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Cavaliers

The Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Stephen Curry have been recognized for their exceptional contributions during the 2024&ndash;25 NBA season. Green received the Hustle Player of the Year award, while Curry was honored with the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year award.​
Draymond Green: 2024-2025 Hustle Player of the Year
Draymond Green, known for his relentless energy and defensive prowess, secured the Hustle Player of the Year award for the 2024&ndash;25 season. This accolade celebrates players who make impactful plays that often go unnoticed in traditional statistics.Green distinguished himself by ranking among the top 40 in all nine hustle categories, including deflections, loose balls recovered, charges drawn, screen assists, contested shots, and box-outs. Throughout the season, he averaged 9.0 points, 6.1 rebounds, 5.6 assists, 1.5 steals, and 1.0 blocks over 68 games. At 35, Green becomes only the second player, alongside Marcus Smart, to have won both the Defensive Player of the Year and Hustle Award in their careers.&nbsp;
Stephen Curry: 2024-2025 Teammate of the Year&nbsp;
Stephen Curry's influence extends beyond his scoring ability; his leadership and camaraderie have earned him the Twyman-Stokes Teammate of the Year Award for the 2024&ndash;25 season. This award honors players who exemplify selfless play, mentorship, and dedication to their team. Curry received 66 first-place votes and totaled 1,257 points, narrowly surpassing Houston Rockets center Steven Adams, who finished with 1,237 points. This marks Curry's first time receiving this honor, adding to his illustrious career that includes four NBA championships and two MVP awards.
The achievements of Green and Curry underscore the Warriors' culture of excellence, resilience, and teamwork. Their recognition serves as a testament to their enduring impact on and off the court.​

The Golden State Warriors' Draymond Green and Stephen Curry have been recognized for their contributions during the season.

