WRAP-UP
Don’t look now, but the young Cavaliers are already making a name for themselves this season – running their win streak to three games over three Playoff teams, including the first two foes on what was supposed to be a grueling West Coast trip.
J.B. Bickerstaff’s stingy squad clamped down on the Clippers on Wednesday – holding L.A. to 36 percent shooting and taking the 92-79 wire-to-wire win at STAPLES Center two nights after stifling the league’s reigning MVP to start the roadie. The win also snapped a seven-game skid to the Clips.
If Lauri Markkanen’s jam in Nikola Jokic’s grill served notice on Monday night in Denver, it was Collin Sexton’s mammoth left-handed jam that symbolized the Cavaliers nasty intentions on Wednesday – taking a Markkanen feed at halfcourt and crushing home the fastbreak dunk over Nicolas Batum, putting Cleveland up two touchdowns in the second quarter.
Sexton was Cleveland’s offensive hero on Monday – leading both teams with 26 points on 12-for-20 shooting, adding seven boards and three steals in the win.
Defensively, the Cavaliers stymied Paul George all night – holding the seven-time All-Star to 12 points on 6-of-20 shooting while restricting the Clippers to 9-of-41 shooting from long-range.
Cleveland dominated L.A. on the boards, 57-36, and took twice as many free throws – going 23-of-27 from the stripe to 8-of-13 for Tyronn Lue’s squad. The Cavs held the Clippers to 14 points in the first quarter and 15 in the fourth.
Rookie Evan Mobley, playing in front of friends and family, doubled-up for the second time in his last three outings, finishing with 12 points and a team-best 10 boards, adding two of Cleveland’s three blocks.
Darius Garland chipped in with 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 2-of-3 from long-range, leading both squads with six assists.
Ricky Rubio, who came into the contest tied for the league lead in total assists, handed out three helpers on Wednesday – adding 15 points on 6-of-3 shooting and three boards.
Kevin Love, who led Cleveland in scoring with 22 points off the bench on Monday, doubled-up in Wednesday’s win, finishing with 10 points and 10 rebounds, four of those off the offensive glass.
Reggie Jackson and Nicolas Batum led L.A. with 16 points apiece and, despite not shooting well, Paul George still led the Clippers with 10 boards and both teams with four steals.
Miss any of the action? Find all the highlights and photos in the Game Tracker.
FEATURED HIGHLIGHT
Collin Sexton throws down an early dunk-of-the-year candidate with a flush in the open floor all over a Los Angeles defender.
TURNING POINT
The Wine & Gold never trailed on Wednesday night and spent most of the evening leading by double-digits. But the tone for the game was set in the opening period.
The Cavaliers held the Clippers to 19 percent shooting, including 1-for-11 from three-range, and dominated them down low, 14-4. Cleveland didn’t allow a second-chance point or a fast break point and forced eight L.A. turnovers.
BY THE NUMBERS
By the Numbers - .382, .250 … average field goal percentage and three-point field goal percentage the Cavaliers have allowed by their previous three opponents.
Those three opponents – Atlanta, Denver and L.A. – won an average of 47 games last season and the third, the Clippers, broke the 73-win Warriors’ record for three-point shooting last season.
QUOTABLE
Collin Sexton, on his explosive left-handed dunk on Wednesday night in L.A. …”Like, the last couple games I’ve just been trying to lay the ball up. And coach has been telling me: ‘Go dunk it! Go attack it!’ And I remember a play last game I tried to lay the ball up against Eric Gordon and I missed it. So, this time I was like, I’m not trying to shoot any more layups, especially if I feel like I can explode off and dunk it. Even if I miss it, I might get the foul. I was just going – and I took off!”
UP NEXT
After getting the road trip off to a stellar start, the Wine & Gold try to keep it rolling when they take on Anthony Davis and the Lakers on Friday night at STAPLES Center before traveling to Phoenix for a Saturday night showdown with Devin Booker and the Suns.
Cleveland wraps up the five-game junket on Monday night in Charlotte when they try to avenge a loss to the Hornets in the home opener. Two nights later, the Cavs return home to face off against Damian Lillard, Larry Nance Jr. and the Blazers.
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October 28, 2021 at 08:29PM
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