The Cavs(1-1) came into Chicago(1-2) on Saturday night to battle the Bulls for the first of four matchups between the two teams this season.
Cleveland, who was without Darius Garland(eye), fell to the Raptors in Toronto in their season opener, while the Bulls were playing the second half of a back-to-back after losing to the Wizards in D.C. on Friday night.
The Cavs played like the fresher team, and after a slow start in the first quarter, Cleveland dominated the rest of the way. They led by as many as 19 in the first half, and Cleveland had their biggest lead of 32 in the fourth quarter as the Cavs crushed the Bulls 128-96 at United Center.
According to Elias Sports, the Cavs’ 32-point win in Chicago was the team’s largest margin of victory against the Bulls franchise.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Bulls.
The Great:
First Half: Cleveland scored 70 points in the first half on 63% shooting, including 71% from deep. They were red-hot in that first half, which carried them to a 70-54 lead at the break.
‘Spyda’: Mitchell, who handled the point guard duties with Garland out, had a game-high 32 points, nine rebounds, and eight assists. In addition, according to Elias Sports, Mitchell became the first player in team history to open a season with back-to-back 30-point games. He’s special!
Bench: Cedi Osman and Kevin Love were a big spark off the bench. Osman had 10 points in the first half, and Love scored nine points in the first quarter, including 3-3 from deep. Love finished the night with 15 points and 12 rebounds, including five threes. Osman added 15 points and was a team-best +41. Also, Robin Lopez chipped in with 12 points(6-7 FG). After getting 33 points from its bench against Toronto, the Cavs got 56 points from the bench on Saturday night.
Fourth Quarter: On Thursday night against the Raptors, the Cavs led by eight as they entered the fourth quarter, and Toronto outscored them 32-21 to take control of the game. Saturday night was a different story. Cleveland, who led 93-79 entering the fourth, outscored Chicago 35-17 in the quarter, holding the Bulls to 235% shooting from the field. In addition, the Cavs shot 50% from the floor, including 63% from downtown(5/8). They lost the game in the fourth against Toronto, but against Chicago, they closed this game the right way.
Three-point shooting: Cleveland shot 16/27 from deep(595%). Love led the way with five, and Mitchell connected on four threes. The Cavs finished the game shooting 565% from the field. That’s impressive, that’s big time, and that’s one reason they’re 1-1.
Not So Great
When you win by 32 points, it’s usually all good. However, Cleveland did have 18 turnovers, which is a bit high.
Bottom Line:
This was a nice bounce-back win for the Cavs. The energy was great, and Mitchell was great. Just an overall solid team effort. One thing is clear; this team has depth, athleticism, and talent, which could help them compete night in and night out. It’s 2 of 82, but you have to like what you see so far from the Cavs.
What’s Next:
Cleveland will play the second half of a back-to-back as they host the Wizards(2-0) in their home-opener at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Sunday.
Best of the Rest:
The Cavs had six players in double figures on Saturday night. Evan Mobley had 16 points, and Caris LeVert added 14 points and eight assists.
For the Bulls, Zach LaVine, who made his season debut, led the way with 23 points, and Nikola Vucevic added 16.
On Wednesday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers began the 2022-23 season north of the border in Toronto against the Raptors. The expectations are high with the addition of Donovan Mitchell, and some believe the Cavs can compete for an NBA title.
In the second quarter, Cleveland lost point guard Darius Garland(eye) to injury; in the second quarter, Garland was inadvertently hit in the eye by Gary Trent Jr. He would leave the game and not return.
Without Garland, Cleveland would take an 84-76 lead into the fourth quarter. However, Toronto outscored the Cavs 32-21 in the final quarter to defeat Cleveland 108-105 at Scotiabank Arena.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Raptors.
The Great:
Donovan Mitchell was impressive in his Cavs debut. He had 31 points (the most by a Cavs player in their debut)and nine assists. He also added two steals. Without Garland, Mitchell carried the load, but it wasn’t enough. He was a team-best +10.
