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[Cleveland Cavaliers]

11 Takeaways from Cavs 132-121 victory over Sixers: Donovan Mitchell is ‘underrated’

The Cleveland Cavaliers had their most impressive offensive showing of the season in their 132-121 victory over the Philadelphia 76ers.

Darius Garland solves a lot of the offensive issues. The ball was moving around during his initial stint in the first quarter in a way it hasn’t all season. So much so, that it led to head coach Kenny Atkinson calling that stretch “Cavs basketball,” which may be the highest praise he can give his team’s offense.

The Cavs have had good stretches before, but those were mostly powered by turning defense into offense with transition baskets. This was different. There was a level of togetherness and cohesion that we haven’t seen yet this season. It was simply a return to a brand of basketball that powered one of the best offenses in NBA history last regular season. Garland running the point was a large reason why that was so.

That cohesion is starting to carry over to bench units. The ability to maintain the same level of dominance for 48 minutes no matter who was on the court made last year’s Cavs so special. That was seen for the first time this season as some of the Cavs’ hybrid bench units were able to meaningfully stretch the lead in the third quarter when they effectively ended the game.

This happening on the night Garland returned wasn’t a coincidence. Like most of last year, Atkinson now has the ability to pair each bench unit with an All-Star guard and an All-Star big. This allows reserves like Lonzo Ball, Sam Merrill, and Dean Wade (who missed most of this game after getting poked in the eye) to play more ideal roles where their skills are used in tandem with the stars, and not as a replacement for them.

For once, we started to see how some of those lineups can fully click into place.

The Ball and Garland lineups could be fun. They didn’t share the floor much on Wednesday due to Garland’s minutes restriction, but when they were in there together, the ball was moving beautifully. Both are incredibly high-IQ players who can anticipate their teammates’ moves in a way that’s difficult to teach. This could be a fun two-man grouping to keep an eye on as their games should pair together nicely.

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Everything looks better when the three-ball is falling. The Cavs notched their first game shooting 40% or better from distance since their Oct. 24 win over the Brooklyn Nets.

Getting the ball going towards the rim more opens up the three-ball. Having someone else in Garland who could pressure the defense allowed that to happen.

“I know it wasn’t perfect, but he was a big reason our offense took an uptick tonight,” Atkinson said of Garland. “[He] just got us in our comfort zone a little bit.”

Welcome back Jarrett Allen. This was one of the first times this season that Allen’s role felt natural. He had that good outing against the Nets in the second game of the season when they were continually force-feeding him the ball. But Allen isn’t someone who’s ever consistently played a role like that.

This showing, where he contributed 24 points on 11-17 shooting with 10 rebounds, was more of what the best version of Allen looks like. He was able to get shots at or going to the rim more easily due to Garland’s playmaking being back in the fold.

Allen is tougher than he gets credit for being. He played with a splint on his left ring finger a week after it was announced that he had broken it. Not everyone would play through an injury like that this early in the year on a team that doesn’t have anything to prove in the regular season. Then again, most guys also don’t play all 82 games like Allen did last year.

“He is our iron man,” Garland said of Allen. “J.A. is tough, so we let the media do what they do. We go out here and play 48 minutes of basketball.”

“He’s phenomenal,” Mitchell said of Allen. “He doesn’t get enough credit, the credit that he deserves. The world focuses on his quote from the Knicks series, and he doesn’t care. … This dude is really important to what we do. And to see him have nights like tonight is just big time. And I hate the fact that he gets crap for that.”

That said, Allen doesn’t need to shoot any more threes. He took two on Wednesday, and neither was close. It’s time to cut this shot out of his game.

What is a Cavalanche? The internet meme has become corporatized and an in-arena prop. Such is the cycle for anything that gains enough online traction.

The fake snow hasn’t been shot from the rafters yet this season despite chances to do so. The Cavs opened the game on a 17-4 run before Philadelphia took a timeout. This seemed like it could’ve been a chance for them to fire it off, but they didn’t. Cleveland also dominated the third quarter 37-20 and had numerous runs that might’ve been Cavalanche worthy. However, nothing was done, presumably, because the contractual Cavalanche perimeters weren’t met.

I would just like to know what the contractual threshold is, so that we could know the legal definition of a Cavalanche. Is that too much to ask for?

Mitchell has changed his game. He came into this contest attempting his fewest percentage of shots at the rim (16%, 15th percentile) and having his lowest usage since his rookie season with the Utah Jazz. Both of those things are by design.

“My biggest goal this season is just to be efficient,” Mitchell said. “Efficient with my movements. … Sometimes, it’s not always just jumping at people. … I can, but for what reason? You know what I mean, but for what reason? Save yourself and kind of put yourself in the most efficient spots. And I think that’s part of my progression. Using my athleticism when I need to.”

This shift has produced incredible results. Wednesday’s game was another example of that. Through seven games, Mitchell is now averaging 31.9 points on .576/.455/.820 shooting splits.

Mitchell has become a much more rounded three-level scorer. The increased usage of the over-the-head gather — he credits as stealing from Dwyane Wade — and the Shammgod have allowed him to get to the mid-range floater with more regularity. It’s easier on his body to take shots like that than it is to try and get all the way to the rim and finish through contact like he’s done throughout most of his career.

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But more than that, these counters open up the lane for when he does try to get all the way through to the rim. He went 6-6 in the restricted area against Philadelphia.

This is a good example of that. Mitchell’s opponent has to step up on drives to protect against the floater. That just makes it easier for him to blow by for a layup.

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Most importantly, throttling back on rim attempts hasn’t come at the expense of getting to the line. He came into this game with his highest free-throw rate of his career and attempted 10 shots at the charity stripe on Wednesday. He’s still getting there, just without the wear-and-tear we’ve seen from him in the past.

This added skill package was intended to preserve his body, but more importantly, it’s made him just a better scorer. And on a night like this, where Mitchell is knocking down six of his 11 three-point attempts, you’re going to get a 46-point performance.

“I’m knocking down shots and continue to make tough shots and do what I do,” Mitchell said. “But ultimately, just continue to save and preserve your body for a long career.”

It’s easy to overlook Mitchell’s impressive scoring. He’s reached a level where nights like this feel so natural, but in reality, they’re anything but that. There’s nothing normal about scoring 46 points on 21 shots with eight assists.

Even if the broader NBA landscape isn’t talking about Mitchell, his head coach and teammates recognize how special this run is.

“I just think he’s underrated,” Atkinson said. “What guards in the East are better than him? I know and respect the heck out of this league. And what was amazing about tonight is how easy he made it. It looked so easy. … He had a nice diet of threes and rim and then kick outs. He’s playing great basketball.”

“[That’s] the Spida that we know,” Garland said. “The MVP that we know. First team All-NBA that we know that he should be every year. So it was good to see him, and that we really need that to go forward.”

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-a...cavaliers-philadelphia-76ers-donovan-mitchell

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

How to watch Cavs at Wizards

The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to grab their third win in a row as they head to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Wizards.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (5-3) at Washington Wizards (1-7)

Where: Capital One Arena – Washington, D.C.

When: Friday, Nov. 7 at 7:00pm EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass

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This will be the Cavs’ second NBA Cup group stage game. They lost their first game against the Toronto Raptors by 11 points. If they want to advance out of the group stage for the first time in the event’s third year, they’ll need to win big.

Fortunately, the Wizards should provide an excellent opportunity for them to do so. They’re a rebuilding team that, even though they’ve recently added some veteran pieces in Khris Middleton and CJ McCollum, those additions haven’t led to an improved product on the court. The Wizards are prioritizing getting young players experience over winning and unsurprisingly, this has led to poor results.

The Cavs will be on the front end of a back-to-back, and they need a big win. We’ll see if the healthier starting lineup with Darius Garland in it can jump out to a big lead, which would allow the Cavs to keep some minutes off of their best players.

Friday’s game will be exclusively on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio in the Cleveland TV market. If you’re interested in watching the game for free with a one-month free trial to the FanDuel Sports Network App, you can do so by entering our code SBNFALL30.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-g...on-wizards-cleveland-cavaliers-darius-garland

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

How a troll ragebaited Donovan Mitchell into scoring 46 points

Tonight, Donovan Mitchell put together one of his best performances in a Cleveland Cavaliers uniform — all because an opponent on NBA 2K told him he was ‘washed up’ just hours before the game.

