Dribbles: Cavs Scrap Past Raptors, Move to 17-1, But There May Be More: ‘This Is Our Floor’

November 24, 2024

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 122-108 home win over the Toronto Raptors on Sunday. …

1. It wasn’t the prettiest of games, but it was a win, and now the Cavaliers are 10-0 at home. That makes one of two NBA unbeatens at home.

2. That’s just the thing, too. No matter how the game goes, the Cavs just keep winning. In this one, the performance was just OK. Yet they walked away with a 14-point advantage in a game where it never felt like they were threatened.

3. You would’ve guessed it? The Cavs? Winners of 17 of their first 18? Let’s face it, nobody was predicting this.

4. Donovan Mitchell on the start: “I won’t say I came into camp thinking we’d be 17-1, but I knew we could get to this level of play eventually. This is our floor. By April we gotta be better. Now that we’re here, we gotta stay here.”

5. If there’s one thing about these Cavs, it’s that they can beat you in any number of ways. Anyone on the roster seems capable of stepping up at any time.

6. On Sunday, Mitchell scored 26 points and helped spur a needed 10-1 run to open the third quarter. Ty Jerome also scored 26, again coming up with big baskets and hustle plays in earning the unofficial title of the NBA’s Most Surprising Player.

7. Oh, and Jarrett Allen tacked on 23 points and 14 rebounds, shooting 10-of-14 from the field. Allen got a lot of his points by simply hanging around the basket, cleaning up the mess and sending it home.

8. Jerome on Allen: “He’s unbelievable. I think we’ve got four All-Stars and he’s one of them.”

9. Coach Kenny Atkinson was all smiles afterward, though he admitted the Cavs have certainly had better nights. He added that he started to wonder if three days off may not have been such a good thing. “I don’t think it was one of our better games,” Atkinson said. “… But credit the guys for getting the W.”

10. Anyway, Jerome continues to surprise — maybe not himself, but the rest of the league. Opponents see what he does and seem to wear a look that asks, Where did THIS guy come from?

11. Atkinson on that very player: “He’s in this zone and it’s phenomenal. He just keeps going, and it’s a real credit to him.”

12. It’s true, as not enough can be said about what Jerome has meant to this early season and historic start. A foot injury limited him to the first two games last year. But Atkinson said he’s been kicking butt since setting foot in the practice facility in August.

13. Jerome said he’s “just gonna keep doing my job. If I’ve got space, I’m gonna shoot it.”

14. Of course, it’s so much more than just shooting (though through 18 games, he’s at a sizzling 59 percent, including 55 percent on 3-pointers). It’s also about making winning plays and killing the opponent’s momentum.

15. Defensively, the Cavs were just OK for most of the night. Atkinson strongly suggested they’re fouling way too much (Toronto shot 34 free throws; compared to 14 for Cleveland). “We’re a good defensive team,” Atkinson said. “There are games like this where we’re a little sloppy, though.”

16. But about 99.999 percent of the time, the Cavaliers have gotten it done at both ends when they’ve needed to most.

17. It’s not just the starters. It’s everyone. And again, you never know who it might be. “That just adds to the element of surprise,” Mitchell said. “You don’t know who it’s gonna be on a nightly basis. I think that’s what makes us so lethal.”

18. Darius Garland rediscovered his groove in the third quarter, scoring eight points to finish with 16. He bounced back from a 3-of-21 shooting performance in Boston by going 6-of-14 from the field and 4-of-7 on threes.

19. Evan Mobley had another game where it seemed like he was kind of quiet, but then you look at the box score and see he finished with 14 points and 11 boards. Mobley and Isaac Okoro (10 points, 4-of-4 shooting) were both incredibly active and delivered in key moments. Nothing new there.

19. Yes, the Cavaliers were a little sloppy after the first quarter — in which they were remarkably sharp. But the Raptors (4-13) are a scrappy bunch despite their record. They simply refused to let this become a blowout.

20. Meanwhile, Georges Niang had a shooting night to forget (1-of-13), but that’s going to happen sometimes. Not everyone is going to look like an all-pro for all 82 games, right? Niang did do some other things well and the Cavs just want him to battle. That he did.

21. Gradey Dick and Scottie Barnes led the Raptors with 18 points apiece, with RJ Barrett adding 16. Atkinson said he was overall pleased with how his team made Barnes and Barrett really work and held them in check.

22. So while the Cavs may not have given their best effort, you just sort of knew the Raptors would never get over the hump. It’s just that these days, everyone expects the Cavs to win by 30.

23. Well, I’ve probably rambled on long enough. So we’ll leave the final word to Mitchell. “We can be better,” he said. “But it’s great to learn through wins rather than losses.”

24. Finally, Caris LeVert (knee) and Dean Wade (ankle) seem day-to-day. As for Max Strus, Atkinson said he’s progressing. “He’s been out on the court shooting, though no contact yet,” Atkinson said.