Cedi Osman: The Cavs trailed the Raptors 28-22 after the first quarter, but Osman came off the bench and sparked Cleveland. He scored 13 of his 17 points in the second quarter, and the Cavs outscored Toronto 35-23 in the quarter to take a 57-51 lead at the break. Osman, who made three threes in the quarter, was a game-best +14 in the second quarter.
–Jarrett Allen had his usual double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds and added two blocks. Allen did a great job with rim protection, as the Raptors shot only 42% from the field.
Not So Great:
Turnovers: Cleveland had 17 turnovers in this one; Garland was the biggest culprit with five. It’s hard to win any NBA game with that many turnovers, and it becomes even more difficult on the road against a good team like the Raptors.
Fourth Quarter: As previously mentioned, the Cavs took an 84-76 lead into the fourth quarter, but Toronto went on a 14-6 run to start the fourth to tie the game at 90. The Cavs would push their lead to five at 97-92 with just under five minutes to go. However, the Raptors would finish the game on a 16-8 run. Cleveland shot 0/6 from downtown in the fourth and had five turnovers. Conversely, the Raptors were red-hot from deep as they 62% from three-point range.
Bottom Line:
Cleveland lost on the road to a very good team without one of the best players for most of the game. They have nothing to be ashamed of in this one. We were hoping to see more Garland and Mitchell together, but injuries happen. Hopefully, it’s nothing serious. The team was a little sloppy with the ball, but it’s game 1 of 82, so there is plenty of time to clean things up.
What’s Next:
Cleveland will go on the road again as they face the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night.
Best of the Rest:
Cleveland had five players in double figures on Tuesday night. Evan Mobley had 14 points and six rebounds; Caris LeVert had 10 points, five rebounds, and seven assists.
For the Raptors, who had six players in double figures, including all five starters, Pascal Siakam led the way with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and three steals. Trent Jr. poured in 19 points, including four threes, and O.G. Anunoby chipped in with 18 points, seven rebounds, five assists, and three steals.
The Cavs immediately went into rebuild mode when LeBron James left Cleveland to go to Los Angeles to join the Lakers after the 2018 season. In the first two years post-LeBron, the Cavs won 19 games in each of those seasons, and in 2020-21, Cleveland won only 22 games, but along the way, they started to gather assets. They added Darius Garland, Jarrett Allen, and Evan Mobley. Those guys helped lead the Cavs to a 44-38 record last season and a berth in the Play-In Tournament.
However, Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman felt the team needed another piece, and this offseason, they got a big piece when they acquired three-time All-Star Donovan Mitchell from the Utah Jazz.
With the addition of Mitchell, the expectations are very high in Cleveland. Some believe this team can compete for a championship, while others believe they’re still a year or two away.
Let’s take a look at the 2022-23 Cleveland Cavaliers:
Starters:
At this point, we know at least four of the starters for Cleveland: Garland, Mitchell, Allen, and Mobley. Regarding the small forward spot, it appears that it might be Caris LeVert. Obviously, the backcourt of Garland and Mitchell is going to be explosive. Both Garland (21.7 ppg)and Mitchell(25.9 ppg) averaged over 20 points a contest last season. This season, which is exciting, Cleveland will have two guys that can get their own shot at a high level.
Mobley(15.0 ppg on .508 shooting from the field), who was the Rookie-of-the-Year runner-up last season, says he’s expanded his game on the offensive end, and we all know what he can do defensively(1.67 bpg). In addition, Allen( 16.1 ppg, 10.8 rpg, & 1.3 bpg) is another rim-protector and a guy who played well on both ends to become a first-time All-Star last season.
If LeVert, who was acquired by the Cavs before last season’s trade deadline, is the starter, he’s a guy who had an entire training camp with the team, which should be beneficial. Also, it’s a contract year for LeVert, so he’ll be motivated. If they decide to start Isaac Okoro at the three, they’ll have another solid defender on the court. The key for Okoro, who will get open looks, is being able to hit those open looks, and last season, from Feb. 9-April 10, Okoro was 23-50 (.460) from deep, which was the 10th-best three-point percentage in the NBA over that span. Obviously, he’s not going to shoot it that well from three-point range, but if he gets to the high 30s in terms of three-point percentage, that would be good.