“This kid pissed me off today,” Mitchell said after the game. “I was playing 2K for like two hours… and he just called me washed up. He called me a bunch of things. He said he ain’t seen a highlight from me in a minute. I just told him, we’ll see… this game was for that kid… or grown man.”

NBA players are highly competitive athletes. It doesn’t take much for them to find motivation, especially when rage-fueled inspiration can be found on any corner of the internet. Someone calling you out right before a game is more than enough motivation for someone like Mitchell.

Mitchell certainly proved his point. He scored 46 points on 15-21 shooting, throwing in a handful of highlights to appease his online troll. He did it all while making it look easy.

The Cavaliers, led by Mitchell, stormed to a 132-121 victory over the 76ers. Mitchell was a key part in this, dicing up Philly’s defense and leaving them with no solutions. But Mitchell wasn’t the only Cavalier who had it rolling. The team as a whole played its best game of the young season.

Mitchell’s big game happened on a night when the Cavs reintroduced their 2009 branding. The retro logo and colorway have long been fan favorites. The franchise went all-in on nostalgia, and everyone seemed to love it.

“This was really cool to me, the song in the intro ‘My Time’ with Fab, like, I listened to that pre-game when I was a kid,” said Mitchell. “As a whole, this night was really dope… I’m kind of hoping we keep the court, but we’ll see.”

The Cavs only plan on replicating their 2009 brand for a handful of games this season. Though I don’t know if anyone would complain if they brought it back full-time in the near future.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/genera...aited-donovan-mitchell-into-scoring-46-points

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs streamroll Wizards 148-114

The Cleveland Cavaliers did what you would have expected. They decimated the Washington Wizards in a near wire-to-wire victory, winning the game 148-114.

Donovan Mitchell led the Cavs with 24 points in 26 minutes. He’s been on an absolute heater to start the season, doing his work in the most efficient fashion of his career. Mitchell had 46 points in his previous game on 15-21 shooting.

Cleveland did everything right tonight. The offense was humming from the opening tip and their defensive integrity grew stronger as the game went on.

Darius Garland’s return to the lineup has helped them accomplish both. He brings them together on offense — and on defense, the value of having an experienced starter who’s had countless reps alongside the rest of the core four is something you can’t ignore. Sometimes, just having someone who fights hard and knows where to be is enough to improve a defense.

Jarrett Allen was another standout. He turned in 16 points and 14 rebounds, including 8 offensive boards. His energy kept the Cavs in front all night long. Evan Mobley and Craig Porter Jr. also combined for 9 offensive rebounds.

Overall, Cleveland won the rebounding battle 57-44. They dished 34 assists, shot 20-45 from the three-point line and 52-110 from the field. This was just a dominant all-around showing.

Sam Merrill continued his hot start to the season. He’s leading the NBA in true shooting percentage and showcased why in DC. He unleashed four three-pointers in the first half and even nailed a step-back mid-range jumper for good measure.

Finally, Tyrese Proctor, Luke Travers and Nae’Qwan Tomlin kept this game fun even during the garbage time. Proctor scored 17 points while Travers and Tomlin rampaged down the court in various transition plays.

The Cavs improve to 6-3 after a 3-3 start to the season. They’re finally feeling healthy and can sense momentum building. They’ll host the Chicago Bulls tomorrow night.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-scores-results/40097/cavs-streamroll-wizards-148-114

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

How to watch Cavs vs Bulls

The Cleveland Cavaliers host the Chicago Bulls tonight. They’ll be going for their fourth straight win. You can watch the game live on FanDuel Sports Network using our promo code ‘SBNFALL30’ for a free month of Cavs games!

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs Chicago Bulls

Where: Rocket Arena – Cleveland, OH

When: Saturday, Nov. 8 at 8:00pm EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network

Watch Cavs games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days​

• First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
• Never miss a Cavaliers game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

The Bulls have surprised people this season. They’re off to a 6-2 start and are playing some inspiring basketball. Their frenetic pace has led to a surging offense that has put opponents on their back foot.

Josh Giddey has done it all for the Bulls with 23.1 points,10 rebounds and 9.1 assists per game. Meanwhile, Nikola Vucevic is showing he still has some gas left in the tank, averaging 19.3 points and 12 rebounds to start the season.

Maybe this is just a flukey start for Chicago. It feels unlikely they carry this momentum for a full season. Either way, the Cavs will have to show up and earn this one, as the Bulls aren’t currently looking like a team that will roll over and accept defeat.

Cleveland is in the midst of a three-game winning streak. They’ve survived a wave of early injuries, playing with their full expected starting lineup for the first time last night against the Washington Wizards. The results were great — with the Cavs demolishing the Wizards 148-114. It’s unclear if they’ll have everyone back for the second night of this back-to-back, but the Cavs will look to keep their streak alive regardless.

The Cavs will be heavily favored in this matchup. They’ve seemingly found their groove and will face an opponent that feels like they’re playing on borrowed money. That said, anything can happen in the NBA. This could be a more competitive game than you’d assume.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-game-previews/40090/how-to-watch-cavs-vs-bulls

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Winners and Losers – Cavs vs Bulls – Donovan Mitchell leads a comeback

The Cleveland Cavaliers capped off a weekend of hoops with a comeback win over the Chicago Bulls. Let’s get into who stole the show, for better or worse.

WINNER – Ankle Breakers​

It’s been a while since we’ve seen an ankle breaker as nasty as this one. De’Andre Hunter quite literally caused Josh Giddey’s ankle to roll with a wicked double crossover in the third quarter — then followed it up with a massive, crowd-popping dunk.

Giddey appeared to be genuinely hurting after this play. So, we don’t want to add any insult to injury. But… I mean, come on. This was awesome. Giddey returned to finish the game after a brief trip to the locker room.

WINNER – Sam Merrill’s court vision​

Merrill has been on a mission to start the season. He’s already shooting the lights out from deep… but he wants to be seen as more than a three-point specialist. Merrill said before the season that he has more to his game. He showed that in the first quarter tonight, throwing out four assists in the opening minutes.

“He always tells me he was a point guard in college — I still gotta go back to the tape to confirm that,” said Kenny Atkinson after the game. “He’s creating advantages in the paint and doing more, it reminds me of Joe Harris in Brooklyn.”

The Cavs don’t often run pick-and-rolls with Merrill handling the ball. But they did so multiple times in the opening quarter, with Merrill slipping a pocket pass to Jarrett Allen for three consecutive assists. He also threw a lob in transition — convincing me that he’s been watching Steve Nash film in his free time. Merrill finished with 8 assists.

LOSER – Cavs perimeter defense​

The Cavs dug themselves a hole in the first half. They couldn’t contain dribble drives, and they weren’t scrambling to protect the three-point line either. Chicago had multiple free lanes to the basket — and if that didn’t work, they always had an open three-point shot as an alternative.

Chicago began the game shooting 10-14 from deep as they carried a 16-point lead into halftime. There are various things that contribute to this. Poor communication. Bad point of attack defense. And, to their credit, a surging Bulls team that has used pace to its advantage all season long.

On this note, lineups featuring Tyrese Proctor, Craig Porter Jr. and Jaylon Tyson teach you something valuable about Darius Garland. Being a quick, experienced guard with a high-defensive IQ can make up for a lot. Garland wouldn’t have changed this game defensively on his own. But he likely would have stayed in position and conceded fewer breakdowns.

WINNER – Evan Mobley​

Cleveland entered the second half without any momentum. It wasn’t until Mobley put his stamp on this game that the Cavs began to claw back. Mobley scored or assisted on 12 straight points to start the second-half comeback. He did it all while putting pressure on the rim, attacking the basket and spraying it out to three-point shooters whenever Chicago overplayed their hand.

“That’s the kind of Evan we need,” said Atkinson. “He let the game come to him, he was getting to the rim, putting his head down and being aggressive.”

The Cavs eventually rallied all the way back to reclaim the lead behind some dazzling shot-making from De’Andre Hunter and Donovan Mitchell. But make no mistake, it was Mobley who started this run.

