowed Mitchell to take over this game and inject life into the Cleveland crowd. Mitchell roared to a game-high 27 points as he buried a handful of momentum-swinging triples to put his team in front.
Grade: A+
Jarrett Allen
21 points (10-11 shooting), 8 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block
Allen previously responded to criticism with a big game against the Clippers. He added one more monster performance for good measure by reclaiming the paint in the second half after faltering in the first.
Allen is shooting 21-23 from the floor over his last two games. He’s been an automatic bucket around the rim and this has given Cleveland’s offense a healthy baseline throughout his minutes.
Grade: A+
Sam Merrill
5 points (2-4 shooting), 4 rebounds, 3 assists
Merrill is slowly proving he’s more than a shooter. He’s consistently played hard on defense and is getting his hands dirty on the glass. Three assists tonight are a plus. We’d still like to see him hit a few more three-pointers, but the impact of his gravity is indisputable.
Grade: B-
De’Andre Hunter
16 points (6-11 shooting), 2 rebounds, 2 assists
Hunter has shown some impressive three-level scoring that makes him valuable even when his three-point shot isn’t falling. He hit his first two attempts tonight before going 0-3 the rest of the way. But Hunter’s ability to nestle into the middle of the floor and shoot over smaller defenders has given him a backup plan that’s straight cash.
The Cavs will continue to ask more of Hunter on the defensive end. He’ll need to rebound at a higher rate and stay engaged when fighting through screens.
Grade: B
Javonte Green
0 points (0-3 shooting), 1 steal, 5 minutes
Kenny Atkinson turned to Green early in the first half when things weren’t going right. It turned out, Green didn’t have it going either. What else is there to say?
Grade: F
Craig Porter Jr.
1 point (0-0 shooting, 1-2 free throw), 6 minutes
Same thing as Green. Porter was mostly invisible for his six minutes in the first half. Nothing worth judging too harshly but we have to be honest with our grades.
Grade: F