Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley lead Cavs' overtime win over Nuggets
Lauri Markkanen and Evan Mobley were ready to go home — and with a win.
Markkanen hit the go-ahead three in overtime, and Mobley scored the game-winning bucket to lead the Cavs to a 119-116 win over the Nuggets on Friday night. Markkanen finished with 31 points and 10 rebounds while Mobley had 27 points and 11 boards.
It was a season-high in points for Markkanen, and was Mobley's 19th double-double on the year. That leads all rookies.
With just over 30 seconds left in overtime and the game tied 114-114, Darius Garland drove to the lane and put up a layup. He missed, but got his own rebound and found Markkanen up top wide-open. He pulled up and drained it, sending the home crowd into a frenzy.
Denver wasn't going to give up just yet, though. After a timeout, Aaron Gordon found reigning MVP Nikola Jokic for a quick layup that made it a one-point game again.
The Nuggets didn't have to foul right away, and instead deployed a good press on the Cavs. Garland got the ball across halfcourt then passed to Markkanen while under pressure, and Markkanen skipped it over to Caris LeVert.
The defense surrounded LeVert, who looked up and saw a wide-open Mobley in the paint. He passed to his star rookie, who went up strong and made the layup while getting fouled. He missed the free throw, but Denver couldn't get a three to land and Cleveland came out victorious.
Nine of Mobley's 27 points came in overtime, as he and Markkanen scored all of the Cavs' points in the extra period. In addition to their sterling performance, Garland finished with 25 points and 14 assists.
Jokic led the Nuggets with 32 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists. Gordon added 20 points, eight rebounds and five assists, while DeMarcus Cousins logged 12 points and eight boards.
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