LOSER – Cavs perimeter shooting​

Well, if the Bulls were on fire in the first half, Cleveland was the opposite. The Cavs shot 7-25 from deep in the opening half. Donovan Mitchell, who has otherwise been electric to start the season, began the game 0-5 from deep and 1-10 from the floor overall. Jaylon Tyson, Lonzo Ball and Dean Wade combined to shoot 0-6 from the three-point line during the first half.

Shooting this poorly is code for disaster against a team that loves to run in transition, like Chicago. All of Cleveland’s long misses were turned into run-out opportunities. The Bulls had 19 fastbreak points in the first half.

“Part of the problem was in the first half, we were missing so much,” said Atkinson. “So when you’re constantly missing and constantly running back… you could be a perfect transition team but you’re still going to get hurt.“

This type of poor shooting can also be an indicator of a bad offensive process. The Cavs were a team that struggled to score in the paint during the early portion of the season without Darius Garland. They then pummeled teams in the paint once he returned. To no surprise, they’re right back to relying on the three-point line in Garland’s absence. Something tells me he might be important to the team.

WINNER – Jaylon Tyson​

I’ll keep this brief because Tyson deserves his own separate article for the way he’s played recently. But he was fearless tonight. Kenny Atkinson trusted him to play the closing minutes — and he responded with a pair of huge three-pointers in the clutch, followed by a drive and floater to keep the Cavs within striking distance.

Tyson isn’t always in the right place at the right time on defense. But it’s not for a lack of effort. His on-ball pressure eventually helped the Cavs slow Chicago down and keep the game in a half-court setting. To put it simply, the Cavs don’t win tonight without Jaylon Tyson.

WINNER – Second Half Cavalanches​

For all the negatives we saw in the first half, the Cavs were equally as impressive in the second. Sure, the defense still had some warts and breakdowns that put the comeback in jeopardy. But this was a gritty, scrappy second half that fueled an offensive explosion on the other end.

Did I mention that Mitchell shot 1-10 from the floor for only 3 points in the first half? Well, he shot 9-14 in the second half, finshing with 29 points to carry the Cavaliers across the finish line with his pull-up jumper and bulldozing drives to the basket. It was Mitchell who bullied his way to the rim on consecutive possessions to keep Cleveland in the lead. This was his show in the fourth quarter.

The Cavs still haven’t had their first official Cavalanche, fake snow, free Frosty’s and all, but tonight’s game was as close to matching the vibe of a Cavalanche as you can get. They outscored Chicago 72-50 in the second half to secure their fourth straight win. It wasn’t pretty, but it was adrenaline-pumping.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-a...vs-vs-bulls-donovan-mitchell-leads-a-comeback

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs vs Bulls game preview, odds, and injury report

The Cleveland Cavaliers are on the second night of a back-to-back as they host the Chicago Bulls at 8 pm.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (6-3) vs Chicago Bulls (6-2)

Where: Rocket Arena — Cleveland, OH

When: Saturday, Nov. 8 at 8:00pm EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass

Point spread: Cavs -8

Cavs Injury Report: Darius Garland – OUT (injury management), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Larry Nance Jr. – OUT (knee), Chris Livingston – OUT (G-League)

Bulls Injury Report: Coby White – OUT (calf), Zach Collins – OUT (left scalphoid), Ayo Dosunmu – PROBABLE (Quad)

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• First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
• Never miss a Cavaliers game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

What to watch for​

Chicago is playing good basketball to start this season. You won’t want to overlook them entering this game.

Bulls pace​

It’s not easy for a young team like the Bulls to establish an identity. But Chicago has leaned all the way into their speed and athleticism. This is one of the fastest playing teams in basketball — and that has likely led to most of their success to start the season. Chicago currently has the 4th-best transition offense in the NBA, according to Cleaning the Glass.

The Cavs aren’t afraid to play fast. They actually rank 2nd in transition frequency and have the offensive firepower to run-and-gun any team out of the gym. That said, Cleveland will probably look to keep this game in the halfcourt as much as possible. Not only because it’s the second night of a back-to-back, but also because the Bulls’ offense is only 12th in the halfcourt compared to top-five in transition.

Cavs Defense​

Keeping in theme with our first heading, the Cavs’ defense will have to step up tonight. It’s been a shaky start to the year as injuries have piled up and the rotations have been inconsistent. Now that they’ve had some time together, Cleveland should hope to see some real progress being made on the defensive side of the ball.

This means cleaning the glass, defending the three-point line, and most of all, dictating the terms of engagement. If the Cavs can keep Chicago out of transition — and instead force them into the halfcourt — then you’ll know this defense is controlling the game.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-g...-vs-bulls-game-preview-odds-and-injury-report

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

The Cavs trust Jaylon Tyson, and he’s proving why

The Cleveland Cavaliers were on the verge of a comeback last night against the Chicago Bulls, when it became clear that the double-big lineup of Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley was moving too slowly to keep up with Chicago’s pace.

This left Kenny Atkinson with a decision: Roll with one of his veterans in Dean Wade, a mobile forward who has closed games for Allen in the past, or play the sophomore Jaylon Tyson.

Atkinson went with Tyson, and it immediately paid off.

Tyson entered the game for Allen with 5:44 to play in the fourth quarter. Moments later, Evan Mobley passed to Tyson for a three-pointer from the wing.

After gobbling up a defensive rebound on the following possession — Tyson again walked down the court and received a pass, this time from De’Andre Hunter, for another three-pointer. Two plays later, Tyson converted a strong, confident drive to add two more points and keep the Cavaliers surging.

“I’ve seen scenarios where you just don’t trust the young guy,” said Atkinson after the game. “But our guys just kept throwing it to him, and he made huge shots.”

Even in the final minute, with the Cavs trailing by one point, Donovan Mitchell tossed the ball to Tyson and trusted him to make the right play. Tyson held his composure and delivered a backdoor pass to Mitchell, who scored the go-ahead bucket.

The Cavs then completed the comeback with Tyson contesting the potential game-winning shot from Tre Jones, perfectly encapsulating his all-around impact.

“He’s really turned into the perfect role player,” Atkinson said. “Tre Jones was killing us, so we said Jaylon, get off Giddy and guard Tre, and that’s the kind of Swiss Army Knife he is for us right now.”

The Cavs don't win tonight without Jaylon Tyson. Plain and simple

He's become a legit energizer for them. Showed no fear in the 4th Q pic.twitter.com/vfONsoH1O8

— Tony Pesta (@Tony_Pesta) November 9, 2025

Tyson is averaging 15.3 points, 4.5 rebounds, 2.5 assists, 2.3 stocks (steals and blocks) across his last six games while shooting 54% from the floor and 50% from deep.

“You’re seeing a real-life progression in just 10 games,” said Donovan Mitchell. “It’s unheard of, typically for a young player on a contending team… it’s not just the threes… It’s playing in the halfcourt, that little play we did at the end of the game is the same thing we do in warm-ups.”

It’s hard for a sophomore to be an impactful player on a championship contender. But early injuries to the Cavs have opened a path for Tyson to prove himself. He’s taken full advantage of that by being a two-way presence that’s becoming hard to ignore.

“Veterans see everything,” said Atkinson. “They see who’s working and who’s not, who’s listening and who’s not, and he’s doing the work. He’s listening to the vets.”

Tyson has shown he has skill. The key now is replicating this across a full season. There will be speed bumps that inevitably arise during this process. But the Cavs have seen the work he puts in, and signaled they are ready to ride with him throughout the journey.

“Once they have that trust in me, I have to do my job and deliver,” said Tyson. “Our core players are gonna do what they do, and we’re gonna play off them. If we can make their job easier… then that’s what we’re gonna do.”

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-analysis/40128/the-cavs-trust-jaylon-tyson-and-hes-proving-why

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs at Heat game preview, odds, and injury report

The Cleveland Cavaliers are in Florida for consecutive games against the Miami Heat. Tonight’s game starts at 7:30 PM.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (7-3) at Miami Heat (6-4)

Where: Kaseya Center — Miami, FL

When: Monday, Nov. 10 at 7:30pm EST

TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass

Point spread: Cavs -7.5

Cavs Injury Report: Max Strus – OUT (foot), Larry Nance Jr. – OUT (knee), Chris Livingston – OUT (G-League)

Heat Injury Report: Bam Adebayo – OUT (toe), Myron Gardner – OUT (G-League), Tyler Herro – OUT (ankle), Terry Rozier – OUT (not with team), Dru Smith – PROBABLE (knee), Jahmir Young – OUT (G-League)

Watch Cavs games with FanDuel Sports Network free for 30 days​

• First 5,000 using the code SBNFALL30 get a free month
• Never miss a Cavaliers game. Stream all season long with FanDuel Sports Network

What to watch for​

The Cavs have their full expected starting lineup available for just the second time this season. Let’s hope they can replicate their success against Washington with another dominant win on the road.

