Three takeaways from Cavaliers 114-113 win over Spurs
Hunter, Mobley and Mitchell stood out tonight.
The Cleveland Cavaliers picked up their 62nd win of the season behind a 114-113 effort over the San Antonio Spurs. This game was a blowout for most of the night but a late rally from San Antonio nearly tipped the scales. Nonetheless, Cleveland pushes closer to clinching the highest seed in the Eastern Conference.
The Spurs entered this game without much to play for. Their rotation has been depleted due to injuries as both Victor Wembanyama and De’Aaron Fox have been ruled out for the season. An injury to Jeremy Sochan left San Antonio without any size to fend off Cleveland’s frontcourt.
As a result, the Cavs found little resistance throughout the night. It was red-hot shooting from the jump as Cleveland’s offense generated anything it wanted. Donovan Mitchell led the team with 26 in a dynamic shooting performance featuring six three-pointers.
Jarrett Allen sat the entire second half in order to pick up some rest without missing a full game. Allen has played every game this season and plans on appearing in all 82. Tonight was a makeshift way of ensuring that’s possible.
Overall, the Cavs played a strong 44 minutes. The final four minutes nearly cost them the entire game. They were spared from that reality by a Harrison Barnes brick.
Evan Mobley is a mismatch monster
Mobley immediately set the tone for this game. He opened the night with three straight three-pointers, before doing some dirty work in the paint and then stepping back out to the line for his fourth three-pointer of the first quarter.
This was a dazzling display of versatility from Mobley. He scored 18 points in a flurry and left the Spurs looking hopeless. An offensive explosion like this was only a dream last year. This season, Mobely has made it a relatively common occurrence.
Mobley’s aggression against San Antonio’s defense should be highlighted. He’s been deliberate in attacking defenders whom he feels he can destroy one-on-one all season. This was another example of Mobley becoming a monster for opposing teams to contain. You can’t put a smaller player on him or he’ll bury them in the paint. But if you put a lumbering big on Mobley — he’ll take the open three-pointer to great success.
Donovan Mitchell is dialed in
Mitchell fell into a brief slump during March. He wasn’t shooting the ball well and the Cavs' offense suffered because of it. Those concerns are fully in the rearview mirror after this last week of basketball.
The Cavs were a buzzsaw for most of this game. This was in large part due to Mitchell bombarding the Spurs with his shot-making all game. He was impossible to deter as Mitchell drilled 6-of-11 three-point shots.
Just as impressive, Mitchell was throwing some truly special dimes. He threw a behind-the-back pass to Mobley in the first quarter that unfortunately didn’t result in a bucket. But aside from that — Mitchell lasered a cross-court pass to Max Strus for a three-pointer that almost felt LeBron-esque.
Unfortunately, this was all nearly erased when Mitchell fumbled down the stretch. An airballed three-pointer and a turnover put the Cavs in a dire situation. Thankfully, the Cavs managed to avoid disaster.
Getting Mitchell into a comfortable groove for the playoffs is crucial. The Cavs will have to ride his hot shooting if they want to make a deep push into the postseason.
De’Andre Hunter is a bucket
Speaking of efficient shooting, Hunter has been lights out since joining the Cavs. He entered tonight shooting 43.2% from deep for his 23 games in Cleveland. This would be a career-high for Hunter.
Against the Spurs, Hunter poured in 18 points on 4-8 three-point shooting. He was automatic on catch-and-shoot attempts and continued to burrow his way into the paint and convert in-between buckets whenever a defender overcommitted to him on the three-point line.
Hunter’s three-level scoring is something the Cavs’ bench didn’t have before. He’s consistently raised their offensive ceiling since joining the roster. And, above all else, he pounded the glass for seven rebounds. A commitment to cleaning the defensive glass would take Hunter from being a good trade acquisition to the difference-maker in a championship run.