This could be one of the better starting lineups in basketball, and if they’re healthy, it could be terrifying for opposing teams.
Bench:
The Cavs should have a solid bench. Kevin Love(13 ppg and 7.2 rpg) was a 2021-22 Sixth-Man of the Year finalist and should be able to do the same this season. Ricky Rubio is back and hopefully will be available by December. He was a difference-maker before he went down with a torn ACL last season. While Rubio is away, Raul Neto will probably log some of those backup point guard minutes. Armed with a three-year contract extension, Dean Wade will give the team depth at forward spots, and Cedi Osman and Lamar Stevens are solid pieces off the bench. Robin Lopez will be the backup center, and he should be an upgrade over what they had last season.
Coaching:
J.B. Bickerstaff has established himself as a decent coach in the NBA. He has the respect of the players and was a big reason this team improved last season. This season, the pressure will be on Bickerstaff and the Cavs to win, so it should be interesting to see how Bickerstaff handles the team.
Prediction:
The Cavs could be better and still be in the Play-In Tournament. That is how good the Eastern Conference is this season. In no particular order, you have the 76ers, Bucks, Celtics, Heat, Nets, Bulls, Hawks, and Raptors, who all should be good to very good teams this season. However, the Cavs will be very good this season, but they are still young.
Last season, they won 44 games, and the addition of Mitchell should will improve that number, but if the first-round matchup is not favorable, which is very possible in the East, Cleveland could go out in the first round.
In the end, the Cavs win 52 games and lose in the second round of the playoffs. This team is still a year or two away from being true title contenders, but the future is bright in the Land.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have exercised the third-year (2023-24) contract option on Evan Mobley and the fourth-year (2023-24) contract option on Isaac Okoro, the team announced Saturday.
Mobley, who was selected third overall by the Cavaliers in the 2021 NBA Draft and was a unanimous All-Rookie First Team selection, appeared in 69 games (all starts) last season with averages of 15.0 points on .508 shooting from the field, 8.3 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.67 blocks in 33.8 minutes.
The 7-footer became just the fourth rookie in NBA history to average at least 14.0 points, 8.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists, and 1.5 blocks, joining Pau Gasol (2001-02), Tim Duncan (1997-98) and Chris Webber (1993-94). The 21-year-old was the runner-up for the 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year award; Mobley led all first-year players in rebounds (8.3), blocks (1.67), and field goal percentage (.508) and ranked second in minutes (33.8), fifth in points (15.0), seventh in steals (0.81) and eighth in assists (2.5). He also led all NBA rookies in double-doubles with 21, which is tied for the fourth-most ever by a Cavaliers rookie.
The 21-year-old Okoro was Cavs’ fifth pick in the 2020 NBA Draft. Last season, he appeared in 67 games and averaged 8.8 points and 3.3 rebounds in 29.6 minutes per contest. The 6-6 guard scored in double figures in 26 games, including four 20-point performances.
In other moves, the Cavs waived five players: guard Sharife Cooper, forward Mamadi Diakite, forward Nate Hinton, guard R.J. Nembhard, and forward Jamorko Pickett.
According to Cleveland.com’s Chris Fedor, the Cavs expect to bring Cooper, Hinton, and Pickett back as members of the G League affiliate Charge and Nembhard, who averaged 24.5 points, 8.2 rebounds and 5.3 assists per contest in 15 games with the Charge, could return as well.
According to Fedor, the Cavs could also bring Diakite back on a two-way deal.
Cleveland, whose roster currently stands at 14, is keeping the final roster spot open due to its salary cap situation as the team is $2.5 million away from the luxury tax, according to Fedor.
Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley will miss Wednesday night’s game at Philadelphia due to a right ankle sprain and will remain out approximately 1-2 weeks, the team announced Monday.
According to the team, imaging taken at Cleveland Clinic Sports Health confirmed the injury.
The second-year forward will undergo a period of treatment and rehabilitation, and his status will be updated as appropriate.
Last season, Mobley, who was the Rookie of the Year runner-up last season, averaged 15.0 points, 8.3 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per contest.