Darius Garland​

Garland made his season debut last week, then played the following game against the Wizards before missing Saturday’s matchup with the Chicago Bulls. This will be Garland’s third game of the season — and we’re looking to see if he can continue to be a difference maker.

Cleveland’s offense was shocked back to life by Garland’s debut. His value as one of the league’s best advantage creators was immediately noticeable. Garland scored 20 points and dished 9 assists versus the Wizards in his most recent game.

Garland makes everyone on this team better. Having him back in the fold to re-integrate himself with his teammates — as well as build chemistry with someone like Lonzo Ball — is something to be excited about.

Jaylon Tyson​

The sophomore guard/forward has been all the rage recently. Tyson is on a two-week streak of being a super helpful role player. He helped steer the Cavaliers’ second-half comeback over the Bulls on Saturday and has earned the trust of this franchise.

Tyson understands what it takes to be a stellar role player. He plays hard, can defend multiple positions, and doesn’t need the ball to make a difference. Tyson has looked comfortable spacing the floor as a catch-and-shoot threat and is improving defensively each game.

Of course, Tyson has to remain steady for an entire season. That means finding a way to be impactful even when the Cavs are healthy and his role is diminished. Tonight is an opportunity for him to find his niche on the bench. With how he’s been playing lately, this shouldn’t be too difficult.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-g...s-at-heat-game-preview-odds-and-injury-report

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Winners and Losers – Cavs at Heat – Stunner at the buzzer

The Cleveland Cavaliers snatched defeat from the jaws of victory. Hey, at least this isn’t something they do very often.

LOSER – Defending for 0.4 seconds​

Let’s get this out of the way.

The Cavs somehow, after playing a game in which they had no business winning, found themselves on the verge of forcing a second overtime after a miraculous three-pointer from Donovan Mitchell (which deserves an honorary WINNER even if it didn’t result in a win).

THE ENDING OF THE HEAT VS. CAVS GAME WAS ABSOLUTE CINEMA



(VIA @NBA)

pic.twitter.com/pu625AXtqE

— Hoop Central (@TheHoopCentral) November 11, 2025

Tied with 0.4 seconds to play, the Miami Heat had one final chance to win the game. Cleveland proceeded to hand them this opportunity on a platter.

Listen, I don’t know what Johnnie Bryant told his huddle. To me, this looks like the Cavs have been instructed not to switch anything. That seems less than ideal — considering there’s only 0.4 seconds, and you aren’t worried about conceding any mismatches. But hey, what do I know?

The Cavs don’t switch. And they also don’t put Jarrett Allen into the game — who could have stood below the basket and deterred the obvious pass to the rim. They don’t even put Evan Mobley at the rim… they instead play this as if it’s a “no threes” scenario and load up so heavily on the perimeter that no one is in the same area code as Andrew Wiggins as he dunks the ball for the win.

It is nearly impossible to get off a jump shot with 0.4 seconds left. Why are you set up like this. pic.twitter.com/VBpJ13PY4K

— jack (@TheCavsJack) November 11, 2025

You have to do a lot of things wrong to give up such an open look at the end of a game. The Cavs managed to check all of those boxes.

LOSER – Keeping up Pace​

There has been a shift in the NBA this season. Teams are playing faster and picking up defensively farther down the court. You can thank the 2024-25 Indiana Pacers for this trend, but the Cavaliers are one team that shouldn’t be very happy about it.

The Cavs are allowing the 11th most points per possession in transition since October 31st. They’ve felt the pressure from teams like the Toronto Raptors, Chicago Bulls and now the Miami Heat. All of which are in the top 10 for transition frequency during this stretch. It’s no coincidence that the Cavs had trouble with each of those teams.

There’s a reason the league is copying Indiana’s success from last year. If you play hard, run as often as possible, and lean into nightly three-point variance by shooting with volume — then you’ll grab a bunch of wins against teams that weren’t ready for a track meet.

It doesn’t help that the Cavs have played three games in four days.

LOSER – Cavs Ball Movement​

These two topics go hand-in-hand. When the opponent is running like wild, and you can’t hit a shot — the offense is more likely to grind to a halt. It’s natural for players to start slowing the game down by over-dribbling and under-passing. One way to catch your breath is to highjack the offense and dribble the air out of the ball.

The Cavs offense fell victim to this for long stretches of the game, but especially in the second quarter. A lack of ball movement led to poor shot selection — which compounded the issue by leading to more misses and more runout opportunities for the Heat.

Sometimes the easy way out only makes things more difficult.

WINNER – Sam Merrill Mania​

The Cavs were dead in the water. Darius Garland left with an injury. Kenny Atkinson was ejected. And the team, in general, had zero momentum as the Heat built a double-digit lead.

Then Sam Merrill happened.

Merrill began the game shooting 0-6, struggling as much as anyone. But a healthy heat check would bring the Cavs right back into this game. Merrill hit four consecutive three-pointers to single-handedly erase a 12-point deficit.

As I said, the Cavs had no business being in this game. They played well below their standards for the majority of it. If it wasn’t for Merrill’s fourth quarter flurry, we wouldn’t even be talking about overtime.

LOSER – Darius Garland​

There is nothing good about this one. Garland, after limping throughout most of the second quarter, would leave the game in the second half with a left toe injury. Presumably, the same toe that he underwent surgery for during the offseason.

It’s unclear what happened. Will this linger long-term for Garland, or was it just a small setback? Did he rush back from his surgery too soon? Or was this a fluke reaggreviation? We won’t know for a while. But, it will be hard for any Cavs fan to rest easy until we find out.

Garland’s health is much more significant than the outcome of this game.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-a...and-losers-cavs-at-heat-stunner-at-the-buzzer

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Mitchell’s heroics not enough as Cavaliers fall to Heat in OT

The Cavaliers, the last time they were in South Beach, were a number one seed. A team at the peak of their powers in the midst of executing the biggest score discrepancy in a four-game series. Now, in the 2025-2026 season, the Cavaliers look to be a team finding a consistent identity and searching for the execution fans got accustomed to last season.

There was a lot to unpack with this game, there were long stretches were the Cavaliers just looked out of sync and the offense was as stagnant as it has been this season. The defensive lapses were aplenty, and the team looked to have been hungover on the Miami nightlife. The referee’s foul selection was also not ideal, as one could make the case that there was a double standard on what constitutes physical play versus harassment.

The egregious foul calls got to the point where Kenny Atkinson decided to give head referee Scott Foster his two cents. That decision earned Kenny the opportunity to view the remainder of the game from the visitor’s locker room.

While the Cavaliers struggled for long stretches against the Heat, they found themselves reclaiming the lead due to Sam Merrill 4 straight threes in the early fourth quarter to tie the game at 106. This was the first lead the Cavaliers had since 48-46 in the second quarter.

Darius Garland looked to be off all night during his 19 minutes of play. Garland sat out of Friday’s game against the Bulls with a toe injury management designation. Turns out there was more to manage with that toe than what was anticipated as Garland appeared to agitate the injury in the second quarter.

While driving to the basket, it looked like the toe snagged on the hardwood. From then on it appeared that Garland was laboring and sure enough despite starting the third quarter Garland exited the game on a purposeful intentional foul. This is surely not a great sign for the Cavaliers, who appeared to take proper precautions when ramping Garland back up to playing speed.

While the Cavaliers missed Garland, the role players really rose to the occasion. The aforementioned Merrill helped dig the Cavaliers out of a 12-point deficit single handedly. Lonzo Ball, Dean Wade, and Jaylon Tyson all made necessary three-point shots to match the Heat’s efforts. There was a significant effort shown in the second half as well, the offensive rebounding discrepancy was 27-11. There was a real will shown on display for as ugly as this game got.

