On Sunday, the Cleveland Cavaliers were one win away from making the playoffs for the first time since 2018 and the first time without LeBron James since 1998.
However, the Houston Rockets(18-57) stood in the way, but the Cavs had no issues. Cleveland led by as many as 20 points and defeated the Rockets 108-91 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, and now, the Cavs are in the playoffs.
The Cavs(48-28) have won four straight and six of their last seven; Houston has now lost five straight.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ win over the Rockets.
The Great:
Jarrett Allen did it all for Cleveland. He tied a season-high with 24 points, grabbed 14 rebounds, and provided rim protection with three blocks. This was Allen’s career-high tying 32nd double-double of the season.
Evan Mobley also did it all for the Cavs. He scored 19 points, grabbed seven rebounds, dished out five assists, and like Allen, he blocked three shots.
Donovan Mitchell had 22 points, including four threes and five rebounds; he was a game-best +24.
First Half: The Cavs got off to a strong start. They led 33-22 at the end of the first and took a 60-43 lead into the break. They were sizzling in the first half as they shot 58% from the field, including 46% from three-point range. They had an easy time making shots, which is unsurprising because the Rockets are not very good on the defensive end.
Not So Great:
Third Quarter: Cleveland pushed their lead to 20 in the third, but they let the Rockets get back into the game. Houston outscored the Cavs 37-25 in the quarter, and they allowed Houston to shoot 52% from the field. Cleveland led 85-80 at the end of three; the Cavs would eventually close things out in the fourth, but they let Houston stick around longer than they should.
Bottom Line:
The Cavs are in the playoffs!! It seemed like forever, but after a rebuild, Cleveland is back. None of this is a surprise. Cleveland became a playoff team the moment they acquired Mitchell from Utah. The Cavs are not a championship team, but they are dangerous and right on schedule.
Regarding the standings, the fourth-seeded Cavs are now 5.5 games up on the fifth-seeded Knicks in the East, so they will at least have homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs. Also, they are now two games behind the third seed, the Philadelphia 76ers, so maybe they can catch the 76ers, but as stated numerous times by this scribe, expect the Cavs to capture the fourth seed.
What’s Next:
Cleveland gets back at it on Tuesday night as they go on the road to face the Hawks.
Best of the Rest:
-Jalen Green led the Rockets with a game-high 30 points.
-Darius Garland had 17 points and a game-high eight assists; Caris LeVert scored 10 points off the bench.
Leave a Reply