Three takeaways from Cavs’ win over Grizzlies

Evan Mobley was on a rampage.

If you had to guess when the Cleveland Cavaliers' streak would end, a road game versus an elite Western Conference foe — all with your best player on the bench — felt like a solid choice. Yet, the Cavs took full control in the first half against the Memphis Grizzlies and never looked back.

Well... until the benches cleared. But a fake garbage-time comeback proved to be just that.

Most teams in the NBA would have dropped this game. But the Cavaliers aren’t most teams. They’ve won 16 straight games and have a realistic chance at reaching 70 wins, at best — and setting a franchise record, at worst.

Darius Garland and Evan Mobley set the tone throughout the night. Garland’s box score doesn’t do him justice but he was five steps ahead of the defense all game. When Cleveland’s stars are shining — and the supporting cast is clicking — they become nearly impossible to beat.

Ja Morant tried his best. He put up a season-high 44 points but it was never enough to get the Grizzlies within striking distance. The Cavs were simply relentless, punching down every time Memphis tried to pick themselves up.

Let’s get to the takeaways.

Evan Mobley isn’t just the Defensive Player of the Year, he’s an All-NBA Player

There was a little something extra on the line tonight. Just two weeks ago, Mobely and Jackson Jr. were neck-and-neck for Defensive Player of the Year. But entering tonight, Mobely was a -300 to Jackson’s +1000 to win the award. This matchup might have been Jackson’s last chance to tip the scales back in his favor.

Mobley snuffed that possibility out pretty quickly.

He did a little bit of everything in the first quarter before ending it with a transition three-pointer. Then, to open the second quarter, Mobley buried two more transition threes to help Cleveland build an 18-point lead. He finished the first half with 17 points, 6 rebounds, 2 assists, 1 steal and 1 block.

This was an uber-aggressive approach from Mobley in a game that clearly meant more than usual. He didn’t just dominate on defense, he took an already elite offense to another level with his perimeter shot-making. It’s hard to see a world where Mobley isn’t on an All-NBA team by the end of the season.

It’s nice to have depth

The Cavs walked into this game on the road against a team that is desperate to maintain a favorable playoff position. The Grizzlies are no slouch — ranking in the top-10 for both offense and defense. Yet, even without Donovan Mitchell, the Cavs whooped them start to finish.

The OG trio of Garland, Mobley and Allen set the tone while Max Strus buried multiple threes in the first half to get them rolling. Ty Jerome and De’Andre Hunter accelerated their momentum even further with four three-pointers of their own. 10 different Cavaliers played in the first half. 10 Cavaliers scored a bucket. Seven of them hit at least one three-pointer.

By the end of the night, Cleveland’s bench outscored Memphis 59-42 and it was much worse before the benches cleared. Being able to rely this heavily on your depth has been a blessing. The Cavs are racking up wins at a historic rate — all while hardly having to exert their best players.

Darius Garland was a playmaking juggernaut

Garland went through a rough stretch after a hard fall against New York weeks ago. It felt like his hip was still bothering him as he struggled to get around defenders. Tonight, Garland looked more like himself.

He was shifty and explosive, applying pressure on the Grizzlies’ help defense to rotate and protect the rim. He scored 20 points and dished 9 assists as Memphis had no answer for him. While he still struggled to shoot the three-ball (3-11 from deep), Garland demolished whoever stood in front of him at the point of attack.

The Cavs' offense is a well-oiled machine. But it’s still at its best when Garland is at the controls. The Grizzlies attempted to rally back late in the fourth but it was DG who slammed the door shut on them.