At the end of the day, it was Evan Mobley who looked to have sealed the deal. Knockdown a clutch three in the closing minute followed up by an arguably even more impressive block. Unfortunately, Jaime Jaquez had other plans, knocking down a middy with 8 seconds left. For how much of a slog this game was, it was only fitting that it would go to overtime.

Overtime was some more of Mobley delivering clutch buckets, as he made a midrange jumper while fouled with 1:49 left in overtime. However, it looked like the Heat could score however frequently they wanted around the rim. The Heat scored all three of the field goals made from middies.

Just when it looked like the Cavaliers due to a 9-1-1 three by Donovan Mitchell tied the game up at 138 to head into a second overtime, the heat executed a perfect play with .4 seconds left to crush any hopes of more basketball.

As the Cavaliers look to match up again against the Miami Heat on Wednesday night, the team can look back at the film and hopefully see what lead to this turnaround in execution. For now, while this game was a rock fight and a tough loss, this was still a gritty effort and those are also appreciated.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-s...cs-not-enough-as-cavaliers-fall-to-heat-in-ot

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs will be without multiple All-Stars in rematch with Heat

Members of the Cleveland Cavaliers organization have said that their priority is to be ready for the playoffs. That means that they aren’t chasing every last regular-season win like they’ve done in the past. As such, they will be resting a few key players on the front end of a back-to-back in addition to receiving some slightly discouraging news on Darius Garland.

Garland reaggravated his toe injury that forced him to miss several playoff games last spring and the start of this season after surgery this summer. He left in the third quarter of Monday’s game against the Miami Heat and didn’t return. As of now, the team hasn’t provided an official update on his injury other than labeling him as out on the injury report for Wednesday’s game. The injury designation is “injury management” to his left great toe.

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Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the new City Edition shirt can be found HERE.

The Cavs are also choosing to rest both Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley. This makes sense since both played over 38 minutes in Monday’s overtime thriller.

Miami may not be a good team, but they are difficult to play. Head coach Eric Spoelstra has done a good job of overhauling a directionless group and giving them an identity to hang their hats on. They play extremely fast, as evidenced by their league-leading pace. The Heat want to bait their opponent into a track meet like they did with the Cavs on Monday.

Wednesday’s game is once again going to be played at a high pace. Without Garland, that would’ve put a greater burden than you’d like on Mitchell and Mobley to carry the offense. While that is acceptable on some nights, the combination of the opponent and this being on the front end of a back-to-back makes punting this game an understandable option.

It’s also worth noting that it could make sense for the Cavs to sit some of their key rotation players that will be available in Miami — like Jarrett Allen and De’Andre Hunter — in Thursday’s matchup with the Toronto Raptors. We can also presume that Lonzo Ball, who isn’t playing both legs of back-to-backs this season, won’t be available on Thursday.

Cleveland might be missing Larry Nance Jr. as well. He’s missed Cleveland’s last two games. He’s questionable for Wednesday’s contest as he’s dealing with a left knee contusion.

The Heat will also be shorthanded. They will be without both Bam Adebayo (toe sprain) and Tyler Herro (ankle surgery).

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-i...thout-multiple-all-stars-in-rematch-with-heat

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs release encouraging update on Darius Garland’s injured toe

Cleveland Cavaliers All-Star guard Darius Garland was sidelined for multiple playoff games and missed the start of this season due to an injury to his left great toe. He had surgery on his toe this summer.

Garland made his season debut last week in the Cavs’ win over the Philadelphia 76ers. He played two more games before re-aggravating his toe in Monday’s loss to the Miami Heat. Garland injured his toe again in the second quarter after making contact with Miami forward Nikola Jovic. He started the second half before being pulled midway through the third quarter.

The Cavs have announced that Garland will miss Wednesday’s rematch against the Heat. They have also released a statement about the severity of the injury.

The statement reads: “Cavaliers guard Darius Garland injured his left great toe during Monday night’s game at Miami. Further evaluation postgame and Tuesday by the Cavaliers medical team revealed a contusion. … Garland will receive daily treatment and continue with the established post-surgery management plan. He is listed as OUT for tonight’s game in Miami and his return to play availability will be updated as appropriate.

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This seems like good news for the Cavs. I’m not a medical expert, but it seems like Garland has avoided a serious setback with his injury.

Garland has stated that the hardest part of dealing with his injury was simply not being able to play basketball. He’s someone who consistently wants to be on the court and, by all accounts, will do anything in his power to make sure he’s back on the court as soon as possible.

The Cavaliers will likely be cautious with Garland’s return. They’ve approached this regular season much differently than they did last year. They aren’t chasing regular-season wins and instead seem much more focused on making sure they’re healthy for the playoffs. As we saw last postseason, this team will not go far if its top three players aren’t fully healthy and playing at a high level.

The Cavs are about to enter a six-game homestand starting on Thursday when they host the Toronto Raptors. We’ll see whether Garland can make a return during that time.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-n...garland-nba-injury-update-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

21 stats to explain Cavs 130-116 win over Heat

The short-handed Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Miami Heat with an impressive 130-116 win. Let’s dive into the numbers behind the victory.

The Cavs were missing 135 of the 265 player minutes from Monday’s overtime thriller.

Every absence from the regular rotation forces someone else to take on additional responsibility. That’s especially true when you’re without two All-NBA players. Fortunately for Cleveland, the role players who needed to carry that additional burden stepped up as Craig Porter Jr. (19 points), Tyrese Proctor (12 points), and Nae’Qwan Tomlin (9 points) all made meaningful contributions from the bench.

Cleveland’s deep bench reserves stepping up paved the way for the victory. They won the 12 minutes Luke Travers was on the court by 11, Thomas Bryant’s 13 minutes by 14, Tomlin’s 18 minutes by 20, and Proctor’s 23 minutes by 21.

Individual plus/minus isn’t a stat you want to make too much out of, but it is instructive that the Cavs played some of their best basketball of the evening when guys who aren’t normally in the rotation were given a shot. That’s incredibly encouraging if you’re the Cavs.

This was a career night for Porter. His 19 points were the most he’s scored in a game since the final regular season game last season where he had 20. Porter has only scored 19 or more points four times in his three-year career.

Porter’s nine assists were the most he’s had in a game since the team’s Dec. 21, 2023, loss to the New Orleans Pelicans. This was part of a team-wide effort as 32 of the team’s 45 field goals were assisted. That’s the team’s third-most assists of the season.

Porter’s good performance wasn’t just limited to the offensive end. He also contributed seven stocks (four blocks and three steals). That was a career high in blocks and tied a career high in steals.

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Jarrett Allen went from playing less than two fourth-quarter minutes in Monday’s loss to the Heat to contributing 12 fourth-quarter points on Wednesday. His previous high for points in a fourth quarter this season was four. Allen hasn’t registered double-digit scoring in the final frame since his 19 fourth-quarter points against the San Antonio Spurs on March 27, 2025.

This was part of a 30-point performance from Allen. That’s the most he’s registered since March 8, 2024, when he compiled 33 in a 46-minute outing against the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Most importantly, the Cavs thoroughly dominated the possession game. They retrieved 37.1% of their missed shots, which puts them in the 84th percentile for teams this season, according to Cleaning the Glass. This was on top of turning the ball over on just 12.1% of their possessions (81st percentile).

Conversely, Miami grabbed just 24.5% of their missed shots (27th percentile) and turned it over on 19.6% of their possessions (16th percentile).

These numbers resulted in the Cavs winning the second-chance points battle 24-12 and outscoring Miami 29-16 in points off turnovers. We don’t often think of basketball as a possession game, like we do with football, but it is. You will win most of your games if you have this many more opportunities to score. And, it can make up for a poor shooting night like the Cavs had. They went just 14-47 (29.8%) from three.

The Cavs also attempted 18 more free-throw attempts than the Heat (31 to 13). It was the exact opposite performance to Monday, where the Cavs took just 27 free throws compared with Miami’s 41.

This all added up to the Cavs registering a 121.5 offensive rating (74th percentile) despite having a poor effective field-goal percentage of 50% (23rd percentile). Winning the possession and free-throw battle this thoroughly covered up for not having an efficient shooting night from the field.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-a...-stats-to-explain-cavs-win-heat-jarrett-allen

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Cavs vs. Raptors game preview, odds, and injury report

The Cleveland Cavaliers left Miami with a greater sense of pride as their reserves stunned the Miami Heat and their fans. They now turn to face Toronto in Cleveland the next night.

