Donovan Mitchell said get on my back!
The Cavs really showed us something on Wednesday night. The squad fought back after getting bullied on National TV on Tuesday against the Knicks, . Led by Star Donovan Mitchell’s 23 first half points and a stronger performance by Evan Mobley, the Cavs won 95-89 at Madison Square Garden.
Tuesday’s matchup was a tough watch, which isn’t uncommon for this squad. The Knicks came into Cleveland and imposed their style of basketball on the game. Also, 5 Knicks scored in double figures, while the Cavs shot 39% from the field and 26% from three point range. One the positive side, Rookie Emoni Bates scored his first points as a Cavalier and ended up with 9 points in 23 mins.
These two games against New York felt like an extension of last year’s playoff matchup. Every possession felt important and everyone was competing at max effort each trip down the court. Donovan Mitchell was at max effort Wednesday night as he scored the Cav’s first 13 points to start the game. He was not going to let the Knicks take back to back wins. Donovan had 23 points in the 1st half but only 7 in the 2nd. Spida Mitchell needed some help.
The Rally Cavs
Caris LaVert stepped up to help big time. Coming off the bench, LaVert contributed 19 points 6 rebounds and 5 assists in 31 minutes of play. Caris hit two big three pointers in the 4th quarter and two massive free throws to seal the game. After scoring 6 points and -19 +/-, Evan Mobley had a bounce back performance with 14 points, 8 rebounds and +8 +/-.
All in all, the season is still young but it was a good sign to see the Cavs get the job done. Now they have an off day before starting the Inaugural In-Season Tournament against the Pacers. The same Pacers team that hung 125 on the Cavs almost a week ago. Therefore, a bounce back performance is on the mind for Friday Night.
