Player Grades: Cavs at Wolves
Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell looked great.
The Cleveland Cavaliers ended their road trip with a quality win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. This was a nice way to respond after an ugly loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Grades are based on our expectations for each player.
Donovan Mitchell
36 points (12-27 shooting), 8 rebounds, 7 assists
Perhaps no one more than Mitchell needed to bounce back from the previous game. Mitchell put up a clunker against the Thunder — but against the Wolves, he was all cash from the start.
Mitchell made a clear effort to assert himself in this game. He was aggressively getting downhill to the rim and relentlessly sought out space for his three-point jumper. This was Mitchell’s highest-scoring game since November and his second-highest-scoring of the season.
Grade: A
Darius Garland
29 points (8-19 shooting), 6 assists, 5 rebounds
The Cavaliers no longer rely on Mitchell to make magic happen every night. That’s in large part because Garland is able to ignite the team all on his own. His flurry of scoring in the second half set the stage for the Cavalanche that eventually buried Minnesota in the fourth quarter.
Garland’s processing speed has never been better. He’s seeing the game with more clarity than in his previous All-Star campaign. Tonight was a fantastic example of this as Garland manipulated the Wolves’ defense and picked them apart at key moments of the game.
Grade: A+
Jarrett Allen
14 points (6-9 shooting), 4 rebounds, 1 block
Allen was quiet tonight. But not necessarily in a bad way. The Cavaliers ran a 2-3 zone for most of the night and dared Rudy Gobert to beat them. This meant Allen wasn’t in the best position to clean up the glass like he normally would.
Offensively, Allen had the challenge of scoring over Gobert. The Cavs’ offense felt much more centered on the backcourt and thus, Allen only filled in when his number was called. It was an all-in-all efficient night even if Allen wasn’t overly noticeable.
Grade: B
Dean Wade
8 points (3-8 shooting), 5 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steals
Wade was sturdy on defense, as always. He spent his fair share of time in the post against Gobert and held up for most of the night. Wade’s versatility is something no Cavs fan should take for granted.
You’d always love to see Wade get going from behind the arch (2-7 three-point shooting tonight). But he did throw down a vicious putback dunk in the first half, so it all evens out.
Grade: B+
Max Strus
5 points (2-7 shooting), 6 rebounds, 3 assists
This wasn’t the night for Strus. He had a difficult time finding separation on the three-point line and only buried 1-of-5 attempts. He filled in as a connective playmaker and chipped in on the glass — but we’ve seen better games from Strus.
Grade: D+
Caris LeVert
2 points (1-6 shooting), 4 rebounds, 3 assists
LeVert started this game in place of Evan Mobley and well... he didn’t provide anything you’d hope to see. His shot was off (including multiple missed layups) and he didn’t create many advantages off the dribble. The defense wasn’t awful — but it wasn’t great, either.
Grade: D
Georges Niang
15 points (5-7 shooting), 10 rebounds, 1 assist
Any time Niang grabs boards, it’s going to skew his grade toward the positive. But when he adds 15 points (3-5 three-point shooting) while matching his career-high with 10 rebounds? That’s everything you could ask for.
I can’t say it was his best performance in a Cavalier uniform. But it was certainly one of the better ones.
Grade: A-
Ty Jerome
15 points (5-7 shooting), 4 assists, 4 rebounds
The Cavaliers can thank Jerome for a handful of their wins this season. Tonight wasn’t a Typhoon but his burst of scoring off the bench absolutely tilted the direction of this game. Jerome hit a pair of momentum-shifting three-pointers that played a role in the clinching Cavalanche.