Warriors’ Draymond Green, Stephen Curry earn respective 2024-2025 NBA Awards

After a long four-month offseason, the 2023-24 NBA season officially kicks off on October 24. Preseason action is currently underway, with teams evaluating their roster and getting ready for the start of the regular season.
There were a few roster rule changes of note this offseason that were introduced as part of the new CBA. Now, each team can sign up to three two-way players (up from two) who are able to play up to 50 games with their NBA team and spend the rest of their season in the G League. Also, offseason rosters were originally limited to 20 players but have since increased to 21.&nbsp;
Each team needs to be at 15 standard contracts prior to the start of the season, which means a few players on guaranteed deals will have to be cut prior to the season. While some teams have a pretty set roster, others (like the Oklahoma City Thunder) will be forced to part ways with talented players to reach their roster limit.&nbsp;
Looking at the Atlantic Division, let's see how each team&rsquo;s lineup is shaping up and what questions they may need to answer before the start of the season.
(This is part one of a six-part series, with more divisional previews coming soon).
<h1>BOSTON CELTICS</h1>
Outside of the top-six players, who will be the most reliable depth option?
After acquiring Jrue Holiday, the Boston Celtics may have the best top-six of any team in the league. While we can add the Holiday trade to their list of aggressive offseason transactions, their depth has taken somewhat of a step back.&nbsp;
They will have to replace four rotation players from last year&rsquo;s Conference Finals team with a few players who don&rsquo;t have much experience in playoff situations. Three players who should definitely see more minutes are Payton Pritchard, Sam Hauser and Luke Kornet. Pritchard has played well on both ends of the floor when given an opportunity, notably shooting 40% from three-point range over his first three seasons. The Celtics rewarded him with a team-friendly extension that should see him take up about 5% of the salary cap over the next four years. Hauser has also been a stellar three-point shooter, knocking down 42% since coming into the league.&nbsp;
The frontcourt is probably the most notable weakness on the team&rsquo;s depth chart. Joe Mazzulla has expressed confidence that <a href="https://www.celticsblog.com/2023/10/7/23907608/boston-celtics-depth-sam-hauser-luke-kornet-payton-pritchard-joe-mazzulla-blake-griffin-bus-one-boys" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Kornet should be successful on both ends of the floor and will be their go-to backup center to start the season.</a> The preseason will be important in determining who else (i.e. Oshae Brissett, Jordan Walsh, Svi Mykhailiuk, etc.) may stand out for Mazzulla and get an opportunity for playing time behind Al Horford and Kristaps Porzingis.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Celtics have the least amount of players on guaranteed contracts in the league (10). However, their roster for opening night is likely set unless they want to open up flexibility to sign other veteran players or buyout candidates later this season. If they choose to cut someone, it would very likely be a player on a non-guaranteed deal. Mykhailiuk and Dalano Banton each have a partial $200,000 guarantee that increases to over $1,000,000 if they make the roster. Kornet, Wenyen Gabriel and Lamar Stevens all have non-guaranteed contracts.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 19 players (10 guaranteed, 2 partially guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 1 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jrue Holiday, G/F Jaylen Brown, F Jayson Tatum, F/C Al Horford, F/C Kristaps Porzingis
Projected Rotation Players: G Derrick White, G Payton Pritchard, C Luke Kornet (non-guaranteed), F Sam Hauser, F Oshae Brissett
Projected Reserves: F Jordan Walsh, G/F Svi Mykhailiuk ($200K guaranteed), F Wenyen Gabriel (non-guaranteed), G Dalano Banton ($200K guaranteed), F Lamar Stevens (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-Way Players: C Neemias Queta, G JD Davison, G Jay Scrubb (Injured)
Projected Roster Cuts: G DJ Steward (Exhibit-10)
<h1>BROOKLYN NETS</h1>
What is Ben Simmons' role?
Ben Simmons has only played 42 games since being acquired by the Nets in February 2022, dealing with physical and psychological hurdles that have made him somewhat of an afterthought. Head coach Jacque Vaughn has expressed confidence that Simmons is now 100% healthy and ready to contribute again at a high level.&nbsp;
He seems to be penciled in as the team&rsquo;s starting point guard, starting in the Nets&rsquo; first preseason game. Though it was just a small 14-minute sample size, Simmons looked a lot like his former All-Star self. Having not played since February 15, he looked athletic, aggressive and confident before sitting out the second half.&nbsp;
&ldquo;He attacked the rim, I think he played with pace, looked pretty natural out there getting up and down the floor, communicating with guys into the flow of the game,&rdquo; Vaughn said, <a href="https://nypost.com/2023/10/10/ben-simmons-passes-eye-test-in-nets-preseason-opener/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">praising his $38-million man</a>. &ldquo;Really good to see.&rdquo;
Vaughn has some options when it comes to starting lineups where he could go smaller, with a backcourt of Simmons and Spencer Dinwiddie, or decide to start Dorian Finney-Smith and use Mikal Bridges as a big two-guard.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
Darius Bazley, Harry Giles and Trendon Watford are all on non-guaranteed deals and are vying for the final two roster spots. The Nets also have an open two-way spot, which I believe they could potentially use on a player like <a href="https://www.si.com/college/tennessee/mens-basketball/kennedy-chandler-starring-in-nba-summer-league" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Summer League standout</a> and former Memphis Grizzlies second-rounder Kennedy Chandler.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 18 players (13 guaranteed, 3 non-guaranteed, 2 two-way)
Projected Starters: G/F Ben Simmons, G Spencer Dinwiddie, F Mikal Bridges, F Cameron Johnson, C Nicolas Claxton
Projected Rotation Players: F Dorian Finney-Smith, F Royce O&rsquo;Neale, G Cameron Thomas, G Dennis Smith Jr., C Day&rsquo;Ron Sharpe
Projected Reserves: G/F Lonnie Walker IV, C Noah Clowney, F Dariq Whitehead, F Darius Bazley (Non-Guaranteed), C Harry Giles (Non-Guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: G Armoni Brooks, F Jalen Wilson, G Kennedy Chandler* (Projected Signing)
Projected Roster Cuts: F Trendon Watford (Non-Guaranteed)
<h1>NEW YORK KNICKS</h1>
Who will be the first option off the bench?
New York Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau has his fair share of options to headline his second unit. In his third year, Immanuel Quickley had his best season to date, finishing as the runner-up for the Sixth Man of the Year award behind Malcolm Brogdon. Quickley was the primary scorer for the second unit, but he shouldn&rsquo;t have to carry the entire load on offense with the addition of Donte DiVincenzo.&nbsp;
DiVincenzo impressed last season with the Golden State Warriors as a reliable bench shooter and should spot minutes for Quentin Grimes and R.J. Barrett when offensive pushes are needed. Josh Hart could also be the team&rsquo;s sixth man, just like he was during the Knicks&rsquo; playoff run. After being traded from Portland, Hart averaged 30 minutes per game despite coming off the bench most of the time. It is worth noting the Knicks-Villanova connection between Hart, DiVincenzo and Jalen Brunson, who should fit seamlessly together on the floor thanks to their pre-existing chemistry. While unlikely to be the first off the bench, Isaiah Hartenstein also deserves mention since he has been one of the league&rsquo;s better backup centers and could see more time if Mitchell Robinson gets in foul trouble. In terms of rotation issues, Thibodeau should see this as a good problem to have regardless of who he brings off the bench first.&nbsp;
Roster Decisions
The Knicks have three spots up for grabs between Ryan Arcidiacono, DaQuan Jeffries, Isaiah Roby and Duane Washington Jr. All are on non-guaranteed deals that won&rsquo;t be fully guaranteed until the league-wide guarantee date on January 10.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (12 guaranteed, 4 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Jalen Brunson, G Quentin Grimes, G/F R.J. Barrett, F Julius Randle, C Mitchell Robinson
Projected Rotation Players: G Josh Hart, G Immanuel Quickley, G Donte DiVincenzo, C Isaiah Hartenstein, G Miles McBride
Projected Reserves: G Evan Fournier, C Jericho Sims, F Isaiah Roby (non-guaranteed), G Ryan Arcidiacono (non-guaranteed), G/F DaQuan Jeffries (non-guaranteed)
Projected Two-way Players: F/C Nathan Knight, G/F Dylan Windler, F Jaylen Martin
Projected Roster Cuts: G Duane Washington Jr. (non-guaranteed), G Charlie Brown Jr. (Exhibit-10), F Jacob Toppin (Exhibit-10)
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<h1>PHILADELPHIA 76ERS</h1>
Will Tyrese Maxey become more of a creator and how can that adjust the rotation?
The Sixers&rsquo; ceiling is contingent on how much Tyrese Maxey can improve this season. Maxey hasn&rsquo;t needed to be the team&rsquo;s primary distributor since James Harden joined the team, allowing him to blossom into a reliable 20-PPG scorer. Regardless of whether Harden&rsquo;s trade situation is resolved, Maxey will need to become a better creator and distributor if he wants to take his game to the next level. Prior to Harden&rsquo;s arrival, Maxey had an impressive 4:1 assist-to-turnover ratio despite his small frame and risk-averse tendencies.&nbsp;
Interestingly, team president Daryl Morey has held off on giving Maxey an extension this offseason, electing to wait until next summer to pay his budding young guard. Maxey will likely demand near max-level money that could harm Philly&rsquo;s flexibility to go after star players next offseason. If he can improve his ball-handling and distribution tendencies, the Sixers&rsquo; offense should benefit tremendously, helping the offensive output of players like P.J. Tucker and Paul Reed and easing the reliance on De&rsquo;Anthony Melton and Patrick Beverley.
Roster Decisions
Two players will likely be fighting for the Sixers&rsquo; final roster spot. The team re-signed veteran Danny Green, who played for the team from 2020 to 2022, to a non-guaranteed deal. They also brought over young big Filip Petrusev, who was drafted by Philadelphia in 2021. Petrusev signed a multi-year deal that was partially guaranteed for $559,782 this season and non-guaranteed next year. Although unlikely, the 76ers could also elect to waive Montrezl Harrell despite his deal being fully guaranteed, as he should miss this season with a torn ACL.
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (14 guaranteed, 1 partially Guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Tyrese Maxey, G James Harden, F P.J. Tucker, F Tobias Harris, C Joel Embiid
Projected Rotation Players: G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton, G Patrick Beverley, F/C Paul Reed, F/G Kelly Oubre Jr., F Danuel House
Projected Reserves: C Mo Bamba, F Furkan Korkmaz, G Jaden Springer, G/F Danny Green (non-guaranteed), C Montrezl Harrell (injured)
Projected Two-way Players: G Terquavion Smith, G Ricky Council IV, F Azuolas Tubelis
Projected Roster Cuts: F/C Filip Petrusev ($559,782 guaranteed), G David Duke Jr. (Exhibit-10), G Javonte Smart (Exhibit-10)
<h1>TORONTO RAPTORS</h1>
What style does Darko Rajakovic bring to Toronto and who will benefit the most?
New coach Darko Rajakovic inherits an interesting Raptors team with plenty of talent, but they may be facing a crossroads in terms of how successful they can be as a group. Rajakovic is in his first NBA head coaching gig after three seasons as an assistant with the Grizzlies and is known around the league as a pick-and-roll guru.&nbsp;
The idea of the Raptors being a primary pick-and-roll team became less appealing when they were unable to retain Fred VanVleet in free agency, replacing him with a less reliable shooter in Dennis Schr&ouml;der. Instead, Rajakovic will likely rely on Schr&ouml;der and his newly paid center Jakob Poeltl for more ball movement and playmaking. Rajakovic compared Poeltl to Domantas Sabonis before the Raptors&rsquo; preseason win over the Sacramento Kings on October 9 and could use him in a similar role. If Poeltl can be 70% of what Sabonis was last season, it can be a huge boost to an inconsistent offense.
Roster Decisions
The Raptors have 15 players on guaranteed deals going into the season, but also carry Jeff Dowtin Jr. on a non-guaranteed deal. Dowtin played on a two-way contract with Toronto last season, appearing in 25 games. With the roster full, Dowtin is unlikely to make the regular-season roster but he has still <a href="https://www.si.com/nba/raptors/news/toronto-raptors-praise-jeff-dowtin-jr-as-roster-decisions-await" target="_blank" rel="noopener">impressed the coaching staff this preseason</a>. If any player is in danger of losing their roster spot to Dowtin, it would likely be former first-round pick Malachi Flynn. Dowtin&rsquo;s deal becomes guaranteed for $900,000 on October 21, four days before the team&rsquo;s season opener against the Minnesota Timberwolves. I would expect the Raptors to make a decision on Dowtin before then.&nbsp;
Rotation
Current Roster Count: 21 players (15 guaranteed, 1 non-guaranteed, 3 two-way, 2 Exhibit-10)
Projected Starters: G Dennis Schr&ouml;der, F/G Scottie Barnes, F OG Anunoby, F Pascal Siakam, C Jakob Poeltl
Projected Rotation Players: G Gary Trent Jr., F Precious Achiuwa, F/C Chris Boucher, F Jalen McDaniels, G/F Gradey Dick
Projected Reserves: F Thaddeus Young, G Malachi Flynn, F Otto Porter Jr., C Christian Koloko, G/F Garrett Temple
Projected Two-way Players: G/F Ron Harper Jr., G Markquis Nowell, G Javon Freeman-Liberty
Projected Roster Cuts: G Jeff Dowtin (non-guaranteed), F Mouhamadou Gueye (Exhibit-10), C Makur Maker (Exhibit-10)
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Blake Stern previews the Atlantic Division, breaking down each team's projected lineup and a burning question entering the season.

NBA Atlantic Division Preview: Burning questions, rotation projections

The NBA announced that 242 players have filed as early-entry candidates for the 2023 NBA Draft. Here is the complete list.

NBA announces 242 early-entry candidates for 2023 NBA Draft

After monitoring the NBA awards races all season, Nekias Duncan shares his final selections for DPOY, ROY, MIP, 6MOY and more.

