3 Takeaways from the Cavs’ 126-118 loss to Pacers
The Cavs’ bench and G Leaguers blew a 27-point lead in the final game of the regular season.
The Cleveland Cavaliers, on the backs of their G League players and bench depth, wrapped up the regular season with a 126-118 loss to the visiting Indiana Pacers. The Cavs were without half of their players due to injury, rest, or a combination of both, giving the remaining parts of the roster an opportunity to show what they can do.
Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Max Strus, Ty Jerome, De’Andre Hunter, Isaac Okoro, Sam Merril, and Dean Wade all watched from the sidelines. Jarrett Allen started at center, but played less than one minute to complete his perfect 82-game season.
Instead, it was a G League showcase. Craig Porter, Jaylon Tyson, Emoni Bates, Luke Travers, and Nae’Qwon Tomlin played heavy minutes for the Cavs, with some success. Here are three takeaways from the Cavs’ final regular season contest.
The G League guys played well
Emoni Bates is the high-profile name of the group, but all of the two-way or in-between guys played well against the Pacers’ equivalent. Bates finished with 25 points (9-19 shooting, 7-15 from deep) and six rebounds, but the Cavs were outscored by 22 when he was on the floor.
Nae’Qwon Tomlin, who was the last to get a two-way contract from the Cavs, had a solid game himself. The 24-year-old former Memphis Tiger finished with 24 points, 12 rebounds, and one block. He ran out of gas in the two (!) overtime periods and eventually fouled out, but the first four quarters were an overall solid experience.
Luke Travers had four points, eight rebounds, and two assists but had three turnovers as well.
Craig Porter had a very uneven game. While his 20 points and team-high five assists were critical, his seven turnovers came at very inopportune times. Porter will likely only see minutes in the playoffs should Jerome get hurt, but the turnovers - against G League players - was disappointing.
Jaylon Tyson is solid
Maybe less of a take than it is an observation against middling competition, but the Cavs have something with Tyson. He needs to tighten his handle and not play so recklessly, but he has the makings of a rotation player - and the Cavs may need that as soon as next season.
The former first-round pick finished with a game-high 31 points, seven rebounds, and four assists on 12-25 shooting. His five turnovers are a byproduct of that aforementioned ball handling, but it's hard to deny the fact that Tyson showed something.
With Jerome an impending free agent, and the salary sheet pretty crowded, the Cavs may need to offload one of their wings in the offseason to extend their Sixth-Man of the Year candidate backup point guard. Whether it be Okoro or Wade, the Cavs could look to Tyson to play more significant minutes in the near future. Today’s game showed that he may be able to fill a larger role next season, if needed.
Javonte Green is not as solid
To be clear, Green would probably get playoff minutes ahead of Tyson. But relative to what is expected of a playoff rotation player, Green is pretty shaky. In a game where he should have been borderline one of the better players on the court, Green was outplayed by the Cavs’ G League roster.
Green finished with eight points on 4-12 shooting (0-5 from three-point territory), but did have two steals and a block. He also had five personal fouls and only played 19 minutes. Green has a tendency to try and do too much in certain situations instead of just playing within his strengths.
Again, Green probably won’t see the floor in the playoffs unless it's a blowout or injuries occur. But this would have been a good opportunity for him to show he can be trusted in a “break glass in case of emergency” situation.