In the 2020-21 NBA season, the Utah Jazz had the best record in the league and was poised to make a deep playoff run. That season, Utah had three All-Stars, including star guard Donovan Mitchell.
However, Utah fell short in the second round of the playoffs as they lost to the Los Angeles Clippers in six games. That season may have given Mitchell his best opportunity to win an NBA title until now.
Earlier this month, the three-time All-Star was dealt to the Cavaliers. According to Mitchell, Cleveland, who had two All-Stars in Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland last season, and a player on the rise in Evan Mobley, has the most talent he has ever been around.
“You look at the youth we have, top three team before a lot of injuries,” Mitchell told goforitradio’s Paul Gant at Cavs’ Media Day. “I’m the oldest starter. That’s truly impressive. That’s no sleight to the team we had in Utah. We had a very talented team, but a lot of our guys were older. Mike(Conley) was older, Joe(Ingles) was older, Bojan(Bogdanović), Rudy(Gobert). Those guys were older. Now, you look at the guys here, 21, 22, 20, whatever it is. We have a lot of promise, but ultimately, we have to go out there and put the work in… If we do the right thing, which starts with camp, we can be in good shape.”
As Mitchell mentioned, Cleveland has youth, but more importantly, they have talented youth. Mitchell is only 26; the Cavs have a 22-year-old Garland, a 21-year-old Mobley, and a 24-year-old Allen, so this team can be good for a long time, and Mitchell agrees.
“We have a lot of talent; we can be good for a long time,” Mitchell said. “But, ultimately, we have to do what needs to be done… We have a group that wants to win, that wants to be good, that wants to compete. We have, not just myself, like I said, Ev(Mobley), DG(Garland), JA(Jarrett Allen), Caris LeVert, K-Love(Kevin Love); we just signed Dean Wade to an extension, who is a really big piece of what we do… We have a young, hungry group that wants to compete and wants to win.”
Things could be special in Cleveland for the next few seasons, and Mitchell could be the guy that leads the way. While Cavs President of Basketball Operations Koby Altman says it’s not “contention or bust” this season, the expectation is for the Cavs to be one of the top teams in the East and at least win a round in the playoffs.
Regarding this being the most talent Mitchell has been around in his career, those Jazz teams were talented, but if things develop in Cleveland like many think it will, this team has the potential to be more talented.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will open the 2022-23 season in Toronto on Oct. 19 against the Raptors, the team announced Wednesday.
The team will play its home opener on Sunday, Oct. 23, against the Wizards.
Cleveland, who went 44-38 last season but missed the playoffs after falling to the Nets and Hawks in the Play-In Tournament, will make nine national television appearances in the 2022-23 season.
List of national television appearances:
-Two games on TNT (Dec. 6 vs. L.A. Lakers and Feb. 2 vs. Memphis).
-Three games on ESPN (Feb. 10 at New Orleans, March 1 at Boston and March 15 vs. Philadelphia).
-Four games on NBA TV (Nov. 7 at L.A. Clippers, Dec. 26 vs. Brooklyn, March 10 at Miami and March 21 at Brooklyn).
Highlights of the home schedule:
-NBA champion Golden State Warriors on Jan. 20
-Eastern Conference champion Boston Celtics on Nov. 2 and March 6.
–Cleveland will also host the New Orleans Pelicans for a special Martin Luther King Jr. Day matinee game on Jan. 16.
-Additional marquee opponents coming to Cleveland only once this season include the L.A. Lakers on Dec. 6, the Dallas Mavericks on Dec. 17, the Phoenix Suns on Jan. 4, the L.A. Clippers on Jan. 29 and the Denver Nuggets on Feb. 23.
Schedule notes:
-The Cavaliers will match up against each Eastern Conference opponent four times with the exception of Washington (two home, one road), Atlanta (one home, two road), Philadelphia (two home, one road) and Brooklyn (one home, two road).Each Western Conference opponent will play the Cavaliers twice – once at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse and once on the road.
-23 home weekend dates including eight home Friday games, five home Saturday games and nine home Sunday games.