Nekias Duncan's 2022-23 NBA award selections: DPOY, 6MOY, MIP, more

The Cleveland Cavaliers can finally say they are headed to the NBA Playoffs.
On Sunday evening, the organization officially punched its ticket to the postseason for the first time in five years. As has been said repeatedly, and rightfully so, it&rsquo;s also the first time the Cavs have accomplished such a feat without LeBron James in 25 years.
&ldquo;I think organizationally this is a big deal to come from where we came from and every year continue to take steps in the right direction, in a positive direction. All the hard work that people in this organization have put in to help get us here should be acknowledged,&rdquo; Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, following up with the phrase &ldquo;from the top down.&rdquo;&nbsp;
Before going into his players, he offered praise for Cavs president Koby Altman, general manager Mike Gansey and the front office, then once more for the training staff and strength and conditioning groups. He later thanked Cleveland&rsquo;s chairman Dan Gilbert.
&ldquo;Obviously, our guys have bought into something bigger than themselves. It's unique for a young team to do that at such a rapid pace. Typically, young guys are so worried about figuring out themselves that the team is secondary. We've got a bunch of guys where the team is the primary thing and the only thing. And whatever individual awards, rewards, glory, (it) all comes because of the team's success, and our guys have bought in and committed to that. This is something that has been done as a collective.
&ldquo;And again, we told the guys to enjoy this, but we ain't done yet. And I think that's the mindset we&rsquo;ve got to continue to have. We're still on the road of this process, and we&rsquo;ve got to keep taking it step by step until we get to where we want to be.&rdquo;
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For Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Lamar Stevens, Dean Wade and Dylan Windler, all of whom have been with the organization for at least three full years (Garland four), it will be their first time tasting the playoff stage. The same goes for Evan Mobley, who&rsquo;s only in his second season.
&ldquo;It means a lot. I mean, [clinching] first playoffs feels good. Excited to play. We still got work to do,&rdquo; Mobley echoed in agreement with Bickerstaff.
It&rsquo;s been two years, two months and one week since Jarrett Allen first put on his wine-and-gold jersey. Plagued by injuries, inconsistencies and inexperience, that 2020-21 version of the team finished with a 22-50 record. So, coming from that, a Play-In Tournament appearance that came up empty last year and seeing where the group is now, it&rsquo;s not surprising that he took some time to smell the roses for one night.
&ldquo;I think we're able to take a moment to celebrate. This is definitely a big thing for the Cavaliers and for all of us. Not everybody has made it to the playoffs, so we're taking a moment in celebration, but [then] it's time to get back to work,&rdquo; Allen said.&nbsp;
"Not everyone gets that shot," Mobley added. "Not everyone gets on teams and have team camaraderie like we do, how we play together, everything. So it feels good. We've just got to keep that going."
Allen made sure to credit Altman and his former teammate Lauri Markkanen for helping establish big ball, which has evolved into just him and his partner Mobley holding down the fort.
&ldquo;The first year I got traded here, it was rough. We didn't have much to play towards the end of the season and then traded for Lauri and then just a lot of things were getting put into place,&rdquo; said Allen, who also shouted out Kevin Love as being another big-man building block.&nbsp;
&ldquo;Koby in the front office did a good job to help motivate us, so that we know we have more to play for. And then, year after or that year went on and didn't end it how we wanted to, saying we left a lot on the table. How many times you heard that? But finally this year, we finally are taking everything off the table.&rdquo;
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(Note: It&rsquo;s also hard not to think of Collin Sexton, who was the first Cavs rookie post-LeBron and worked his way to being one of the top young scoring guards in the NBA. Cleveland doesn&rsquo;t have Donovan Mitchell to accelerate the process if not for Sexton, who was a crucial part of that trade with the Utah Jazz.)
Having been there from the true beginning of Cleveland&rsquo;s renaissance in the 2019-20 season, Garland shared the same sentiments.
&ldquo;It was really tough,&rdquo; Garland <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2023/03/cavs-have-bigger-goals-in-mind-after-securing-playoff-spot-for-first-time-in-25-years-without-lebron-james-we-aint-done-yet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Cleveland.com on Sunday</a>. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m lowkey speechless because I&rsquo;ve been here for the longest and I&rsquo;ve seen it from the mud. It&rsquo;s great to be here now. It&rsquo;s a step in the right direction. But not done yet.&rdquo;
Basketball News asked Allen in particular what it took for the Cavs to grow and get over the hump as a franchise.
&ldquo;Confidence that we can do it. I think that's a big thing in this league. Confidence that you can play with the top teams, confidence that you can beat the teams and make it to the playoffs,&rdquo; Allen said. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s bad to say, but I'm going to say it anyway &mdash; there's a lot of teams that don't have the confidence, but every team has very talented guys that can be one of those top players. That's what I believe. Every team has talented players. It's just playing as a team, understanding that you can do it together.&rdquo;
Unlike the rest of his teammates, Mitchell has not missed the playoffs even once in his career. From his rookie campaign until now, with the Jazz and now the Cavs, he&rsquo;ll have appeared in six consecutive postseasons.
&ldquo;You know, you want to appreciate every step along the way. It's definitely a blessing. I don't want to downplay the moment, but in the same token, and I told the guys in there &mdash; this is what you just come to expect,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;You made your first one. Appreciate and enjoy it. Celebrate it for the city, for the organization, for your individual guys who have made it.
&ldquo;But in the same token, the three seed&rsquo;s in play &mdash; that's the goal. That's the focus. And we should come to a point now where that's expected of us making the playoffs and continuously being here and continuously pushing forward.&rdquo;
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Cleveland currently is seated in the fourth spot in the Eastern Conference with a five-game lead on the New York Knicks, who the team will host on Friday evening. The Cavs have also crept to just one-and-a-half games back of the No. 3 seed Philadelphia 76ers, who all of a sudden have a couple of minor injuries to major players and will have to face competition still fighting for positioning and/or a way into the mix. And even after that is settled, there are higher aspirations.
&ldquo;We got six more games to play. We're not a finished product. And just the question about where we started, we've got bigger places to go and this is a start for us to be able to clinch a playoff spot. But as we think about this and as we put this team together, we all have one end goal, and those end goals don't come and happen overnight,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;So we've got to continue to get better. We've got to continue to grow. Coaches, players, everybody has to continue, and that's why we say it's, we're not a finished product.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I think we can beat anybody,&rdquo; Garland <a href="https://www.cleveland.com/cavs/2023/03/cavs-have-bigger-goals-in-mind-after-securing-playoff-spot-for-first-time-in-25-years-without-lebron-james-we-aint-done-yet.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">told Cleveland.com</a>. &ldquo;That&rsquo;s how good we are. I&rsquo;m ready for a long postseason.&rdquo;
Mitchell is impressed with his younger teammates&rsquo; mindset of wanting more than just being there. He brought up his rookie season in Utah where an underdog Jazz squad rallied from a 17-26 record to unexpectedly earn a playoff berth.
To him, in Cleveland, this was the expectation.
&ldquo;I think the mindset, honestly is just like, &lsquo;Alright, it's just a step.&rsquo; One step to feel like we're not satisfied,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;Understanding that we have a bigger goal at stake, not just making the playoffs, not just winning a first round, second round, third round. Making it all the way, it's going to be tough. There's going to be guys teams that have a lot of experience and have been there, but I think we're up for that challenge. We have that hunger. "All that's talked about is our experience. But we have that hunger and you see it with this group, and on a night-to-night basis, continuing to prepare and continue to play all the way until June.&rdquo;

Spencer Davies highlights the Cavaliers' reactions to clinching their first playoff berth in five years (and first without LeBron since '97-98).

Unsatisfied, but grateful: Cavs open up on tough road back to playoffs

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (AP) &mdash; Evan Mobley had 26 points and the Cleveland Cavaliers scored 35 points off Charlotte turnovers to beat the Hornets for the second time in three days, 120-104 on Tuesday night.
Cedi Osman scored 24 points off the bench and Caris LeVert added 22 points and seven assists for the Cavaliers, who played without All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell (sprained finger) and center Jarrett Allen (eye contusion).
Darius Garland chipped in 19 points for the Cavaliers, who entered the game in fourth place in the Eastern Conference, 3 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia 76ers. The Cavs have won five of their last six games.
&ldquo;We&rsquo;re ready for that playoff basketball mindset,&rdquo; said Cavaliers forward Lamar Stevens, who got the start at the 4 spot and finished with 11 points. &ldquo;We are ready for whatever is up next. I think we are really connected and focusing on the details to get us to where we want to go and to make a big run later in the playoffs. So we need big games like this.&rdquo;
Kelly Oubre Jr. had 28 points and Terry Rozier added 22 points and 10 assists for the Hornets, who have lost three straight and fell to 11-27 at home.
The Hornets never looked in sync offensively. Charlotte turned the ball over 22 times in all &mdash; many of those self-inflicted &mdash; while Cleveland had just nine turnovers leading to six points for the Hornets.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a reason why they&rsquo;re the best defensive team in the NBA &mdash; they create a lot of turnovers, they&rsquo;re physical, they have size,&rdquo; Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. &ldquo;When you get behind, it&rsquo;s hard to come back. We had 10 more (turnovers) in the second half. You&rsquo;re just not going to win&rdquo; playing that way.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers needed to erase a 16-point second-half deficit on Sunday to beat the Hornets 114-108, getting 28 points from Garland.
They didn&rsquo;t need a comeback Tuesday.
The Cavaliers jumped out to a 63-48 lead at halftime after scoring 25 points on 15 Charlotte turnovers, while only turning the ball over once themselves. The Cavs stretched the lead to 22 late in the third quarter, and at one point had outscored the Hornets 31-0 off turnovers.
&ldquo;Understanding the value of every possession, that&rsquo;s one of the things that we&rsquo;ve been talking to the guys about is as the games become bigger, more critical, every possession matters,&rdquo; Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;Being able to get a shot on goal matters. When you have guys who can create, who can score, it&rsquo;s important to put it up on the rim, at least give yourself a chance.&rdquo;
Charlotte never challenged in the second half and Clifford subbed out his starters with four minutes to play and his team down by 19.
ALLEN IS DAY TO DAY
Allen missed his second straight game with a right eye contusion he sustained in Friday night&rsquo;s loss to Miami, and the Cavaliers are taking things &ldquo;day to day&rdquo; with their 6-foot-9 center, Bickerstaff said.
&ldquo;With Jarrett it is just a matter of how quickly it recovers,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;With eyes it&rsquo;s difficult to put a timetable on it.&rdquo;
The 2022 NBA All-Star is in the midst of another strong season averaging 14.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 1.7 assists and 1.2 blocks per game while shooting 64.9% from the field.
Mitchell is expected to play Wednesday night versus Philadelphia as his absence was more about injury maintenance.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Signed&nbsp;<a class="paragraph-link" href="https://apnews.com/article/cavaliers-nba-merrill-8b9995607e3553727efdb569665d1ac0" target="_blank" rel="noopener">guard Sam Merrill to a multi-year contract</a>&nbsp;on Tuesday. The 6-foot-4, 197-pound Merrill signed a 10-day contract with the team on March 3 and appeared in one game for the Cavaliers.
Hornets: Dennis Smith Jr. had a flying one-handed dunk over Dean Wade off a baseline drive late in the third quarter. ... Center Mark Williams missed his fourth straight game with a sprained thumb.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host Philadelphia on Wednesday night.
Hornets: Host Philadelphia on Friday night.

