Dribbles: Cavs Get Gritty And Play Pretty In Convincing Road Win Over Heat

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ impressive 126-106 road win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday. …Evan Mobley, Cavaliers, Cavs, NBA

1. Donovan Mitchell was outstanding. Evan Mobley was outstanding. Ty Jerome was outstanding. And the defense was really pretty good, with the exception of maybe the third quarter.

2. Let’s see … who are we missing? Georges Niang? Great night. Jarrett Allen? Ditto. Max Strus? He’s really starting to make a difference, especially on defense.

3. And let’s not forget rookie Jaylon Tyson and second-year man Craig Porter Jr. Both got extra time because of injury and illness, and each delivered like a seasoned pro.

4. Darius Garland sat out to rest, and yes, even he was outstanding. Hey, someone has to lead the cheers from the bench. Garland was often the first on the floor to offer a high-five during timeouts.

5. Mitchell erupted for 34 points on 14-of-23 shooting, including a few nifty buckets in traffic near the rim. He’s now scored at least 30 in five of the last seven games.

6. Mobley also had a monster night — 22 points, 15 rebounds, 10-of-15 from the field. He continues to be a threat in grabbing rebounds, bringing the ball up the floor, and initiating the offense. By the time the playoffs get here, he likely will have mastered it.

7. Jerome is having another one of those great stretches, scoring 20 points with a game-high seven assists. He continues to serve as the NBA’s ultimate secret weapon.

8. Meanwhile, Niang added 15 on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-6 on 3-pointers. He now has 800 threes for his career, so what do you know, the minivan has galloped his way to a personal milestone. Allen went for 12 points and 10 boards and just generally worked his tail off.

9. Tyson got the start, finishing with a pedestrian four points, five rebounds, and four assists. But the stat line barely tells the story of how much he contributed. The guy was just all over the place.

10. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson to reporters on Tyson: “We put him out there for defense and rebounding. He played his role perfectly.”

12. Along with Garland, the Cavaliers (38-9) did not have Sam Merrill, a late scratch with an illness. They were already missing Caris LeVert (wrist), Isaac Okoro (shoulder) and Dean Wade (knee). 

13. But again, they played hard and played smart and flew around the floor defensively. And it wasn’t just the bigger names, either. Porter Jr. (nine points), Strus (eight), Tyson, and Niang deserve a lion’s share of the credit.

14. Atkinson didn’t seem to be fretting over the missing bodies. “Our depth is so good,” he said. “We have another game tomorrow night so we were trying to save minutes. That required some lineups we haven’t seen. That’s a credit to our depth.”

15. As usual, Shaker Heights product Terry Rozier went nuts against the Cavs, tying Tyler Herro with 22 points to lead Miami. Bam Adebayo added 21. But aside from a few minutes here and there, the Heat (23-23) were never really in it — as they continue to try to play through all that Jimmy Butler drama. Miami never led.

16. Either way, the Heat had to work hard most of the night just to get a decent look at the hoop. “We had one bad quarter defensively (the third), but we kept them in low 20s in the rest,” Atkinson said. “So great performance there.”

17. And yes, the Cavaliers do indeed have a home game on Thursday, a quick turnaround after flying home to face the Atlanta Hawks. As you likely know, Atlanta is 2-0 against Cleveland this season. So there might be some revenge on the minds of the home team.

18. You know what else seems to be on their minds? The All-Star Break in a little more than two weeks. “The players are feeling it. The coaches are feeling it,” Atkinson said. “… It’ll be good to get a break.”

19. For now, though, the Cavs seem determined to keep getting after it on defense. On offense, it’s extremely rare for them to be stopped, or even slowed. That’s how you win 38 of your first 47 and that’s where they are today.

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