Who: Toronto Raptors (6-5) at Cleveland Cavaliers (8-4)

Where: Rocket Arena — Cleveland, OH

When: Thursday, Nov. 13 at 7:00pm EST

TV: NBA TV, FanDuel Sports Network Ohio, FanDuel Sports Network App, NBA League Pass

Point spread: Cavs -7.5

Cavs Injury Report: Darius Garland – OUT (toe), Lonzo Ball – OUT (injury management), Jaylon Tyson – OUT (concussion), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Chris Livingston – OUT (G League)

Raptors Injury Report: Ochai Agbaji – OUT (lower back), Chucky Hepburn – OUT (G League), A.J. Lawson – OUT (G League), Alijah Martin – OUT (G League), Jonathan Mogbo – OUT (G League), Collin Murray-Boyles – QUESTIONABLE (illness), Sandro Mamaukelashvili – QUESTIONABLE (neck)

What to watch for​

Who is suiting up for the Cavaliers?

The Cavaliers currently lead the league in unique starting lineups to start the young season. That is not really a great sign, as these decisions are made out of necessity instead of creativity. If this is the Cavaliers’ way of getting injuries over with before the critical stretch of the season, then hey, I’m all for it.

Tonight, against the Raptors, there could be a variety of outcomes for who plays. It’s not like you can use the NBA Cup game between the two on Halloween as an example. Donovan Mitchell, the Cavaliers’ most reliable scorer, missed their previous matchup due to a hamstring issue. Now, coming off rest in South Beach, Mitchell seems like someone who could swing the whole outcome of the game by himself.

The Cavaliers cannot rest their stars again (Mobley and Evan Mitchell) and expect the same outcome as they saw last night. Their reserves played out of their mind, and that will likely not be the case again tonight. Toronto always is a rock fight of a game, and coming off the second night of a back-to-back means that the fresh legs will go a long way for the Cavaliers.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-g...ew-odds-and-injury-report-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Kenny Atkinson gives reassuring update on Darius Garland’s injury

Fans have been holding their breath ever since Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland re-aggravated his toe on Monday night against the Miami Heat. They’ve already received a somewhat encouraging update earlier in the week. Now, they have even more reason to exhale.

“I’d say day-to-day,” Atkinson said when asked about Garland’s availability moving forward. “He got on the court some today and shot some, but day-to-day.”

This is good news. Garland missed multiple playoff games last spring with this injury and underwent surgery during the summer to recover. It would have been devastating for Garland to be back on the sidelines indefinitely after spending the previous four months in recovery.

Of course, this situation as a whole isn’t ideal. A setback just three games into the year isn’t what anyone hoped for. But, it’s better to get this out of the way in November as opposed to later in the season. If we can look back at this stretch as a moment of adversity in an otherwise healthy season, then we’d all be happy.

Garland had the best season of his career last year, returning to the All-Star Game and threatening for an All-NBA spot for most of the season. He won’t have the same opportunity this year — but competing in the playoffs is top priority. Regular season accolades can wait for another season.

Atkinson also provided an update for Jaylon Tyson, who missed the last game with a concussion.

“To be determined,” said Atkinson. “Obviously, with the concussion, that can vary depending on the degree; they have to be evaluated every day and all that.”

Tyson has been one of the stories of the season so far. The sophomore wing has played his role to perfection, changing games with his hustle and taking impressive steps forward as a three-point shooter. The Cavs would love to have him back sooner rather than later.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-n...s-reassuring-update-on-darius-garlands-injury

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

What does a successful season for the Cleveland Charge look like?

Success for most professional basketball teams is measured in wins and losses. That isn’t the case for the Cleveland Charge, G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers. Their primary goal this season is to see meaningful improvement from their players so that they’re better set up for wherever their basketball career takes them next.

“The best G League teams develop skill, and they develop habits,” Charge head coach Eli Kell-Abrams said to Fear the Sword. “Player development is our North Star. We’re trying to find the next Dean Wade, the next Sam Merrill, Craig Porter Jr. Can we turn some of our guys into those guys?”

Wednesday’s Cavs game is a good example of some of the success that the Charge would like to see. Current Charge players Luke Travers and Nae’Qwan Tomlin made positive contributions in the Cavs’ recent surprise win over the Miami Heat. That is just one example of what success would look like.

“We are a G League team, we are a tool for the NBA, that’s why development will come first,” Charge general manager Liran Fanan told Fear the Sword. “If you look at the Cavs’ roster right now, Craig Porter, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, these are guys that came from our G League program, and they’re Cavs rotation players. I think that’s an even bigger win than winning a G League championship.”

With that in mind, the Charge want to see how their two-way players in Travers, Tomlin, and Chris Livingston grow. They also want their players on standard G League contracts to get shots with either the Cavs, other NBA teams, or opportunities in international leagues.

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This will be Travers’s second full season on a two-way deal. The team wants to see him become more comfortable with his outside shot.

“What I’ve seen about Luke in the preseason is just his willingness to shoot,” Kell-Abrams said. “I think that’s been huge. We’ve been super intentional about that this summer. As a staff, we want to pump him with confidence. ‘Man, let that thing fly.’ And he has been awesome. He hasn’t been scared to let it go. I think it’s opened up a new realm for his game.”

This will be Tomlin’s second full season with the Charge, but he wasn’t signed to a two-way contract until last March. This was his first full training camp and preseason with the Cavs. Given his unconventional basketball journey, this additional experience was important for him. The next step is seeing how his game can translate to an NBA context.

“Nae’Qwan, at his best, is one of the guys that’s constantly sprinting the floor,” Kell-Abrams said, “taking open shots, cutting without the ball, tagging up, crashing the offensive glass, defensive rebounding, looking to push, and just using his athletic gifts to make that unit more cohesive.”

One of the most difficult parts about evaluating talent in the G League is that players’ roles can differ drastically in the G League compared to what they would be in the NBA. For example, Tomlin will be initiating a lot of the offense for the Charge. He won’t be doing that for the Cavs. So, how do you replicate that role when he’s with the Charge?

“The first thing is clear and concise communication,” Kell-Abrams said when asked that same question. “Making sure that you’re intentional with your development [is crucial]. I think that’s how you make sure when he is with us that he gets the right reps. It’s not about coming down to us and scoring 50. If it happens, fantastic, but that’s not going to be his role with the Cavs. So how can we best, as leaders and as a staff, get him going in the right direction?”

The differences in roles can also make it difficult to evaluate talent. Skills that make you talented in the G League don’t necessarily translate to the NBA. Or if it does, how those skills show through won’t exactly be the same.

“What we’re looking at mainly is guys that are coachable and willing to accept a role,” Fanan said. “When they go up there (to the NBA), they’re not going to have the ball in their hands, they’re not going to be doing that. They’re mainly going to have some kind of a role that they need to accept. And we try to explain to them all the time…you accept the role, and you accept what you’re going to do in the NBA, and you’re going to be very successful.”

The goal for the Charge this season is clear. It’s all about player development. But if they’re able to do that well, winning will follow. We’ll see how that journey goes as the Charge have their home opener Friday evening against the Wisconsin Herd.

“If you develop winning habits, usually the winning comes,” Kell-Abrams said. “We want to challenge ourselves to do both. … So we want to develop these guys and we want to win.”

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/clevel...ke-travers-naeqwan-tomlin-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

Luke Travers’s game winning alley-oop powers Charge to 115-113 victory over Herd

The Cleveland Charge, G League affiliate of the Cleveland Cavaliers, were tied with the Wisconsin Herd with just over four seconds left and possession of the ball after a timeout. New head coach Eli Kell-Abrams went to the play he felt most comfortable with: A dribble-hand-off that flowed into a pick-and-roll and wheel route that ended with a Luke Travers alley-oop for a 115-113 win.

Coach Eli with a magic ATO to win his first game at Public Hall for the @ChargeCLE .

First time head coach, what a god damn play call. Give that man a raise pic.twitter.com/VhGDlfnQY8

— Mikey McNuggets (@MikeLucasTV) November 15, 2025

No one in the building saw that play coming, not least of all, the guy on the receiving end of the game winner.

“I’m not gonna lie, I was a little surprised,” Travers said when asked about his initial reaction to the playcall. “It was an unbelievable playcall.”

