CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers beat the Wizards on Wednesday because they buckled down on defense.
But Evan Mobley hitting five threes sure didn’t hurt.
Mobley finished with a game-high 24 points and went 5-of-6 on threes as the Cavs (3-1) won their third straight, 121-111, over visiting Washington.
He was 8-of-12 shooting overall. When people talk about Mobley needing to be more of an offensive force … well, this was their dream evening. And hitting threes against a long, tall, athletic Wizards team only helps.
It kept their big guys from packing the paint. Instead, they had to go out and get in Mobley’s face. When they didn’t, clearly, he made them pay.
”I feel like it’s sustainable,” Mobley said of his proficiency from beyond the arc. “Just confidence. The first few went in, so just kept shooting ‘em. Been working on them for years now. I feel confident in it and I’m gonna keep shooting them.”
No one expects Mobley to make five out of every six (well, except for maybe Mobley). But if he can make two or three, the Cavs will really have something. Or in the case of Mobley, something more.
It could also help make everyone else’s life easier. When your 7-footer is a reliable three-point threat, life near the basket becomes even more manageable. That’s because, again, the other team’s 7-footers are out defending the perimeter.
“He’s just putting it all together,” center Jarrett Allen said. “It opens the floor up to me. There’s not a lot of people in there, so I can do my work in there.”
Basically, when the defense is locked in and Mobley and others are keeping the opponent scrambling, you get nights like Wednesday.
“I think it’s him finding his stuff in the flow,” Atkinson said of Mobley. “I still want him at the paint, at the rim, just finding that balance. I think it opens things up for us.
“He’s taking timely ones. He’s taking good ones. If he can hit 3s and still be the great defender he is and should be, that could be our next jump.”
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