-12 sets of back-to-back games, including four road-road sets (Nov. 6-7, Nov. 27-28, Jan. 26-27 and Feb. 5-6), three road-home sets (Oct. 22-23, Feb. 10-11 and March 14-15), four home-home sets (Nov. 20-21, Dec. 9-10, Dec. 16-17 and Jan. 20-21) and one home-road set (Feb. 23-24).
-The Cavaliers will have a six-game homestand from Dec. 16-26, featuring contests versus Indiana (Dec. 16), Dallas (Dec. 17), Utah (Dec. 19), Milwaukee (Dec. 21), Toronto (Dec. 23) and Brooklyn (Dec. 26). It marks Cleveland longest homestand since six straight home games during the 2019-20 season.
-Cleveland’slongest road trip spans five games over nine days from Jan 6-14; the team also has a five-game road trip over eight days from Nov. 4-11, one four-game road trip (March 8-14), two three-game road trips (Nov. 25-29, Jan. 24-27) and six two-game road trips (Oct. 19-22, Dec. 12-14, Dec. 29-31, Feb. 5-6, March 21-23 and April 4-6).
-The Cavaliers will play games on Veterans Day (Nov. 11 at Golden State), Thanksgiving Eve (Nov. 23 vs. Portland), New Years Eve (Dec. 31 at Chicago), MLK Day (Jan. 16 vs. New Orleans) and on Easter (April 9 vs. Charlotte).
-Two matinee games at home this season – Monday, Jan. 16 vs. New Orleans (MLK Day) and Sunday, April 9 vs. Charlotte (Easter).
-The Cavaliers will play 16 games in November and January, their most in any months during the 2022-23 season. Cleveland will also play six games in October, 15 games in December, 11 games in February, 14 games in March and four games in April.
–The Cavaliers will wrap up the 2022-23 regular season schedule at home against the Charlotte Hornets on April 9.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will begin their four-game preseason slate on October 5 on the road against the 76ers, the team announced Wednesday.
After the 76ers, Cleveland will have back-to-back games at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse against the 76ers (October 10) and Hawks(October 12). The Cavs will conclude their preseason schedule at Orlando on October 14.
With young talents like Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen, The Cavs, who were the seventh seed(44-38) in the East but were unable to make it to the playoffs after losing to the Hawks and Nets in the Play-In Tournament, hope to take that next step in the 2022-23 NBA season.
Toronto Raptors guard-forward Scottie Barnes, Detroit Pistons guard Cade Cunningham and Cleveland Cavaliers forward-center Evan Mobley have been unanimously selected to the 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie First Team, the league announced Wednesday.
The three players each received NBA All-Rookie First Team votes on all 100 ballots from a global panel of sportswriters and broadcasters.
Joining Barnes, Cunningham and Mobley (200 total points each) on the 2021-22 Kia NBA All-Rookie First Team are Orlando Magic forward Franz Wagner (183 points; 84 First Team votes) and Houston Rockets guard Jalen Green (158 points; 58 First Team votes).
Barnes, the 2021-22 NBA Rookie of the Year, ranked third among first-year NBA players in points (15.3 ppg) and rebounds (7.5 rpg) and fifth in assists (3.5 apg). He was named the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month twice (February and March/April). Cunningham, the first overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, led all rookies in points (17.4 ppg), was second in assists (5.6 apg) and finished fifth in rebounds (5.5 rpg). He earned NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month honors for January.
Mobley, who finished second to Barnes in voting for the NBA Rookie of the Year Award, led all rookies in rebounds (8.3 rpg) and blocked shots (1.67 bpg) and was fifth in points (15.0 ppg). He was honored as the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for October/November.
Wagner, the NBA Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for December, started all 79 of his games and ranked fourth among first-year NBA players in points (15.4 ppg). Green, the NBA Western Conference Rookie of the Month for March/April, finished second among rookies in scoring average (17.3 ppg) and recorded at least 20 points in 17 of his final 25 games.
The 2021-22 NBA All-Rookie Second Team consists of New Orleans Pelicans forward Herbert Jones (123 points), Oklahoma City Thunder guard Josh Giddey (122), Denver Nuggets guard Bones Hyland (81), Chicago Bulls guard Ayo Dosunmu (75) and Indiana Pacers guard Chris Duarte (52).