It was indeed an unbelievable playcall. And it was also one that Kell-Abrams has had in his back pocket for years.

“It’s a play we practice all the time,” Kell-Abrams said. “It’s actually an old coach Kenny [Atkinson] play from Brooklyn. I’m almost 95% sure. It’s one of those things that in my career as a video coordinator, you’re trying to help your coaches, you know, ‘Here’s an ATO play you could run.’ So I’m pretty sure I either gave that ATO to either Coach Doc [Rivers] or Chauncey [Billups], and I liked it. I knew one day — if I had a chance like this — it was one that I might try. So credit to coach for drawing one up years and years ago. And credit to our guys for executing.”

It worked to perfection thanks to Wisconsin not expecting it, Darius Brown’s on-target pass, and Travers’s finish.

“Anytime DB (Darius Brown) is throwing a pass, I know it’s got a good chance to get there,” Kell-Abrams said. “And for me, it’s as simple as you see something. Maybe they are going to switch off one guy. Maybe they’re not going to switch off another. Maybe some guy is hot and they’re going to pay more attention to him. So just trying to get Luke a clean look off someone I didn’t think they were going to switch on.”

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This game was a tale of two halves. The Charge came out of the gates hot. Their offense was powered by continually getting second-chance opportunities and 14 first-half points from Travers. Cleveland pushed their lead to 19 at the end of the second quarter, but then something flipped at halftime.

The Herd opened the third quarter on a 31-8 run to turn a 16-point halftime deficit into a five-point advantage heading into the fourth. That lead grew to 13 before Cleveland was finally able to turn it around.

“We came out a little flat,” Kell-Abrams said about the third quarter. “We have a little bit of a young group, and I think some of them are learning, unfortunately, the hard way that G League leads aren’t safe. … But can you weather the storm? Shout out to our guys, we obviously lost the lead like that and you’re down 13 in the fourth, and you battle back. That’s a credit to our guys and how resilient they are.”

Clutch threes from Brown — who finished with eight points and nine rebounds — and Miller Kopp — who added in 17 points on 5-9 shooting from deep — helped put the Charge in a position that the game could be won on a last-second alley-oop to Travers.

This wasn’t the most impressive game from Travers if you just looked at the box score. He led the team with 21 points, but needed 22 shots to do so. This included going 3-10 from distance. Even though he wasn’t necessarily efficient, the willingness to take the outside shot without hesitating was exactly what you want to see from Travers.

“I love that he got up 10 (threes), I wish he got up 11,” Kell-Abrams said.

Getting to this point has been a journey for Travers. It isn’t necessarily his natural instinct to pull whenever he has daylight.

“I feel like that’s a step in the right direction,” Travers said about his three-point volume. “We tried last year and I was still a little hesitant, but that’s the first step, right? It’s shooting 10 threes.”

Travers played with much more confidence than he has in the past. He threw down an ambitious dunk, attempted another, and finished a tough alley-oop at the end of the game. Those are all things he might not have been as willing to do at this time last year. These G League minutes are about building his self-confidence and refining his skills so that he is ready when the Cavs call his number.

Luke Travers TO THE RIM @ChargeCLE

Tune in live on https://t.co/fLGfbO13fw pic.twitter.com/5TrIkn6Wtk

— NBA G League (@nbagleague) November 15, 2025

Charge forwards Chaney Johnson and Norchad Omier have both gotten off to impressive starts to their seasons. Johnson kept that going as he did a good job of cleaning the glass with 10 rebounds while adding in 17 points on 7-14 shooting. Omier supplied 18 points and eight rebounds on 8-12 shooting.

The Charge were able to keep their offense afloat despite not hitting their threes (13-44, 29.5%), thanks to their ability to attack the offensive boards. They generated 31 second-chance points compared to Wisconsin’s nine. This is all part of an organization-wide effort to win the possession battle.

“I don’t want to give too much away of what we do, but we definitely have emphasized something like that,” Kell-Abrams said when asked about the offensive rebounding.

Kira Lewis Jr. led the Herd with a team-high 18 points. Former NBA All-Star Victor Oladipo added 15 points on 6-18 shooting to go along with four assists and four steals.

The win brings the Charge record to 2-2 in Tip-Off Tournament play. They’ll host the Herd again on Saturday at 7:30 PM at Public Auditorium.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/clevel...ge-cavs-nba-g-league-wisconsin-herd-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

4 Reasons to be concerned about the Cavs

Heading into the season, there were many reasons to temper regular-season expectations for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

They would be starting the season with key injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus. And the transactions during the offense shook up rotations and depth to the point where growing pains were to be expected.

But if the Cavaliers’ issues were just tied to key absences and figuring out how to incorporate the new players, then this article would be an overreaction piece.

It’s not.

The Cavs look like a team that doesn’t have any form of identity. In the NBA, an identity as a team is nearly everything. If your team doesn’t know their playstyle, then you cannot analyze and gameplan around your strengths and weaknesses. This is currently a team in purgatory, hurdling like a comet for a crash landing into disappointment. This trajectory has coaches, players, and fans alike all asking a lot of questions.

These are the key issues/flaws that I have noticed during the first 13 games of the season.

Evan Mobley’s usage is all over the place.​

Heading into the second year of Mobley under head coach Kenny Atkinson’s tutelage, one assumed we would see at least another leap offensively. Last year, Mobley was used by the Cavaliers in a multitude of new ways. He would bring up the ball, handle his own pick and rolls, shoot more threes, and just looked overall more self-reliant to get his offensive opportunities.

To start the season, it looked like the Cavaliers’ staff put Mobley’s development into hyperdrive. Mobley from the season tip-off is nearly averaging 15 field-goal attempts per game. The profile of the shots, as well, looked to be expanded upon from last year.

Mobley, at a certain point, had taken eight threes per game to start the year. Last season, Mobley would normally take his two three-pointers in the first quarter on designed looks and then spend the rest of the game in the paint. This season, Mobley has taken iso-threes, pulling up in transition, and has just looked ultra-aggressive on ball.

The growing pains are going to show, especially as Mobley, with the way the roster is currently health-wise, is this team’s number two scoring option. That has a floor or ceiling outcome 13 games into the season.

In the games where Mobley’s flashes, he is nearly unstoppable, midrange faders, pull-up threes, and dominant around the rim. Who outside of Victor Wembanyama and Kevin Durant can match those physical gifts?

Unfortunately, the lows look like a guy punching above his level. Is Mobley the guy the staff is asking him to do offensively? Maybe not. The only way to find out is to have him have this trial by fire. Without another nuclear scoring option like Garland on the floor, these pains have graver consequences.

Jaylon Tyson, Nae’Qwan Tomlin, and Craig Porter Jr highlight an effort problem.​

Heart and hustle, baby. That’s what put role players on the map. Look no further than the 2025-26 fan sweethearts. Yes, it’s great that Tyson, Tomlin, and CPJ give a damn. Their impact should not be diminished as they truly have buoyed a lot of their minutes shared by what I describe as a sleepwalking team.

The way that those three have shone at various points this season is a double-edged sword.

Yes, you want players who are willing to put in the dirty work. They are the players who swing games and, in the playoffs, sometimes even an entire series.

However, they also shine so brightly night to night, because outside of Donovan Mitchell, the rest of this team really looks like they can’t be bothered.

The way the offense looks, the Cavaliers look like a team afraid of putting their head down and getting in the paint. Instead, the 2025-26 Cavaliers look like a team that just wants to huck up a bunch of inefficient threes. That to me shows a lack of effort.

Defensively, they also look to be the only players committed to playing consistent defense. In the case of Tomlin and Tyson, that usually shows up in the foul count as well. Both players have quickly grown an identity for lacking self-discipline sometimes, but an argument could be made that they are making up for an overall lack of juice on that end as well.

In an ideal world, both players are deployed in more select scenarios, but the combination of team health and overall quality of play is pushing them into the spotlight.

Jarrett Allen’s Usage​

The Cavaliers’ most confusing aspect to start the season has to be the minutes allocation of All-Star center Jarrett Allen. Last season, Allen would only see a flux in minutes if the Cavaliers were double-digit points late in the fourth and they needed to fire away some threes. This season, there appears to be no rhyme or reason to why Allen plays versus the minutes he loses.

