The Portland Trail Blazers bullied their way to a 122-110 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night. It was a much-needed victory for Portland, as they snapped a three-game losing streak to improve to 9-13 on the season. Cleveland drops to 13-10 with the loss.

Portland controlled the game for most of the night, taking a 14-point lead into the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers got within five with under three minutes to play, but the Blazers closed the game on a 9-2 run behind six late points from Deni Avdija and a dagger three from Toumani Camara.

Avdija once again paced the Blazers, scoring 27 points, grabbing 8 rebounds and dishing out 7 assists. Shaedon Sharpe and Caleb Love both scored 20 points off the bench as a balanced Blazers attack saw six players reach double figures.

Donovan Mitchell led all scorers with 33 points, but he made just 3-13 three-point attempts for the Cavaliers.

Here are a few key observations from the game.

With Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen missing the game due to injury, Evan Mobley moved to Center, presenting an interesting matchup for the Blazers.

In one corner, weighing in at a lean 215 pounds, Mobley won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year award last year. He relies on length and mobility that allows him to defend multiple positions. He is among the league’s best shot blockers, but can also switch on to smaller, quicker defenders and hold his own on the perimeter.

In the other corner, weighing in at a sturdy 280 pounds, Donovan Clingan does almost all of his work around the basket.

Both teams tried to exploit their advantages early in this one. Mobley made two early three-pointers as Clingan struggled to close out to the arc. Clingan made the Cavaliers pay at the other end, grabbing offensive rebounds to give the Blazers extra chances. He finished the game with 13 rebounds, including four on the offensive end.

Mobley blocked five shots and did more to fill up the stat sheet, finishing the game with 23 points and 10 rebounds, but Clingan and the Blazers won the game with superior physicality.

The Blazers were the aggressors all game long. They made 34 of their 39 free throws, while Cleveland was just 21-24. Avdija was responsible for nearly half of those, converting 16-17 from the line as the Blazers attacked the basket relentlessly.

Portland shoots the fourth most threes in the league, but they also lead the NBA in drives per game. Against a smaller Cleveland frontcourt, they opted to pressure the rim rather than settle for threes. In many cases, it earned them free throws and their +13 point differential at the foul line was the difference in the game.

With several key players in street clothes, the Blazers have struggled at times when Avdija sits. Against Cleveland on Wednesday night, though, they held their own during a few important stretches.

With two early fouls, Coach Tiago Splitter chose to hold Avdija out for the final 5+ minutes of the opening quarter. The Blazers, led by Caleb Love and Shaedon Sharpe, outscored the Cavaliers by a point to take a 36-33 lead into the second quarter.

Avdija also started the fourth quarter on the bench, but Cleveland was unable to take advantage. The Blazers lost that stretch by just two points, buying Avdija enough time to rest for crunch time.

Love’s 20 points almost all felt like they came at critical times for the Blazers. With Avdija on the bench in the first quarter, Cleveland appeared to have an opportunity to take control. They led by as many as eight points as Mobley and Mitchell both got off to hot starts. But Love made two three-pointers to give the Blazers some momentum.

Then, as Cleveland mounted a fourth quarter comeback, Love made another pair of threes to keep the Blazers in control. Overall, he shot 7-15 from the field, including 4-7 from three-point range in 27 minutes. The rookie guard nearly outscored the Cleveland bench on his own, as the Cavaliers reserves contributed just 24 points.

The Cavaliers attempt more three-pointers per game than any team in the league, but struggled mightily against the Blazers. They were 13-52 in the game, good for just 25%. In the fourth quarter, they were unable to mount a serious comeback as they made just two of their 15 three-point shots.

Yang Hansen had a good first quarter shift. The rookie played his only minutes over the final 5:14 of the quarter, grabbed two rebounds, dished out an assist, and made both of his free throw attempts. The Blazers outscored the Cavaliers by five during his shift despite Avdija being on the bench with two fouls.

The Blazers travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons on Friday, Dec. 5th at 4:30 PM Pacific.