Evan Mobley had 26 points and the Cavs beat the Hornets 120-104 on Tuesday — Cleveland's second win over Charlotte in three days.

Cavaliers defeat sloppy Hornets again without Mitchell, Allen

Cleveland Cavaliers president Koby Altman is typically one of the NBA's busiest executives when the trade deadline comes around. In fact, since taking over for David Griffin as the Cavs' general manager in July 2017, there hadn&rsquo;t been a single deadline where he stood pat.
On Thursday, that changed, as the Cavaliers decided not to make a trade.
&ldquo;My guys over there, they said, 'Koby I'm proud of you,' for not [making a move],&rdquo; Altman said with a grin at Cleveland Clinic Courts in his first media appearance this season. &ldquo;Because you could make deals. You can. There's things you can land the plane on. Don't just do something to do something. Let's be very, very intentional with what we're doing. It's different when you're in asset collection mode. It's different when you're trying to accumulate picks. That becomes a different motivation. I think where we are now is being very, very intentional [with] how you're going to help this young core grow and set them up for success. And if the move wasn't there to do it, don't do it. I guess we sat this one out.
&ldquo;I think there's value in continuity. I think there's value in giving this group a runway. And sometimes as a GM, you just say to yourself, 'Don't mess this up.' And I think that was a big key for us this deadline. [That's] not easy for me; you guys know I'm volume-heavy. But to take a step back and realize the growth we've seen already, mixed with the results... I didn't see anything that was appreciably gonna make us better and put us over the top. And so, I'm really happy with where we are and where we're going.&rdquo;
We all know the NBA community abides by a what-have-you-done-for-me-lately code, but remember Donovan Mitchell? The 26-year-old first-time All-Star starter who&rsquo;s already stamped his name in the Cavs history books and helped lead Cleveland to a torrid start? One of the best shooting guards in the league who&rsquo;s already won two Player of the Week awards and has brought 39 games worth of playoff experience with him to the team? The dude who <a href="https://www.basketballnews.com/stories/nba-breaking-news-donovan-mitchell-scores-nbaseasonhigh-cavs-franchisebest-71-in-win" target="_blank" rel="noopener">dropped 71 freaking points in one night</a>?
Lest we forget that Altman already launched his full-court heave on the first day of September, prior to the frenzy that was this past week.
&ldquo;I'm really glad we did what we did in the summer, to bring in a Donovan Mitchell, because it's so competitive &mdash; hyper-competitive in the trade market, hyper-competitive in the standings. And so, that was our big move to really lift our ceiling,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;I knew that we weren't going to top that move come trade deadline (laughs). I think it's been a seamless fit. I think it's been some really exciting basketball... I think we had a great future without Donovan, and I can't imagine not having him right now.
&ldquo;We don't need to take swings. We don't need to take these &lsquo;find this incredible talent that you have to build around&rsquo; (approaches). I think we've found that, which is the hardest part. And now, does it work within the group and does it make the team better?&rdquo;
Altman&rsquo;s reasoning behind this approach is logical in short-term and long-term lenses. First and foremost, he brought up the delicate nature of a rare, connected locker room. That&rsquo;s why, though he&rsquo;ll leave open the idea of scouring the buyout market with an open roster spot available, everything will be about fit and skill set when it comes to any addition.
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The Cavs are in a position that they haven&rsquo;t been in during his tenure. They boast the fifth-best record in the NBA while employing the second-youngest starting five (average age of 23.2 years old) in the league, and a majority of that core still has yet to experience postseason basketball.
&ldquo;There's no trade I could've accomplished that was going to account for Darius Garland playing in his first playoff series, Evan Mobley playing in his first playoff series, Isaac Okoro playing in his first playoff series. We have to go through that as a team,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;We're gonna have to go down the stretch here and battle for our position. We're gonna have to go in, hopefully, knock on wood, to a playoff series and see what that feels like, and I'm excited about that.&nbsp;
&ldquo;And that's the growth, that's the maturation that I wanna see from this group down the stretch, and really take a step back and let them experience this kinda basketball that's very, very new for us, and give them the runway to achieve, have setbacks and grow from those experiences. But it's a really, really exciting place to be... Give this group what they deserve [with] what they've already accomplished.&rdquo;
Given his expiring contract situation, there were a lot of questions surrounding Caris LeVert, a hot name on the trade front. Multiple teams inquired about his status with the Cavs and what it&rsquo;d take for the franchise to part ways with him. Altman instead revealed that &ldquo;there&rsquo;s a lot of interest to keep him here,&rdquo; and explained his rationale behind sticking with LeVert.
&ldquo;We acquired Caris last year in vastly different circumstances. If you remember, we had Darius Garland and no other ball-handlers; Ricky [Rubio] was out for the year, we had lost Collin [Sexton] for the year. And so, we brought Caris in under vastly different pretenses. I think what he's done this year is try to adapt his game to two ball-dominant, all-world guards," Altman said. "He's gotten better at his spot-up shooting; he's at a career-high this year at 37% in terms of shooting, and that's not even his real piece. He's just a really good basketball player, and I think he's embraced the challenge of being a defensive stopper.
&ldquo;The thing that really speaks to me too is, and I'm a softy for this, but guys that really want to be here. Guys that show up every day to work, that have a great attitude, that whatever their role is &mdash; and he had to take a substantial step back, be a sixth-man type when he could be starting in the NBA on a lot of different teams &mdash; and being like, 'I want to make this work. I want to be here.' That's meaningful to me, that's meaningful to this organization and it's a big reason why he's here. The other thing too is, let's be honest, we're not playing guys 82 games a year anymore. And to be able to spot start Caris at times is an absolute luxury. We learned that last year we can't have enough ball-handlers. We'll see in the playoffs. I know it's been a few years now, [but] to break your man off the dribble when everything else breaks down and your set play is not working, you're gonna need guys to go get some stuff for you and manufacture some runs. He remains a very important part of what we're doing. He's just a really good basketball player. I know he's thrilled to still be here, and we're happy that he's here as well.&rdquo;
As per usual, Kevin Love&rsquo;s name surfaced in rumblings for another year. This time around, it made sense because he&rsquo;s recorded five straight DNP-CDs and missed action in the three previous games due to a bothersome thumb injury. Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff stated Wednesday night that the veteran big man is healthy and available, but wants to see what this new, healthy iteration of the team can do.&nbsp;
Asked about Love, Altman responded by saying that he&rsquo;s never had conversations with him or his representation about a buyout and doesn&rsquo;t anticipate it happening. He did however share that he and the 35-year-old have talked about making a sacrifice and staying ready when his chance to play comes again. Altman feels he&rsquo;ll have that opportunity at some point this season.
After striking a rhythm over the last week, Altman is pleased with what he&rsquo;s seen from this current Cavs rotation that&rsquo;s added some bodies off the injured list. Ricky Rubio &mdash; whom he considers midseason acquisition-like &mdash; came back in the fold less than a month ago and is rounding into form with the bench bunch, and Dean Wade has been getting his legs back under him since returning on Jan. 21, providing meaningful spacing and defensive chops.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Are the <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> finding stability? J.B. Bickerstaff, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade weigh in (with hand signals and all 🎢). <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/oTD1TBWkyl">pic.twitter.com/oTD1TBWkyl</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1623719182910070786?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 9, 2023</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