Look at the past two games as a great encapsulation of Allen’s season. Against the Miami Heat, Allen showed all the ways he can impact the game when he is being fed the ball. Now, I also completely recognize that he was the most talented player on the floor for the Cavaliers that night. However, a game like that always shows the value Allen brings to a game he is involved in.

Against the Toronto Raptors the following night, it looked like there was hope that the staff used the Miami game to kick-start Allen’s involvement. Actually no. Outside of the first quarter, Allen was not involved at all going forward. There are questions as to why it appears that Allen’s leash is much shorter this season than last year’s. Especially as the team desperately needs their best players on the floor and yes, ALLEN IS ONE OF THOSE PLAYERS.

You can say all the negatives about Allen you want to in the comments. There is no world in which the Cavaliers should willingly play Dean Wade, Thomas Bryant, and Larry Nance Jr over him.

The Cavaliers are five average games from Mitchell away from being a sub-500 team​

All of what I have said this far could be seen as “a lot of whining about a team that is 8-5”. I would argue that this record is blinding people to how flawed this team has been through 13 games. If you look at some of their wins really closely, Mitchell’s hyper-efficient start to the year has buoyed the Cavaliers through the same ugly basketball we saw on Thursday.

One could also make the argument that the Cavaliers are currently a near-to-sub .500 team if Donovan Mitchell were human for those games against Milwaukee, Brooklyn, Atlanta, Chicago and Philly. Mitchell’s shooting covers up middling games against lesser competition. The Cavaliers were supposed to be title contenders. That is a label that none of the teams above have garnered.

Now, this isn’t a Mitchell problem by any stretch. He should step up in these moments and usually has a good pulse on the team when it is the right time to put the team on his back. However, if the Cavaliers are going to truly be a title contender this year, it likely won’t be solely because Donovan Mitchell is scoring at a hyper-efficient clip. The whole reason the Cavaliers were supposed to go up a level is that the team as a whole was supposed to take that burden off him.

Now, the Cavaliers look like the same team from their last year under J.B. Bickerstaff: They go only as far as Mitchell goes. That’s not good.

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-a...o-be-concerned-about-cavs-cleveland-cavaliers

 

[Cleveland Cavaliers]

7 Takeaways from Cavs narrow victory over Grizzlies: ‘We got to let last year go’

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled out a much-needed 108-100 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on a night they didn’t have it. On one hand, it’s encouraging to see them grind out a win. On the other hand, a better team would’ve made them pay for their poor showing through three quarters.

Donovan Mitchell’s late-game heroics saved the Cavs once again. They had very little going until he poured in 14 fourth-quarter points, including three well-timed triples, to pull them across the finish line.

That worked on Saturday, but it isn’t the ideal nightly blueprint for a team as talented as this.

The offense is out of balance. The three-point shot is important because it’s worth an additional point, and spreading out the defense should make it easier to attack the basket. The Cavs came into this game attempting the highest frequency of three-pointers, yet they’re reaping neither of the benefits of taking that many triples.

Cleveland is now 20th in three-point percentage on the season after going 13-40 (32.5%) from three against Memphis. That’s not ideal since this team doesn’t seem to have any intention of getting to the rim. Only 20 of their 83 shot attempts came within the restricted area. This has been the trend through the first 14 games as they came into Saturday’s contest 27th in attempts at the rim. For context, they were 15th in that category last season.

Not having Darius Garland obviously hurts these numbers, but that doesn’t entirely explain how we got here.

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Anything bought from the links helps support Fear the Sword. You can also shop all of Homage’s Cavs gear HERE. The link to the Donovan Mitchell NBA Jam shirt is HERE.

This isn’t a consistent team.

“I feel like we see flashes every so often,” Evan Mobley said. “We just have to make that [happen for] longer and longer stints, until we start doing what we were doing last year.”

There was about a five-minute stretch in the fourth quarter where they felt like the Cavs team we expected to see this season. They turned defense into offense, Mitchell connected on back-breaking triples, Mobley looked like the Defensive Player of the Year, and the arena was buzzing.

Runs like that used to be routine. That’s why there’s currently fake snow machines in the rafters. The only issue is, they haven’t had an opportunity to use them yet this season.

This year, the laxidasical play that allowed a bad Memphis team without Ja Morant to get out to a double-digit second-half lead is much more commonplace.

November results don’t mean much in May. At the same time, the Cavs appear to be building bad habits, and there doesn’t seem to be a clear vision of what the best version of this team even looks like.

Playoff losses force changes, but not all changes are for the better.

In 2023, the Cavs had to change how they played after their embarrassing first-round loss to the New York Knicks. That group needed more shooting, so the front office attacked that weakness in the offseason, and the team became better because of it.

That can also work in reverse.

The 66-win 2008-09 team was bullied in the playoffs by Dwight Howard while the Orlando Magic shot above their expected average from three. The following summer, the Cavs addressed that shortcoming by adding Shaquille O’Neal in the summer and Antawn Jamison at the deadline. Both would’ve been helpful if they played that Magic team again. They weren’t when they took on a Boston Celtics group that made them look slow.

Instead of sticking with their strengths, the 2009-10 team redefined who they were so that they could be ready for a series it was impossible to replay.

The Cavaliers are a different team now.

“We got to let last year go,” Mitchell said. “This is a whole different season. Everybody around us got better. It’s a different season. I think we have to drop this whole, ‘Well, last year was this.’ It’s not the same.”

“It’s hard in the NBA,” Mobley said. “A lot of teams changed themselves. We changed ourselves as well. So it’s not going to be the same. I feel like we’re going to work through it and we’re going to get better and better. And when it really counts, we’re going to lock in.”

It’s too early to tell whether the personnel changes the Cavs made will make them better in the spring. Cleveland could use a Ty Jerome or Caris LeVert-like player now considering their injuries. That said, Lonzo Ball should pair better with this group when they’re fully healthy in the playoffs.

Whether or not the stylistic changes have made them better is a different question.

Mobley isn’t the offensive emphasis he was at the start of the season. The Cavs seemed willing to have him be the primary initiator on offense. They forced him to create out of isos in a way they haven’t before.

Predictably, this wasn’t a smooth transition. Mobley struggled at times, especially when defenses were able to send extra help his way. The Cavs seemed happy to throw him into this difficult position knowing that he is, and always will be, the core’s key to getting over the hump in the playoffs. Most teams simply don’t have a good answer for a seven-footer who can attack mismatches off the dribble.

But then the experiment stopped after just five games. Head coach Kenny Atkinson said before their Halloween matchup with the Toronto Raptors that he wanted Mobely not to forget his strengths. That conversation seems to have sparked a drastic shift in how they wanted to use him.

Since then, Mobley has been utilized similarly to how he was being used in previous seasons. He is taking more threes and is overall being used better if you’re trying to prioritize wins now. Although current results don’t seem to be this team’s goal.

That came through again tonight. Only two of Mobley’s seven field-goal makes came off of self-creation. The other five were either assisted or from cleaning up the offensive glass.

Mobley’s shot diet shouldn’t look like this if the goal is to use the regular season to prepare him for the playoffs. Additionally, pulling the cord after five games on an experiment that the team thought about enough all summer to implement it in their first regular-season game isn’t exactly the hallmark of a group that has a clear vision of what they want to accomplish.

The Cavs are in a weird place. There’s no need to push the panic button after 14 games, but there’s also no denying that they’re only skating by on talent right now. That isn’t what you necessarily want for a team that hasn’t earned the benefit of the doubt with postseason success.

Even though regular-season results don’t translate to the playoffs, the habits and identity you build now do carry over.

“We haven’t necessarily put it together, and that’s on this group,” Mitchell said. “We can’t sit here and say, ‘Well last year we did this,’ You’re not the same person as last year. It’s natural. Things change.

“So how do we, as this group, find our identity? Yeah, we have things that can remain the same, defensive identity or different things like that. But as far as comparing and contrasting that, I don’t think we do it in this locker room, but I think as a whole, I think it’s not last year.

“We’re going to build the way we need to build. And you know it’s not pretty right now. We know that. We’re going to work on that and get better. … We got to figure out how to do it stretch upon stretch and quarter by quarter.”

Source: https://www.fearthesword.com/cavs-a...ovan-mitchell-evan-mobley-cleveland-cavaliers