Dribbles: De’Andre Hunter Proves To Be A Bad Man As Cavs Rally By Blazers In OT

March 2, 2025

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles from the Cavaliers’ 133-129 gritty overtime win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday. …

1. That was something. Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said he thought the Cavs would lose. Everyone in Rocket Arena was probably right there with him.

2. The Cavs went down by 17 in the third quarter. They fought back. Then they went down by 18. “I thought it just wasn’t our night,” Atkinson said.

3. Donovan Mitchell sat out to rest. Darius Garland couldn’t get it going. Overall, the Cavs really struggled to hit shots in the first half. The young, feisty Trail Blazers closed the second quarter on a 15-0 run.

4. But fear not, Cavs Nation. De’Andre Hunter showed out. “That’s why we traded for him,” said Ty Jerome, Hunter’s best friend and a guy who wasn’t too shabby himself.

5. More on all that in a minute. For now, let’s talk about how the Cavs have won 10 straight, improving 8-0 with Hunter in uniform. They’ve won 14 of 15 overall and are the first NBA team this season to hit 50 wins.

6. The last two have not come very easily. But they have come. And it’s because this group simply refuses to lose.

7. After getting down 18 the Cavs went on a 22-5 run. They were right back in it. It wasn’t always a thing of beauty, as this was a choppy game where the officials seemed to be longing to steal. The two teams combined to fire up 70 free throws. That’s almost unheard of.

8. Despite it all, Hunter came to life, giving the remarkable showing the Cavaliers (50-10) so desperately needed. He scored 18 in the fourth quarter and overtime combined — nine in each the fourth quarter and five-minute OT. Along with that, he did the dirty work on defense, and if there was a big play to be made, Hunter came to the rescue.

9. Atkinson on Hunter: “Everybody is gonna talk about his clutch shooting and the threes … he can go get his own. He carried us in every way. No way we get this win without him.”

10. As mentioned, Jerome also had himself a night. He went for 25 points, six assists and six steals. The locker room was vibrant, as usual, after the win, and Hunter joked that Jerome was the worst defender on the floor. But without a doubt, every last one of those steals and stops was needed.

11. Hunter finished 8-of-15 shooting, including 5-of-9 on 3-pointers. “Most of the shots I got were pretty open,” he said. “I take those shots every day, I work on them (in practice).” He also knocked down 11 of his 12 free throws and the Cavs needed them all.

12. Evan Mobley added 20 points and eight rebounds before fouling out in the fourth quarter. A couple of them may even have been actual fouls. Who really knew with this crew?

13. Jerome didn’t hesitate to go record and call out the officials. “I thought the refs were really bad,” he said. “Especially Natalie (Sago). She was really bad. … All you can do is fight through it.”

14. Max Strus added 14 points and snared nine boards, playing with a great deal of his usual passion. Garland really struggled to the tune of 4-of-16 shooting, but played well otherwise and passed for a team-high seven assists. Jarrett Allen added 12 points and 10 boards, and Sam Merrill scored nine.

15. Strus also hit a massive three with 15.4 seconds to lead to the OT. “It’s just the belief in each other,” he said. “The belief in this locker room, we’re never out, and we all believe in each other to the fullest.”

16. Anyway, this was probably a little harder than it should’ve been, and that’s not meant as any disrespect to the Blazers (27-34) — a good defensive team, a young team, and a team that plays with a great deal of determination.

17. But the Cavs were at home and highly favored. They were not, however, the team that brought the energy in the first two quarters. “That’s the NBA, an 18-point deficit is nothing when you’re in the third quarter,” Jerome said.

18. It’s especially nothing for these Cavaliers. As you know, they just came back from 25-3 in Boston on Friday to win.

19. But Atkinson suggested this one was every bit as tough. “We came back a couple of times and then they’d just (increase the leader again),” he said. “That’s as difficult a comeback as you can have.”

20. For the record, this is the first time since 1997-98 that the Cavs have won back-to-back games after trailing by 18 or more points.