Danny Cunningham covers the Cleveland Cavaliers for 850 ESPN Cleveland and TheLandOnDemand.comSometimes in the NBA, teams don’t have their best game. Whether that’s due to travel, being on the second night of a back-to-back, or some other circumstance, it happens from time to time.
The Cavaliers did not have their best stuff on Saturday night against the Dallas Mavericks.
They found a way to win anyways, beating the Mavericks 100-99 in overtime.
Sure, the Mavericks were without All-NBA talent Luka Doncic as well as other key players Spencer Dinwiddie and Dwight Powell as they too faced the second night of a back-to-back after playing in Dallas on Friday night.
Even shorthanded, the Mavericks put forth a better effort than the Cavaliers for the first three quarters of the game, leading by as many as 10 points during the second half. The Cavs just didn’t have their best game on the offensive end of the floor. That’s going to happen across an 82-game season.
Finding a way to win the game anyways is a sure sign of a good team.
“It was a character win,” Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said after the win. “We just didn't have it. But that wasn't an excuse for the guys.”
Saturday was a night to forget offensively. There wasn’t really anything that the team did well on that end of the floor. The Cavs shot just 42.6% from the floor as a team, were a putrid 7-of-36 from beyond 3-point range, and even missed nine of the 22 free throws that they attempted as a team. Donovan Mitchell was the team’s leading scorer with 25 points, but even he was just 1-of-9 from 3-point range. He and Darius Garland, who finished with 18 points and 12 assists, combined to go 2-of-15 from deep.
It didn’t take long for the Cavaliers to know they didn’t have their best stuff against the Mavericks.
“We got wide open shots and we just couldn't find a way. From guys you want taking shots. I mean, how often will Darius and Donovan combine to go 2-for-15 from three and on good looks?” Bickerstaff said. “I think that was the sign, and then just you could feel it. There's a vibe, even in the locker room early when guys are in it and when they've got it and got those juices flowing and it was a struggle tonight.”
“I want to say second quarter maybe?” Mitchell said when asked when he knew it was an off night. “You just look at the score, it was ugly. You could tell certain shots for myself, I was just like man like shots that I know I'm making, shots that felt good didn't go in and certain stuff.”
These things happen, and on the second night of a back-to-back, it isn’t something that anyone should be concerned with. If anything, the fact that the team found a way to win the game should be an encouraging takeaway from the night.
Another night, another big moment for MobleyEvan Mobley continues to show up in big moments for the Cavaliers. It happened on Friday night as he hit a fourth quarter 3-pointer to bring the Cavs to within one against the Pacers, and it happened once again Saturday night against the Mavericks with another huge fourth quarter make from the corner.
Mobley isn’t putting up huge numbers. It’s not likely that a scoring title is in his future, and he may never even average 25 points a game. But viewing him through that prism isn’t doing justice to how good he is as a player, even if he’s just in his second season.
What he does do consistently is help the Cavaliers win. He’s a huge reason as to why they currently have the best defense in basketball and is able to elevate himself offensively when the team needs it. His 10 points in the fourth quarter are another example of that. On a night when not many guys had it going, Mobley stepped up and was the best player on the floor down the stretch of the game.
“He's taken a lot of steps in this season. It's only been 26 games,” Mitchell said. “He's gonna continuously grow and be better and better and, it's great to see him continuously take that step, especially when it comes to knocking down threes because he works on that all day every day.”
Mobley stepping up when it matters isn’t something that’s new, and that’s part of what makes the special talent that he is. It’s not a typical thing for a guy at his experience level to make plays like this as frequently as he does, especially someone that has his size, too
“We're kinda spoiled because this is what he does in fourth quarters. This is what he does in winning time. It's an extremely unique situation for a guy of his age, and even last year, to come in and impact winning the way that he does,” Bickerstaff said. “He does not care about stats, he does not care about numbers and averages and all the petty s*** that some guys get caught up in. The only thing he cares about is helping his team win. Again, since he's been here, he's always figured out a way. He's been great in fourth quarters time and time again.”
Lineup shuffleThe Cavaliers had to shuffle their starting lineup – again – on Saturday night. Lamar Stevens, who has been starting at the small forward position for the last couple of weeks, was out with soreness in his right knee. That meant that Isaac Okoro was inserted into the starting group.
Like Stevens, Okoro isn’t going to draw much attention, if any, from opposing defenses. He’s essentially viewed as a non-threat as a shooter by defenses and has to make his mark on the offensive end by cutting to the basket when teams rotate away from him.
Like Stevens has been recently, Okoro did a good job of that on Saturday night. He finished the game with 10 points, but really made his presence felt defensively.
“I thought he did a great job defensively,” Bickerstaff said. “I thought he gave us a ton of energy early. We were kinda lagging and I thought he was one of the guys that really lifted us up and kept competing and kept working and helped us hang in there until we could figure it out.”
As of late, Okoro has been playing terrific on that end of the floor. Even if his offense can make it hard for him to find a ton of minutes, his defensive abilities have caused chaos for opposing offenses. It’s happened at certain points in each of the four games the Cavaliers have played over the last week. Saturday night was no different, as he finished with a pair of blocks and a steal.
Quick hits- The Cavaliers became the third team in the NBA to reach the 20-win mark this season, joining the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. Their .645% winning percentage is the fourth-best in the league, trailing the Memphis Grizzlies in addition to the Bucks and the Celtics.
- The Cavs do have the best home record in the NBA at 14-2.
- Former Cavaliers sharpshooter J.R. Smith attended the game on Saturday night. He spent his day in Cleveland, first at the Browns game against the Baltimore Ravens and wrapping things up at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. It was the first time that Smith had attended a Cavs game since he was waived by the team following the 2018-19 season. Smith was seated courtside and became very animated at times. He gave words of encouragement at times to various members of the team, including Mitchell, Garland, and Caris LeVert.
- Smith was honored with a tribute video during the first quarter and received a standing ovation from fans at its conclusion.
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- The Cavs will be in action next on Monday night at home against the Utah Jazz. It will mark the first time that Mitchell plays against the team that traded him this summer to Cleveland. The Jazz feature several former Cavaliers including Lauri Markkanen, Jordan Clarkson, Collin Sexton, and former first-round draft pick Ochai Agbaji. Sexton has been out recently due to a hamstring injury, and may not be able to play in his return to Cleveland on Monday night.
