The Cleveland Cavaliers didn’t have enough tonight against the Orlando Magic.
All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
James Harden
30 points, 8 assists, 5 rebounds, 4 turnovers
Harden was in full maestro mode tonight. He abused Orlando’s defense for 30 points on 11-16 shooting, showing no signs of trouble against Paolo Banchero. The Cavs maybe would have benefited from treating this like a retro-Rockets game from Harden. He was the only creator in the offense that felt consistently good.
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With that said, I have to crush both Harden and Mitchell for their defense. The point of attack has been a massive weakness recently. It starts with the backcourt.
Grade: B
Donovan Mitchell
25 points, 5 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 turnovers
This is one of those games where I felt the stats were worse than they looked for Donovan. He had some great highlights, including a filthy windmill gather over Banchero. But he also galringly missed Evan Mobley under the basket at one point. And he attempted some shots that I can only describe as rushed. His 25 points came on 24 field goal attempts (granted, a few of them were taken in desperation at the end of the game).
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As mentioned, both Mitchell and Harden take a hit for their defense tonight.
Grade: C-
Evan Mobley
18 points, 13 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 blocks
The first quarter was a weird one for Mobley. He missed a few easy shots and got into early foul trouble. The fouls remained an issue, but he eventually found his touch. Still, it’s obvious how much the Cavs miss Jarrett Allen to help protect the paint. Mobley can only do so much on his own.
Grade: B
Jaylon Tyson
4 points, 1 rebound, 2 assists
Not a good one from Tyson. He shot 1-4 and only played 18 minutes. I think he should have gotten a longer leash, but he didn’t do anything in his minutes to make Kenny change his mind.
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Grade: D
Dennis Schroder
0 points, 2 assists
Yikes. This might have been the worst game Schroder has played as a Cavalier. He picked up 4 fouls and shot 0-5 in just 18 minutes.
Grade: F
Sam Merrill
13 points, 2 assists, 4 rebounds
Merrill wasn’t great at containing the point of attack defensively. He did, however, nail 2-5 three-point attempts while converting all of his attempts inside of two-point range.
Grade: B–
Keon Ellis
20 points, 4 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 block
Ellis has scored 39 points across his last two games. He shot 5-8 from downtown tonight and delivered a barrage that nearly stole this from Orlando.
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Grade: A+
Dean Wade
0 points, 5 rebounds, 1 block
A classic stinker from Wade. We’ve seen this type of game before, even if I maintain that Wade is an otherwise positive contributor more often than not. These nights still happen.
Grade: F
Thomas Bryant
12 points, 5 rebounds
Bryant gave the Cavs everything he could in 19 minutes. They needed him to contribute with Mobley in foul trouble and Allen on the bench. Can’t ask for much more.
Grade: A