Key: Friday Night Lights
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On Friday night, the Wine & Gold welcomes the San Antonio Spurs to town for the second contest of a four-game homestand, trying to build off a big win on Wednesday.
The Cavaliers snapped a four-game slide in dramatic fashion in the homestand opener – building a big lead over Boston and holding off a furious rally down the stretch. Wednesday’s win featured a classic battle between Boston’s two tremendous wings – Jaylen Brown and Jayson Tatum – and Cleveland’s up-and-coming young backcourt of Collin Sexton and Darius Garland, with the duos combining for 57 and 54 of its team’s points, respectively.
The Spurs come to town on the fourth game of a five-game roadie, winning three of those and holding their opponents in each victory under the century mark. On Wednesday night, the Spurs dropped 39 points on Chicago in the third quarter for their second straight win as Gregg Popovich’s squad continues to lead the Southwest Division.
Last season, the Cavaliers swept the Spurs for the first time in over a decade – winning both contests in overtime, including a high-scoring thriller in what turned out to be Cleveland’s final home game last year.
Key: One-Two Punch
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Cleveland’s dynamic duo of Sexton and Garland was sensational against Boston on Wednesday night.
In Boston’s previous visit to town last March, the Young Bull went off for 41 points in a loss. This year, Sexton went for a team-high 29 points but, more importantly, got the win for a team desperate to get off the schneid.
It was Sexton’s second straight 20-point game, going 10-for-20 from the floor and 7-of-7 from the stripe, snagging seven boards and handing out six assists. Sexton now has 22 20-point games this year, with three 30-point games and a 42-point explosion in an overtime win over Brooklyn.
Garland was just as effective, tallying 18 of his 25 points in the first half – going 9-for-16 from the floor overall to go with four boards and six assists, as well. The sophomore from Vandy is quietly averaging 16.1ppg this year and, at 5.8, is once again pacing the squad in assists.
The Spurs have always had the uncanny knack of finding gems in the Draft despite consistently selecting deep into the First Round.
One of those players is Dejounte Murray, who’s improved exponentially since being taken 29th overall out of Washington in 2016. Now a full-time starter, Murray is second on the squad in scoring at 15.6ppg and is second in both rebounds (7.0) and assists (5.2) while leading San Antonio in steals (1.51).
Another is Patty Mills, who doesn’t start for the Spurs, but will see plenty of action against Sexland on Friday night.
The 55th overall pick in 2009 still has plenty in the tank, having notched double figures in 12 of his last 13 appearances off the bench. Despite not starting a single contest this year, Mills is the Spurs’ fourth-leading scorer.
Key: Rim-Rocking Rookie
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One of the toughest things that an NBA rookie has to learn is that there is essentially no break. And if you’re Isaac Okoro, it’s even tougher.
Okoro came out this past Draft as the most versatile defender in his class, and he’s been solid on that end all season – drawing the toughest assignment on an almost nightly basis. But recently, it seems like he’s finding his identity on the offensive end, and that was on display in Wednesday’s win.
The 5th overall pick in 2020 finished with a career-high-tying 15 points on 5-of-10 shooting – including a pair of monster second-half dunks – adding four boards and a pair of assists. It was Okoro’s second straight game of double-digit points, and he now has 17 on the season.
On Friday night, the beat goes on for the freshman forward.
The Spurs don’t have what the league might consider marquee players, especially with DeMar DeRozan out for personal reasons over the past four games. But they do have solid contributors up and down the roster, including sophomore forward Keldon Johnson.
The 29th overall pick out of Kentucky last year, Johnson has spent much of this season in Gregg Popovich’s starting lineup – including the past five contests, notching double-figures in four of them.
Like Okoro, he isn’t the Spurs initial offensive option, but he can put points up if required, posting five 20-point performances this year, with six double-doubles in the mix.