Key: Shoot for Two
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The Cavaliers had the league’s longest losing streak going until Tuesday night’s dramatic victory at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Now, that mark belongs to tonight’s opponent – the Houston Rockets – as the Wine & Gold look to win their second straight for the first time in over a month.
On Tuesday night, the Cavaliers snapped their 10-game slide in dramatic fashion – scoring the game’s last five points, the final two on rookie Lamar Stevens dunk with 4.1 to play in regulation to drop the Hawks for the second time this season.
The Cavs got excellent production off the bench, another big night from Collin Sexton and another double-double from Jarrett Allen, all while shooting 53 percent from the floor, including 54 percent (15-of-28) from beyond the arc.
The banged-up Rockets, who’ve now dropped eight straight, have had even more injury issues than the Cavaliers – and after releasing DeMarcus Cousins earlier this week, could also be without both Victor Oladipo and Eric Gordon when they roll into Cleveland on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers wrap up their season series against the Rockets in Houston on Monday night in the final road contest of the season’s first half.
Key: Against the Wall
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The Rockets were actually on a roll before injuries began taking their toll on the team – rattling off a six-game win streak in late January. Now, one of the few impact players still healthy from that successful run is veteran guard John Wall.
In his first season with the Rockets after missing much of the previous two with Washington, the five-time All-Star has show glimmers of his former self and has carried his new club through some recent rough patches.
The former Kentucky star and No. 1 overall pick back in 2010, Wall has been picking up steam lately – topping the 20-point mark in six of his last eight outings, including a 29-point, 11-assist effort in a loss to his former club.
Wall hasn’t faced the Cavaliers since 2018, but he’s had some big nights against Cleveland – turning in 10 games of 20-or-more and three games of 30 points plus.
After struggling in the second game of Cleveland’s recent West Coast trip, Collin Sexton has been outstanding – topping the 20-point mark in each of his last six games, including a 29-point night on Tuesday, going 9-of-16 from the floor, including 3-of-5 from long-range and 8-of-10 from the stripe, adding five assists and a steal.
As a rookie, Sexton’s high-water scoring mark was 29 points, which he did twice – once against the Rockets, the other against John Wall and the Wizards.
Key: Triple Trouble
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Tuesday night was a great night for the Wine & Gold, but it was an especially great night for the squad’s trio of rookies.
Isaac Okoro, the No. 5 pick in this past Draft, didn’t have a big offensive night against his hometown team – finishing with eight points on 3-of-6 shooting – but the rugged rook did hold Trae Young to 9-for-27 shooting while grabbing five boards and swatting three Atlanta offerings.
Dylan Windler, who missed all of last season with a lower leg injury, had his best game as a pro on Tuesday – drilling all five three-pointers he attempted to finish with a career-high 15 points to go with five boards, a steal and a block in 22 minutes off the bench.
Lamar Stevens, the undrafted forward out of Penn State, has been solid all year – and it all paid off on Tuesday, finishing 4-of-5 from the floor for eight points, with the final two on a two-handed dunk after streaking through the lane to give Cleveland the win with 4.1 to play.