Dribbles: Cavs Quickly Get Back On Track, Thump Wounded Pelicans Behind Ty Jerome, Jaylon Tyson

November 20, 2024

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 128-100 home hammer job of the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday. …

1. Well, the Cavs got exactly what they needed — a scrimmage that counted as a regular-season game.

2. One night after giving it everything they had in Boston, the Cavs returned home to match up with what’s left of the Pelicans. It went as expected. In short, the home team was never threatened.

3. The Cavs (16-1) built the lead to 81-60 midway through the third quarter. It was at about that point I stopped paying attention. For a minute there, I think the Cavs stopped, too. But to their credit, they eventually built that lead to 34.

4. And everyone in attendance started hoping for a running clock.

5. But hey, you can only beat what’s in front of you, and that’s what the Cavaliers did — turning it into little more than 48 minutes of garbage time.

6. Ty Jerome was the story in this one, putting up a career-high 27 points in the first half. Yes, that took place in a single half. While the Cavs were wildly shorthanded, they didn’t really need Jerome in the final 24 minutes. He finished with 29.

7. Also, Georges Niang cannot wait to see New Orleans, as he had 20 at their place (November 20) and 20 again in this one. This time, it only took him three quarters.

8. In the Pelicans’ defense, their top eight scorers were sidelined with a variety of injuries. That included the likes of Zion Williamson, Brandon Ingram, CJ McCollum, Herb Jones and Trey Murphy III. Most of the guys they did use could afford to spend more time in the G League.

9. Former Cavs GM and current Pelicans head of basketball operations David Griffin received a smattering of applause when introduced on the Jumbotron. He gave a wave hello, but looked fairly tired and overall less-than-thrilled. Now we know why.

10. Meanwhile, the Cavs were without Isaac Okoro (ankle), Caris LeVert (knee), Sam Merrill (ankle), Dean Wade (ankle) and Darius Garland (groin/rest). But Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said before the game that Garland was being held out for “precautionary” reasons.

11. In other words, the Cavaliers knew what they were up against, and it wasn’t much. To give you an even better indication of how shorthanded the Pelicans were … they signed guard Elfrid Payton about eight hours before tipoff. And he started.

12. As for the Cavs, rookie Jaylon Tyson got his first career start and really delivered. He just missed a triple-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists. He may not get a lot of opportunities this season, but the future sure looks promising.

13. Tyson didn’t find out he was starting until the morning shootaround. And it wasn’t even Atkinson’s idea. “The assistant coaches really pushed for it,” he admitted.

14. Tyson on how things went, while smiling: “It was a good opportunity for me to show the coaches that I deserve a little bit of playing time. … Once I got that first tip-in, I was like, ‘All right, I got rid of the jitters now.'”

13. Jarrett Allen added 16 points and 11 rebounds, making each of his seven attempts, a few of them of the monster jam variety. Donovan Mitchell (10 points) and Evan Mobley (nine) were only needed for 19 and 18 minutes, respectively.

14. Those members of the Core Four (minus Garland) were able to take it easy, mostly thanks to the first-half showing of Jerome. “It was great and great how the crowd got into it,” Atkinson said. “This is Ty Jerome, you know? I love Ty, but that was a superstar performance.”

15. Two-way man JT Thor added 12 points on 4-of-4 shooting and Tristan Thompson recorded eight points and 10 boards. “The guys in that locker room respect the heck out of him,” Atkinson said of Thompson. “You need that toughness, you need that know-how.”

16. Jerome on finding the zone in the second quarter (20 points): “Felt great. You get in that zone sometimes and the ball kept finding me.”

17. Niang had a brief skirmish with Pelicans forward Jamal Cain. It didn’t amount to much. But it still offered some comic relief in the locker room. Niang was meeting with reporters when Mitchell walked past. “You ask him why he tried to fight that dude?” Mitchell asked, smiling.

18. After 17 games in 29 nights, the Cavs finally have a stretch of three days without a game. They won’t even practice Thursday or Friday. “I’m going to Florida,” Atkinson joked. On a serious note, he added that he felt the team could use the mental break every bit as much as the physical one.

19. Next up: The rebuilding Toronto Raptors in Cleveland on Sunday. Then it’s two against the Atlanta Hawks, one at home, the other on the road. So who knows, maybe the Cavaliers will still only have one loss when they face the Boston Celtics again (Sunday, Dec. 1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse). Wouldn’t that be nice?