Game Night Observations: Mitchell explodes, a barrage of threes, and a helpful Okoro

One thing that should have Cavs fans even more encouraged about Mitchell and how good this Cavaliers team can be is that Mitchell seems to be reaching a different level of basketball than he has before. He’s still getting better as a player. Even if he’s always been able to be a volume scorer since he entered the league, it’s hard to debate that he’s ever been this strong as a passer and a defender. He’s a more complete player than he was in Utah.

It may take some time, but that should be enhanced even more upon the return of Darius Garland, too. Mitchell right now is having to carry a burden that’s unexpected. He’s not doing it alone, but he’s doing it better than most could have imagined.

Of course, it’s a major coincidence who this big game for Mitchell came against. The Knicks are the team that he grew up closest to, and the team that was rumored to be the future destination of him all summer while Utah dangled him in the trade market. For the Knicks, seeing Mitchell roast them in the fourth quarter couldn’t have felt great.

For the Cavs, that had to make things just a little bit sweeter.

Speaking of the help

Love was fantastic for the Cavaliers on Sunday night. He, along with Mitchell, carried the team in the fourth quarter, scoring 16 points in the period on five made 3-pointers. For much of the quarter the Cavs ran a pick-and-roll with Mitchell and Love. On the possessions where the Knicks elected to not switch the screen, Love was left open to repeatedly knock down open 3-pointers. On the possessions the Knicks did switch, Mitchell was able to attack the bigger, slower Julius Randle in isolation. It was a formula that worked to perfection for Cleveland.

Love finished the night with a season-high 29 points thanks to eight made 3-pointers.

In fact, Sunday night was a season-high for the Cavaliers in terms of both 3-point attempts and makes. They connected on 23 3-pointers while hoisting 50 of them. That’s not necessarily going to be a staple of the team moving forward, but considering the way the Knicks played defensively – packing the paint and only allowing 32 paint points – it made sense on Sunday.

Aside from Love’s eight made 3-pointers and Mitchell’s eight as well, Cavs forward Dean Wade also connected on six attempts from deep. That means 22 of the team’s 23 makes from distance came from that trio. Cedi Osman made the team’s other 3-point basket.

“The Knicks, when you watch them and you study them, penetration, they run a ton of bodies to the paint,” Bickerstaff said. “Can you create the open look and make the right pass? I thought we made the right pass the majority of the night tonight. We had some turnovers, obviously, but like, I thought for the most part the threes we took were good looks, they were open. The way our guys have been shooting the three, it's hard to tell them not to take open shots, no matter the number of them. This might be the first time I've ever coached a team that shot 50 threes, but, I think for the most part they were really good ones and you'll take them.”

It's not something that should be expected on a nightly basis for the Cavs. They’re a team that’s in the middle of the pack with 34.3 attempted 3-pointers per game, and will likely stay in that area.

“We watched a lot of film on the Knicks and how they pack the paint and how they help in certain places,” Love said. “So, we felt like you know sticking true to one of our five words and or sayings in ‘one more,’ we felt like that would be there tonight. Whether it be them packing the paint, whether them taking away the nail, and just spraying out or our hit ahead action, we were able to get up, I mean, 50 threes is a lot. And I don't know what that in years past or when we had – and 23 makes is a lot – but I don't know if we've gotten to 50 more than a couple of times. I can't say I've seen that number on a stat sheet, at least for a long time.”

Closing time

So much has been made of what the starting lineup is on a nightly basis that the lineup that finishes the game isn’t talked about nearly as often. It’s a group that’s often flexible and can look much different on Sunday than it did on Friday or will on Wednesday.

That was particularly true against the Knicks. This closing group featured a pair of bench players in Love and Isaac Okoro with Mitchell, Evan Mobley, and Wade. Of that group, the name that stands out is certainly Okoro.

To date, Okoro has had a rough season on the Cavs. He’s yet to make a 3-pointer and has generally struggled on the offensive end. There have been nights where he wasn’t good enough defensively, either, and saw his minutes drop as a result of the whole picture.

Sunday allowed Okoro to show why he’s still a valuable piece for the Cavs, even if opposing teams will refuse to guard him at times. He helped to flip the game defensively as the Cavaliers were able to hold the Knicks to just 15 fourth quarter points. Okoro was a big reason why New York point guard Jalen Brunson only scored two points in the final period.

And even then, it’s not all bad offensively. If Okoro isn’t being guarded on the perimeter – and he won’t be until he starts hitting shots – then he needs to be an opportunistic cutter. This is something he’s done relatively well during his career, and Sunday was another example of it.

Isaac Okoro hasn't been much of a threat offensively this season, but this was such a great play in a really big spot for the #Cavs. pic.twitter.com/9RRn5JvfN0

— Danny Cunningham (@RealDCunningham) October 31, 2022

“Isaac Okoro was exhausted but he was a game changer, especially in that fourth,” Mitchell said on Sunday night. “Guy hasn’t hit many shots or scored much. For him to come out and continuously make the play defensively and making guys lives tougher. You don’t see that on the stat sheet. You look at his stats and won’t think much of it but he was fighting the whole fourth. He set the tone and we followed suit.”