When the franchise pulled the trigger on the Mitchell blockbuster, it created a significant void left by now-Utah-Jazz-All-Star forward Lauri Markkanen. For much of the season, the wing has been anything but consistent and a point of contention around town. A whopping 18 different starting lineups is an obvious indication of that, which has included starts at small forward from LeVert, Okoro, Wade and Lamar Stevens. (That&rsquo;s due to injury and mixing and matching.)
However, to Altman&rsquo;s point of internal additions, Cleveland has seen a fresh version of Okoro emerge since the turn of the new year. From Jan. 4 and on &mdash; when &ldquo;Ice&rdquo; reentered the starting five &mdash; the burly third-year swingman over 19 games has averaged 9.1 points, 3.3 rebounds, 1.8 rebounds and 1.1 steals per contest on 58.5% from the field, including a scorching 49.0% clip beyond the arc.&nbsp;
Coupling his already-stout defense with the threat of knocking down triples in the corner &mdash; and playmaking for teammates off the catch when closed out on &mdash; has helped Okoro earn the Cavs&rsquo; trust.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m so happy for Isaac, who puts the most work in that now he deserves that sorta 3-and-D position that we drafted him as, that can guard 1-through-4, that really puts pressure on the defense,&rdquo; Altman said. &ldquo;I think what you're seeing from us and from Isaac specifically is a dude that, right away, you feel that defense as soon as you get across half-court, or you want to take a shooter out and he's making you catch 40 feet out. That sets the tone for your defense, and he does that remarkably well. And now, he's hitting the three-ball and giving space to our guards, which we really need.&rdquo;
It also played a factor in Altman avoiding a potential disruption in Okoro&rsquo;s rhythm.
&ldquo;Obviously, everybody wants more shooting. It's something I looked at. But I also know... where are those minutes gonna go to?&rdquo; Altman argued. &ldquo;And that starting five, which has been really good with Isaac Okoro, who are you taking off the floor there when that group as a starting five is a plus-7.3 net rating with a substantial size now? Who are you taking off the floor there, right?
&ldquo;Between him, Dean, Cedi [Osman], we always wanted to hopefully have that be internal and not use more assets to go outside and hope it works. That's the other part too is, at the deadline, you're making these deals and hoping that it fits. You're ingratiating a new person into this system, everybody has to adapt around this person, you have to change the way you play a little bit to accentuate their positives. Keeping the continuity and letting the internal growth happen, I think, was a big part of (standing pat). And seeing those signs certainly gave us pause to... Isaac's only 22 years old, and he's getting better every single day. Let's let that play out.&rdquo;
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Flexibility is still present in Cleveland&rsquo;s books despite being over the salary cap. Altman noted how Mobley still being on his rookie-scale deal will allow the Cavs to re-sign LeVert and Love and use their mid-level exception if they choose. There are also second-round picks at their disposal, and if Thursday taught us anything, it&rsquo;s that they can be quite valuable.
Mitchell and Garland are meshing well with one another as the games pass, Mobley and Jarrett Allen have not shown signs of slowing down and Okoro is coming into his own. Rubio, LeVert, Wade and Osman have had their moments individually and are looking to put it all together to bolster the bench production. As long as the team can stay away from the injury bug, with a softer schedule in the second half of the season, there&rsquo;s no reason to expect any kind of decline. &nbsp; The overlying theme of the Cavs' strategy at this point? If it ain&rsquo;t broke, don&rsquo;t fix it.

Spencer Davies summarizes Cavaliers president Koby Altman's first press conference of the season after a quiet trade deadline.

