The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to three games, but it wasn’t pretty. They needed 33 points from Donovan Mitchell to narrowly escape with a 113-108 win over a Denver Nuggets team that was playing without four of their five opening night starters. Jamal Murray kept the Nuggets in this game. He was lights […]
The Cleveland Cavaliers extended their winning streak to three games, but it wasn’t pretty. They needed 33 points from Donovan Mitchell to narrowly escape with a 113-108 win over a Denver Nuggets team that was playing without four of their five opening night starters.
Jamal Murray kept the Nuggets in this game. He was lights out in the first half as he poured in 28 of his 34 points during the opening two quarters.
Cleveland made it a point to take the ball out of his hands in the second half. They double-teamed and trapped him anytime they had the opportunity to do so. While this kept Murray off the scoreboard, it also allowed his teammates to find a rhythm.
Murray did a good job of getting the ball out of his hand and finding the open hand. This resulted in the Nuggets dominating the third quarter. They won that frame 38-26 by shooting 7-13 from three and 14-26 from the floor.
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Cleveland responded well in the fourth. They erased a nine-point deficit by playing to their advantage. They beat up a thin Denver front-court up on the glass as they grabbed five offensive rebounds in the fourth and turned those into nine second-chance points.
The Cavs also turned up the screws defensively. They held the Nuggets to just 11 points in the fourth quarter on 4-20 shooting.
Mitchell led the way with 33 points, five assists, and four turnovers.
Like Mitchell, Darius Garland struggled to take care of the ball. He turned it over an uncharacteristic six times. He finished with 18 points and eight assists in the victory.
De’Andre Hunter and Lonzo Ball had productive games off the bench. Hunter provided 16 points on 5-12 shooting with five rebounds and four assists. Ball added six points, three rebounds, and two assists in a performance that looked much better than the statsheet would lead you to believe.
Murray had a game-high 34 points on 12-28 shooting with seven assists for Denver. Peyton Watson supplied 21 points and four rebounds.
This was an ugly game, but a win is a win. The victory extends the Cavs’ winning streak to three.
Cleveland will have a tough test on Sunday. They’ll host the conference-leading Detroit Pistons. Tip-off is at 2 PM.
Category: General Sports
