CLEVELAND, Ohio (92.3 The Fan) – For a few moments Monday night, Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse started to sound like the good old days, when the road to the NBA Finals came through Cleveland.
But these aren’t the same star-studded Cavaliers led by a world renown superstar.
This group is a young, hungry, scrappy bunch of kids with a few old veterans sprinkled in that found a way to just win once again, with the New York Knicks serving as their latest victim, 95-93.
It was a total team effort, one that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff appreciated.
“To be that shorthanded, missing key pieces, the way they scrapped and just figured out a way to will themselves to a win [was impressive],” Bickerstaff said. “They were trying to get after it and I appreciate all of that effort and work.”
Knicks forward Julius Randle’s prayer from the Bronx at the buzzer fell short of the rim with the help of reserve Lamar Stevens, who contested the Hail Mary, to secure the victory and push the upstart Cavs 10 games above .500 for the first time since the end of the 2017-18 season at 29-19.
It was the 19th time the Cavs held an opponent to under 100 points this season.
Kevin Love led the charge with his seventh double-double of the season – 20 points, 11 rebounds and three assists off the bench. He got Cleveland going with a 6-point, 6-rebound first quarter, and then got hot in the third by hitting four 3s and scoring 14 points to bring the building to its feet.
“I definitely think it’s just a beautiful thing to see the fans get excited for all of us,” Love said. “It’s Dean Wade hitting a big shot, Evan making the spectacular plays that he does, Darius hitting that 3 in the corner was beautiful. Just big plays down the stretch and really feeling that energy that for myself, I felt those four years when we were making our runs, it’s amazing to see.”
Love notched his seventh double-double of the season that saw him hit six three pointers for the fifth time this season, tying his career high for games with at least six hits from deep. It was his third game this season with at least 20 points and 10 rebounds.
“Winning changes a lot,” Love said. “I’ve even talked about in the past week or two, just learning from mistakes. I think I’m still young enough that I can change, even though these guys call me The Old Man and Uncle Kevin.”
The box score doesn’t due Evan Mobley’s night justice – 15 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. Mobley’s maturity and mental toughness showed with the game on the line. He pulled down his biggest rebound in the closing seconds that sent him to the free throw line with the Cavs clinging to a 1-point lead. After having missed his previous two from the charity stripe moments earlier, he stepped to the line, hit the first and missed the second.
Mobley finished with his 10th double-double of the season and he has scored in double figures in a career-best 15 straight games this season, the longest streak by a Cavs rookie since Darius Garland from Dec. 28, 2019- Jan. 25, 2020. The Cavs are 9-1 this season when Mobley records a double-double.
Darius Garland, who is averaging 20.0 points, 12.3 assists and 4.8 rebounds over his last eight games, continues to rack up double-doubles – he’s now got 16 of them this season – thanks to a 13-point, game-high 12 assist, two rebound and one steal effort.
It was Garland’s fifth consecutive point-assist double-double game, the longest streak by a Cavalier since LeBron James recorded five straight from December 9-17, 2017. He hit the shot of the night with just under 90 seconds remaining to break a 91-all tie with a corner 3.
The Cavs are 11-5 this season when Garland records 10 or more assists.
Dean Wade, thrust into the starting lineup with Laurie Markkanen sidelined with a sprained ankle, chipped in 13 points, including hitting four of seven from beyond the arc, five rebounds and a career-high tying three steals in 35 minutes.
“Just my role,” Wade said. “I know when our starting five is healthy we are a very very good team. There’s only five people on the court at a time and I know how that goes so mentally I’m always prepared and you never know when something could happen.
“Last year, when all that was happening it was tough for me mentally to figure it out, but once I figured it out just be ready at all times. Even if you don’t play, just stay ready. Better to be ready than to have to worry about getting ready.”
Isaac Okoro scored 11 of his 14 points in the first half. He also had six rebounds, two assists and a block in 33 minutes of floor time.
“It shows we have a lot of depth on this team, it’s not just one or two people,” Okoro said of the group effort. “Everybody brings something unique to this team and that’s what makes us so special.”
Cleveland outrebounded New York 51-45 giving them their 11th game this season with at least 50 boards, and they handed out 29 assists in a game for the 10th time this season. They’ve had a player score 20 points in 46 of their 48 games this season.
The Cavs, winners of seven of their last nine to improve to 9-3 this month, have now won nine of their last 11 on the home hardwood and their 14 home victories eclipsed their total of 13 from last season.