Koby Altman counting on Cavaliers' continuity, growth from within

NORMAN, Okla. (AP) &mdash; Grant Sherfield scored a season-high 30 points, and Oklahoma beat No. 2 Alabama 93-69 on Saturday in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge to end the Crimson Tide&rsquo;s nine-win streak.
Jalen Hill added a career-high 26 points, helping second-year Oklahoma coach Porter Moser to his biggest win with the program. Tanner Groves had 14 points and 12 rebounds.
The Sooners (12-9) had lost three straight, but against the Crimson Tide shot 58% from the field.
Rylan Griffen led Alabama (18-3) with 15 points and seven rebounds. Freshman Brandon Miller, who came in averaging 19.5 points per game, finished with 11.
NO. 3 HOUSTON 75, CINCINNATI 69
HOUSTON (AP) &mdash; Jarace Walker had a career-high 25 points and seven rebounds, and Houston rallied from an 11-point second-half deficit to defeat Cincinnati.
Walker, who scored 13 points in the second half, was 10 of 14 from the field. J&rsquo;Wan Roberts added 14 points and six rebounds, and Jamal Shead scored 13 points for Houston (20-2, 8-1 American Athletic Conference).
Houston has won at least 20 games in eight straight seasons under coach Kelvin Sampson.
Landers Nolley II had 24 points, including 6 3-pointers. Vicktor Lakhin added 15 points, and David DeJulius had 14 points and nine assists for Cincinnati (14-8, 5-4).&nbsp;
NO. 4 TENNESSEE 82, NO. 10 TEXAS 71
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Olivier Nkamhoua scored 27 points and Zakai Zeigler had 22 points and 10 assists to lead Tennessee over Texas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Josiah-Jordan James added 14 and Santiago Vescovi had 12 for Tennessee (18-3), which led by as many as 22 midway through the second half.
Sir&rsquo;Jabari Rice scored 21 to lead Texas (17-4). Marcus Carr and Brock Cunningham finished with 11 each.
NO. 5 KANSAS STATE 64, FLORIDA 50
MANHATTAN, Kan. (AP) &mdash; Keyontae Johnson had 13 points and 11 rebounds against his former team, Markquis Nowell flirted with the first triple-double in Kanas State history, and the Wildcats beat Florida in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Nowell finished with 13 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, and Nae&rsquo;Qwan Tomlin also had 11 points. The Wildcats improved to 18-3 to match the 1972-73 team for the best start through 21 games in school history.
Johnson struggled from the field, going just 5 of 16 and even getting stuffed by the front of the rim during a windmill dunk on a second-half fast break. But it was nevertheless a special night for the senior forward, who collapsed on the Gators&rsquo; sideline due to a heart condition during a game against Florida State just over two years ago.
Colin Castleton scored 13 points for the Gators (12-9). Myreon Jones and Will Richard had 11 apiece.
NO. 6 ARIZONA 95, WASHINGTON 72
SEATTLE (AP) &mdash; Azuolas Tubelis had 25 points and 10 rebounds, Oumar Ballo added 21 points and 12 rebounds, and Arizona used a big second-half run to pull away to win its fourth straight.
Tubelis topped 20 points for the first time in five games and his rebound putback while being fouled with 4:29 remaining gave the Wildcats a 78-63 lead and sent Washington fans headed for the exits.
Kerr Kriisa added 18 points, hitting six 3-pointers, and Courtney Ramey scored 14 for the Wildcats (19-3, 8-3 Pac-12).
Keion Brooks Jr. led Washington with 25 points and Keyon Menifield added 21. But the Huskies (13-10, 5-7) suffered from too many scoring droughts and didn&rsquo;t have an answer for Arizona&rsquo;s 19-1 run in the early stages of the second half.
NO. 7 VIRGINIA 76, BOSTON COLLEGE 57
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. (AP) &mdash; Armaan Franklin and Jayden Gardner scored 18 points each and Virginia used a big first-half run to take control over Boston College for its sixth straight victory.
The Cavaliers (16-3, 8-2 Atlantic Coast Conference) trailed 18-15 before starting an 18-4 run over the next 11 minutes. Virginia put the game away with a 16-4 second-half spurt.
Quinten Post scored 24 to lead the Eagles (10-12, 4-7) and Makai Ashton-Langford added 12 points.
Virginia&rsquo;s Isaac McKneely finished with 12 points and Reece Beekman had 11 and eight assists.
NO. 9 KANSAS 77, KENTUCKY 68
LEXINGTON, Ky. (AP) &mdash; Jalen Wilson scored 22 points, including one in a series of huge 3-pointers down the stretch, and Kansas avoided its first four-game losing streak under coach Bill Self.
Wilson made 9 of 18 from the field and grabbed eight rebounds for Kansas (17-4), which finished even with Kentucky at 49% shooting. K.J. Adams Jr. added 17 points, Dick had 13 and McCullar 11 with 12 rebounds as the Jayhawks edged Kentucky 34-29 on the glass.
Oscar Tshiebwe had 18 points and nine rebounds, and Jacob Toppin and Cason Wallace each added 14 for Kentucky (14-7), which had won its previous four.
MISSISSIPPI STATE 81, NO. 11 TCU 74, OT
STARKVILLE, Miss. (AP) &mdash; Tolu Smith had 27 points, 13 rebounds and five assists to lead Mississippi State to an overtime victory.
Dashawn Davis added 16 points to help Mississippi State (13-8) snap a five-game losing streak. Shakeel Moore had 11, including six in overtime, while Cameron Matthews had 10 points and 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs. Tyler Stevenson also added 10 points off the Bulldogs&rsquo; bench.
Damion Baugh led TCU (16-5) with 19 points and Emanuel Miller had 13. Shahada Wells and Jakobe Coles each had 12 for the Horned Frogs and Chuck O&rsquo;Bannon had 10.
Davis&rsquo; 3 pointer with 55 seconds left in the second half gave the Bulldogs a 66-64 advantage. Emanuel Miller scored with 32 seconds remaining and then both teams missed chances to win in regulation.
MISSOURI 78, NO. 12 IOWA STATE 61
COLUMBIA, Mo. (AP) &mdash; Kobe Brown scored 20 points, and D&rsquo;Moi Hodge scored 17 points to help Missouri take down Iowa State in the SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Brown scored 14 of his points in the first half and led Missouri (16-5) with 12 rebounds. Nick Honor added 12 points and DeAndre Gholston scored 10.
Jaren Holmes led Iowa State (15-5) with 19 points, and Gabe Kalscheur added 14.
The Tigers&rsquo; 78 points were a season-high for an Iowa State opponent in regulation; the Cyclones are 0-3 this season when allowing at least 70 points in regulation.
CREIGHTON 84, NO. 13 XAVIER 67
OMAHA, Neb. (AP) &mdash; Arthur Kamula scored 20 points, Creighton&rsquo;s four other starters finished in double-figures and the Bluejays earned their fourth straight Big East win.
Creighton (13-8, 7-3) steadily built a double-digit lead throughout the game and made 34 of its 60 field goal attempts (56.7%) before a sold-out crowd.
Ryan Kalkbrenner scored 17 points, Baylor Scheierman had 14, Trey Alexander finished with 13 and Ryan Nembhard added 11 for the Bluejays, who avenged a 90-87 loss at Xavier on Jan. 11.
Zach Freemantle led Xavier (17-5, 9-2) with 18 points, followed by Colby Jones and Adam Kunkel with 13.
NO. 14 GONZAGA 82, PORTLAND 67
PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) &mdash; Julian Strawther had a career-high 40 points, including eight 3-pointers, and Gonzaga pulled away down the stretch for its 16th consecutive victory over Portland.
Anton Watson added 17 points for Gonzaga (18-4, 7-1 West Coast Conference).
Strawther is the first player to reach 40 points for the Zags since Kyle Wiltjer had 45 against Pacific in 2016.
Portland (11-13, 3-5) was led by Moses Wood with 19 points. Juan Sebastian Gorosito, a freshman, finished with a career-high 17 points.
WEST VIRGINIA 80, NO. 15 AUBURN 77
MORGANTOWN, W.Va. (AP) &mdash; Erik Stevenson scored a career-high 31 points and West Virginia withstood a furious late rally from Auburn to win an SEC/Big 12 Challenge matchup.
The Mountaineers (13-8) have won two straight for the first time in a month. Jimmy Bell Jr. added 15 points for the Mountaineers.
Charles Barkley cheered on his alma mater from a courtside seat, but Auburn (16-5) couldn&rsquo;t overcome another slow start. The Tigers have lost two straight for the first time in two years.
Jaylin Williams led Auburn with 18 points. Johni Broome added 15 and Allen Flanigan scored 13.
NO. 16 MARQUETTE 89, DEPAUL 69
CHICAGO (AP) &mdash; David Joplin went 8 for 11 from 3-point range for a career-high 28 points, Tyler Kolek had 24 points, 10 assists and 9 rebounds, and Marquette defeated DePaul.
Marquette has won eight of its last nine games, and moved into a tie with No. 13 Xavier atop the Big East.
Marquette (17-5, 9-2) pulled away in the second half. Oso Ighodaro had 10 points, making all five of his shots, and Olivier-Maxence Prosper scored 13 and had 8 rebounds.
Umoja Gibson scored 25 points for DePaul (9-13, 3-8) on 8-of-12 shooting.
NO. 17 BAYLOR 67, ARKANSAS 64
WACO, Texas (AP) &mdash; Keyonte George scored 24 points, including seven in a row down the stretch, and Baylor beat Arkansas in an SEC/Big 12 Challenge.
Baylor (16-5) fell behind by as many as eight points in the second half after an early 11-point lead. But the Bears closed it out after Flo Thamba made two free throws for a 55-53 lead with 3:37 left.
LJ Cryer added 20 points and Jalen Bridges had 10 for the Bears, who won their sixth game in a row despite shooting a 34% (20 of 59) from the field. They offset the season-worst shooting from the field by making 21 of 24 free throws, including two by Cryer with 10 seconds left and two by George with 4.3 seconds remaining.
Ricky Council IV scored 25 points for Arkansas (14-7). Davonte Davis had 16 points, but missed the front end of a 1-plus-1 with 2.3 seconds left, though Joseph Pinion got the ball in the right corner only to miss wildly on a 3-pointer as time ran out.
HOFSTRA 85, NO. 18 COLLEGE OF CHARLESTON 81
CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) &mdash; Aaron Estrada scored 25 points and Darlinstone Dubar added 18 as Hofstra ended College of Charleston&rsquo;s 20-game winning streak.
The Pride (15-8, 8-2 Colonial Athletic Association) were down 28-20 early before rallying past the Cougars (21-2, 9-1), who had not lost since falling to then-No. 1 North Carolina on Nov. 11.
Tyler Thomas had 17 points and eight rebounds for Hofstra.
Ante Brzovic finished with 18 points to lead Charleston.
PITTSBURGH 71, NO. 20 MIAMI 68
PITTSBURGH (AP) &mdash; Blake Hinson tipped in a Jamarius Burton miss with 31 seconds remaining and Pittsburgh rallied past Miami.
The Panthers (15-7, 8-3 ACC) held the Hurricanes (16-5, 7-4) scoreless over the final 2:26 while closing on an 11-0 run to beat a ranked team for the third time this season to bolster its increasingly impressive NCAA tournament resume.
Hinson finished with 21 points for Pitt. Burton had 19 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists as the Panthers stunned Miami in front of a rare sell-out crowd at the Petersen Events Center.
Jordan Miller led the Hurricanes with 18 points. Isaiah Wong added 14 but Miami committed three of its 12 turnovers in the final 35 seconds as the Panthers stormed back.
NO. 21 FAU 70, W. KENTUCKY 63
BOCA RATON, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Brandon Weatherspoon scored 14 points and Florida Atlantic remained undefeated at home.
The victory extended FAU&rsquo;s winning streak to a program-record 20 games, which is now the nation&rsquo;s longest. The Owls&rsquo; 21 victories on the season ties their Division I record set in 2010-11. Western Kentucky (11-11, 3-8 Conference USA) has lost five straight.
Alijah Martin scored eight while grabbing seven rebounds for the Owls (21-1, 11-0).
Jordan Rawls led all scorers with 17 for W. Kentucky. Dayvion McKnight and Emmanuel Akot each had 16.
NO. 22 SAINT MARY&rsquo;S (CAL) 57, BYU 56
PROVO, Utah (AP) &mdash; Logan Johnson had 14 points and freshman Aidan Mahaney scored all 10 of his points, including a fade-away jumper just before the buzzer, in the second half and Saint Mary&rsquo;s (Cal) won its 10th in a row.
Mitchell Saxen had 11 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and two blocks for Saint Mary&rsquo;s (19-4, 8-0 West Coast Conference). Alex Ducas scored 12 points and Augustas Marciulionis added 10.
Dallin Hall was fouled on a driving lay-up attempt with 10.2 seconds left and made 1-of-2 free throws to give BYU a 56-55 lead but Mahaney took the inbounds pass, probed the defense before he drove the lane, stopped near the right block and pivoted away from the basket before hitting the winning jumper over the out-stretched arm of defender Fousseyni Traore.
Hall scored a career-high 23 points on 9 of 14 shooting but made just 3 of 6 from the free-throw line for BYU (14-10, 4-5). Fousseyni Traore added 11 points and eight rebounds.
NO. 24 CLEMSON 82, FLORIDA STATE 81
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) &mdash; Chase Hunter drove the lane and drew a foul, sinking the free throw, to help Clemson escape with a win over Florida State.
Hunter Tyson scored 27 points on 10 of 17 shooting for Clemson (18-4, 10-1 Atlantic Coast Conference), which halted an eight-game road losing streak to Florida State. Hunter finished with 25.
Matthew Cleveland scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half for Florida State (7-15, 5-6), which made a season-high 13 3-pointers. Caleb Mills and Darin Green Jr. each hit four 3-pointers for the Seminoles. Freshman forward Baba Miller had his best game, scoring 11 points and pulling down four rebounds in 20 minutes.

