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WRAP-UP
This Christmas, the Cavaliers gave their fans the gift of winning.
John Beilein’s young squad made those fans – and their coach – sweat it out, but the Wine and Gold would eventually close out Cleveland’s third straight victory, a 121-118 nail-biter on Monday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
The game was nip-and-tuck all night before the Cavaliers opened up a double-digit lead midway through the fourth quarter. But just when it looked like the Wine & Gold would cruise to the finish line – leading by 13 with 2:44 to play – Trae Young and the Hawks mounted a furious rally, cutting Cleveland’s lead to just three on Young’s fifth triple of the night.
But the Cavs defended each of his last two three-point attempts well and they were able to escape with the victory – giving Cleveland it’s longest win streak since rattling off five straight in April 2018.
Overall, the Wine & Gold shot 52 percent from the floor and outscored Atlanta by 20 in the paint, 66-46, helping them mitigate 23 turnovers that led to 32 Hawks’ points.
Cleveland got contributions up and down the lineup – led by Collin Sexton’s 25-point effort, going 12-of-20 from the floor to go with six points, three assists and a steal.
Darius Garland continued his rapid growth on the offensive end – adding 21 points on 9-for-14 shooting, including a 3-of-5 mark from beyond the arc.
Kevin Love finished with 20 points in the win, going 7-of-16 from the floor to go with eight boards, a team-high five assists, a steal and a block.
Cedi Osman chipped in with 18 points on 7-for-15 shooting, including 3-of-7 from long-range, adding three assists and a steal. Tristan Thompson didn’t crack double-figure scoring, but did manage to lead the Wine and Gold with 10 boards.
Cleveland’s bench was outstanding on Monday night.
Kevin Porter Jr. brought major energy – finishing with 15 points on 7-for-10 shooting, adding nine boards and a pair of steals. Matthew Dellavedova scored all eight of his points in the first half, adding four assists and a steal while John Henson added six points, four boards and a game-high three blocks.
The young Hawks – who’ve now dropped eight straight and 22 of their last 26 – were paced by Trae Young’s 30 points. John Collins, in his first game back from a 25-game suspension, added 27 points, 10 boards, two steals and a pair of blocks.
HIGHLIGHT
John Henson rattles the rim following a nice dish from Kevin Porter Jr. in the third quarter.
TURNING POINT
Monday’s contest was tight throughout the first three quarters and both squads were deadlocked at 94-apiece heading into the fourth.
Kevin Porter Jr. opened the scoring with a triple to start the fourth and then he and his draft classmate, Darius Garland, showcased their stuff from there – combining for Cleveland’s first 17 points of the period.
When Kevin Love drilled a pair of free throws to put the Cavs up two TDs with 5:11 remaining in regulation. Cleveland maintained a double-digit lead for the next few possessions before the Hawks mounted their final flurry – with Young’s final two three-point attempts drawing iron.
BY THE NUMBERS
17.9, 11.4 … Kevin Love’s scoring and rebounding averages over his last seven games – beginning with his 30-point effort in a road win over the Spurs.
Over that stretch, the five-time All-Star is shooting 47 percent from the floor, 41 percent from long-range and handed out at least four assists in four of those games. Cleveland has gone 4-3 over that span.
QUOTABLE
Coach John Beilein, on his squad’s three-game win streak …
”It shows that we are improving, I don’t know if we win this game a month ago. Especially because Atlanta is back at full strength again today and they have a really young, talented team. I think there is a lot of things, we’re improving, we had three home games, the three teams we are playing are sort of transitional as well and so you throw those things together and we are happy to get three wins.”
CALLS OF THE GAME
Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and 87.7 La Mega's Rafa Hernandez-Brito.
UP NEXT
The Cavaliers get Christmas Eve and Christmas Day off before heading back out on the open road – traveling to face the Celtics in Beantown on Friday night.
The following evening it’s a matchup against Karl Anthony-Towns and the Timberwolves in Minnesota before wrapping up the roadie – and the decade – with a New Year’s Eve battle with the Raptors in Toronto.