A recap of Saturday's action in men's college hoops includes five upsets in the AP top 15.

Oklahoma's rout of No. 2 Alabama one of many top-15 upsets on Saturday

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (AP) &mdash; Desmond Bane scored 25 points, Ja Morant had 24 and the Memphis Grizzlies won their 11th straight game to match the franchise record, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-114 on Wednesday night.
Steven Adams tipped in the winner with 16 seconds left. Adams was in position to tip in a miss by Morant, and Dillon Brooks preserved the victory by blocking Garland&rsquo;s 3-point try at the buzzer.
&ldquo;(Adams) has been doing what he&rsquo;s been doing all season . . . manning the boards,&rdquo; Morant said. &ldquo;He got us the win.&rdquo;
Darius Garland led Cleveland with 24 points, Caris LeVert had 23, and Evan Mobley added 18 points and 15 rebounds. Cleveland played without scoring leader Donovan Mitchell because of a strained left groin.
Memphis (31-13) tied the franchise record set last season during roughly the same time of year (Dec. 26, 2021, to Jan. 13, 2022). The Grizzlies also scored 115 points or more points for the 11th straight game.
The Grizzlies led by seven at the half, but the Cavaliers remained close throughout the third quarter and grabbed the lead, at 91-89, in the closing seconds on a 3-pointer by Lamar Stevens.
In the fourth quarter, the Grizzlies built a quick six-point lead after a 3-pointer from Bane, but the Cavs responded with a 9-0 run. It remained close throughout the game&rsquo;s final seven minutes.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Cleveland is 13-4 this season when Jarrett Allen has a double-double.
Grizzlies: Ja Morant went to the locker room late in the first quarter after taking a blow to the back of the neck on a drive to the rim. He returned to the bench a few minutes later and re-entered the game in the second quarter.

Desmond Bane scored 25 points, and the Memphis Grizzlies won their 11th straight game, beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 115-114.

Grizzlies top Cavs, tie team record with 11th win in a row

PHOENIX (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell doesn't have to score 71 points in a game for the Cleveland Cavaliers to be at their best.
On Sunday night, he didn't even have to be on the floor.
Mitchell and Darius Garland both scored 22 points to lead the Cavaliers, but it was a few bench players who helped Cleveland pull away in the fourth quarter and beat the banged-up Phoenix Suns 112-98.
&ldquo;It's one of the best things to see, because it's different guys from different areas,&rdquo; said Mitchell, who scored 71 points in a win over the Bulls on Monday. &ldquo;It's all defense. The effort, the intensity.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers won for the fourth time in five games. It's the second time this week the Cavs have topped the Suns after beating them 90-88 on Wednesday.
Struggling Phoenix &mdash; playing without its All-Star backcourt of Chris Paul and Devin Booker &mdash; has dropped six in a row and nine of 10. The Suns now have a 20-21 record, which is the first time they have been under .500 all season.
The offensively challenged Suns failed to top 100 points for a fourth straight game.
&ldquo;We just stayed the course as best we could, then we got into the fourth and we just didn&rsquo;t have enough to withstand their defensive pressure,&rdquo; Suns coach Monty Williams said. &ldquo;They kept us on our heels.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers had a comfortable lead for much of the game but the Suns cut their advantage to 80-79 lead heading into the final quarter. But a group of mostly reserves, led by Raul Neto and Lamar Stevens, helped Cleveland go on a 27-6 run to start the fourth and suck any drama out of the final minutes.
All five Cleveland starters scored in double figures along with Caris LeVert, who added 13 points off the bench.
Duane Washington led the Suns with 25 points off the bench. Mikal Bridges scored 15 and Deandre Ayton added 14. Ayton appeared to tweak his left ankle late in the game and gingerly walked off the court. He said it was probably a day-to-day injury.
&ldquo;We just lost a little bit of focus tonight in that fourth quarter," Ayton said.
Cleveland used a 14-0 run to take a 35-26 lead by the end of the first quarter. The Cavs led 57-54 at the break after shooting 60% from the field.
MITCHELL BACK TO UTAH
Mitchell makes his return to Utah on Tuesday night.
He was a three-time All-Star for the Jazz during his five-year tenure that was fairly successful, but also filled with drama. Mitchell and All-Star teammate Rudy Gobert could never seem to completely mesh.
Mitchell said he wasn't sure how Utah's crowd will react for his return. He was traded to Cleveland in September for Lauri Markkanen, Collin Sexton, Ochai Agbaji and draft picks.
&ldquo;We did a lot of great things there,&rdquo; Mitchell said. "Obviously, we didn't accomplish our end goal. I don't know what the response will be, I hope it's cheers. There were a lot of positives despite not winning a championship. That's not easy. Only one team does it. We had five cracks at it and we missed.
&ldquo;At the end of the day, they're playing well. Lauri is playing out of his mind. They have a great group over there, great coaches. For me, we've just got to get another win on the road.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Mitchell returned to the lineup after missing Friday's game against the Nuggets. ... Garland was dealing with a sprained right thumb but still played. ,,, Shot 57.7% from the field.
Suns: Paul (hip), Booker (groin), Cameron Payne (foot) and forward Cam Johnson (knee) were out. ... Made 8 of 12 3-pointers (66.7%) in the first half. ... Hosted their 47th straight sellout crowd.
&nbsp;

Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland both scored 22 points to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers over the banged-up Phoenix Suns 112-98.

Garland, Mitchell lead Cavs past banged-up Suns 112-98

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam had 26 points and nine assists, O.G. Anunoby scored 26 points and the Toronto Raptors rolled to a 118-107 victory over the Cavaliers on Friday night, becoming the first East team to win in Cleveland this season.
Scottie Barnes scored 25 points and Fred VanVleet added 18, helping Toronto beat the Cavaliers for the third time in three games this season. The Raptors made a season-high 19 3-pointers, with Anunoby tying his career best with six.
&ldquo;We just wanted to play with speed and be aggressive from the start, make them take tough shots and go out and gang rebound,&rdquo; Anunoby said. &ldquo;If we play with energy and play with force, good things will happen.&rdquo;
Siakam, who scored a career-high 52 points Wednesday at New York, also had seven assists. Barnes grabbed 10 rebounds, Anunoby had nine and VanVleet added eight.
VanVleet&rsquo;s third 3 of the third quarter gave Toronto an 83-57 lead three minutes in, prompting Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff to pull his entire starting lineup. Donovan Mitchell had four points at the time and finished with 12 on 4-of-16 shooting.
&ldquo;They weren&rsquo;t holding up their end of the bargain and they knew it,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;If you get complacent in the NBA, someone will kick you in the face -- and Toronto is a team that can do it.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers fell to 16-3 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, including 11-1 against the East. Minnesota and Sacramento are the other teams to win in Cleveland.
Darius Garland had 17 points and eight assists, and Isaac Okoro scored 15 points for the Cavaliers, who are 4-1 on their season-high, six-game homestand. Cedi Osman and Kevin Love each scored 13 points off the bench.
&ldquo;This game is part of our growth and we have to keep that in mind,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;Donovan is the oldest dude in our lineup and he&rsquo;s only 26. We&rsquo;re still a very young team that&rsquo;s learning how to win in this league.&rdquo;
The Raptors, who entered shooting an NBA-low 32.2% on 3-pointers, made 12 of 21 in the first half and wound up shooting 51.4% beyond the arc.
Toronto won for the second time in eight games and is 4-9 since beating the Cavaliers on Nov. 28.
&ldquo;Pascal kept saying, &lsquo;Don&rsquo;t get bored with the lead, keep getting stops,&rsquo;&rdquo; Barnes said. &ldquo;So we came out in that third quarter really strong. Fred make some shots, Pascal made some shots. We just came out ready to play.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers announced a sellout crowd of 19,432, but the arena was less than two-thirds full as a result of sub-zero temperatures and poor road conditions in Northeast Ohio.
TIP-INS
Raptors: C Khem Birch (non-COVID illness) missed his second straight game, but coach Nick Nurse said he was improving. &hellip; F Precious Achiuwa (right ankle sprain) last played on Nov. 9 and F Otto Porter Jr. (dislocated left toe) has been out since Nov. 16. &hellip; Toronto has the third-lowest field goal percentage in the NBA at .449. &ldquo;At some point, we&rsquo;ve got to make those shots, right?&rdquo; Nurse said. &ldquo;And I think we will.&rdquo;
Cavaliers: F Evan Mobley is one of four players averaging more than 14.0 points, 9.0 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.0 blocks, along with Philadelphia&rsquo;s Joel Embiid, Milwaukee&rsquo;s Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Lakers&rsquo; Anthony Davis. &hellip; F Lamar Stevens (right knee soreness) returned from a three-game absence. &hellip; Love leads the NBA with 14 charges drawn and is third among bench players with 7.0 rebounds per game.
&nbsp;

Pascal Siakam had 26 points, O.G. Anunoby scored 26 points and the Raptors rolled to a 118-107 victory over the Cavaliers

Siakam and Anunoby score 26, Raptors beat Cavs 118-107

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; On their third try, the Cavaliers didn't collapse against the Bucks.
Donovan Mitchell wasn't going to let that happen again.
Mitchell scored 36 points and Cleveland finally put together a complete game against Milwaukee, withstanding superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo's season-high 45-point performance in a 114-106 victory Wednesday night.
Darius Garland added 23 points and Jarrett Allen had 19 for the young Cavs, who lost their first two games against the Eastern Conference's top team this season &mdash; both times caving in the third quarter and losing by 15 in Milwaukee.
Cleveland didn't stumble in the third this time, and held on in the fourth as Antetokounmpo brought Milwaukee back.
&ldquo;You get up 20, 21 against a team like this, its hard to keep them down,&rdquo; Mitchell said. "They&rsquo;re going to continue to fight. There&rsquo;s no way they just roll over especially a team like this, especially trying to send a message to an Eastern Conference opponent.
&ldquo;When you go against a team that&rsquo;s been together for this long after the two games we had over there to come here and protect home court. That&rsquo;s big time.&rdquo;
Mitchell has transformed the Cavs into a playoff team, and perhaps one capable of going deep in the postseason.
&ldquo;The Cavs are very, very dangerous," Antetokounmpo said. "They have great players and a great system. I don&rsquo;t see any reason for them not to get into the playoffs and have a good run &mdash; not against us, though.&rdquo;
Mitchell scored 15 points in the third as the Cavs opened a 24-point lead. But Antetokounmpo wasn't done and the Bucks chipped away to close within five on Pat Connaughton's 3-pointer with 2:21 left.
&ldquo;I was just trying to be aggressive," said Antetokounmpo, who missed his first three free throws but finished 11 of 16 from the line. "When I&rsquo;m aggressive, I know I can make the right play. I was just trying to do anything to spark the team.&rdquo;
But the Cavs held on down the stretch thanks to Mitchell, who went 9 of 9 from the free-throw line in the fourth as Cleveland closed out the Bucks and perhaps sent a message in the process. Mitchell made 15 of 16 free throws.
The Cavs improved the NBA's best home record to 16-2, matching their start in the 2016 championship season. They also displayed maturity in not making the same mistakes as in their first two matchups.
&ldquo;We held our poise,&rdquo; Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;They're a championship team. They're not going to give in. They're going to make their runs. In the past we haven't been able to sustain their runs. Tonight was a great step for us."
Milwaukee coach Mike Budenholzer is impressed by the Cavs' growth.
&ldquo;With the addition of Mitchell, everyone has the ultimate respect for those guys,&rdquo; Budenholzer said. "They&rsquo;re not surprising anyone at this point, they&rsquo;ve earned everyone&rsquo;s respect around the league.&rdquo;
Antetokounmpo scored 24 points in the second half and added 14 rebounds. Brook Lopez had 14 points for the Bucks, who were without injured All-Star forward Khris Middleton.
&ldquo;Giannis was phenomenal tonight," Budenholzer said. "He put the team on his back and had an aggressive mindset the whole game. If he saw a crack tonight, he busted it. But there are times when even he can&rsquo;t get through five guys.
"If we make 1-2 more shots, maybe we get over the hump.&rdquo;
BANKS ARE OPEN
Mitchell banked in a 39-foot 3-pointer with 2.1 seconds left in the third quarter only to be matched by Jrue Holiday, who kissed one off the glass from the same distance at the horn.
The two guards shared a laugh and playfully patted each other on the back.
&ldquo;I couldn't help but laugh,&rdquo; said Mitchell, who said the basketball gods punished him for enjoying his make. &ldquo;That's what you get when you celebrate too early.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Bucks: Holiday finished with nine points, nine rebound and eight assists. ... Milwaukee didnt record its first assist until midway through the second quarter. ... Middleton missed his third straight game and a timetable for his return is unclear. The three-time All-Star has been limited to seven games after undergoing offseason wrist surgery.
Cavaliers: Mobley is one of four players averaging at least 15 points, nine rebounds, 2.5 assists and one block. Antetokounmpo, Joel Embiid and Anthony Davis are the others. ... F Lamar Stevens (knee) missed his third straight game with soreness.
&nbsp;

Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points and the Cavaliers withstood Giannis Antetokounmpo's 45-point performance in a 114-106 victory.

Mitchell scores 36, leads Cavs past Giannis, Bucks 114-106

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell wasn't seeking revenge.
He still has several close friends on the Utah Jazz, tight teammates he stays in touch with regularly on a group text.
On Monday night, Mitchell showed he's doing fine since leaving them.
The All-Star guard scored 23 points in 23 minutes in his first game against the Jazz since they traded Mitchell to Cleveland this summer and Jarrett Allen added 20 and 11 rebounds, leading the Cavaliers to a 122-99 win.
The Cavs have won four straight, improving the NBA's best home record to 15-2. The league's best defensive team clamped down on the Jazz, holding them to a season-low 39.1 shooting percentage.
For Mitchell, who spent five seasons with Utah before being dealt to Cleveland on Sept. 1 in the stunning blockbuster, the quality victory meant more than any personal satisfaction.
&ldquo;We did a lot of really good things collectively,&rdquo; he said. "Obviously, we shot the ball really well, but defensively holding a team like this, that can shoot the ball really well and can score, under 100 points. We did a lot of things we can point to and say this is what we want to be.&rdquo;
Mitchell said he was flooded with emotions going against the team that drafted him.
&ldquo;It was weird,&rdquo; he said. &ldquo;But it was fun.&rdquo;
The Jazz, who came close to trading Mitchell to the Knicks, instead sent the three-time All-Star to the Cavs in exchange for Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, rookie Ochai Agbaji and three unprotected first-round picks (2025, 2027 and 2029).
Mitchell's arrival has legitimized the Cavs, who barely missed the playoffs last season with the one of the league's youngest rosters. He's been everything Cleveland hoped, averaging 29.5 points per game while providing leadership.
He's only been in Cleveland for a few months, but Mitchell looks at home.
&ldquo;I&rsquo;m comfortable,&rdquo; he said with a smile. &ldquo;I&rsquo;m still trying to figure out the highways. But with this group, I feel like I&rsquo;ve been a part of them for a while. The city, the fans, the team, everyone has welcomed me with open arms. The fit was pretty seamless.&rdquo;
Darius Garland added 17 and Cedi Osman 22 (20 in the fourth during extended garbage time) for Cleveland, which shot a season-high 61.4% and opened a 23-point lead in the third. The Cavs coasted in perhaps its most complete game this season.
&ldquo;They kicked our ass,&rdquo; Jazz coach Will Hardy said. &ldquo;They shot the ball unbelievably well from all three levels of the court. They play with great tempo, they bothered us with their physicality in the first half, which is what got us behind the eight ball.&rdquo;
Mitchell, who came in averaging 36.9 minutes, got to enjoy a fourth quarter relaxing on the bench.
&ldquo;We haven&rsquo;t had one of these in a while,&rdquo; said Mitchell, who spent time after the game catching up with Utah's players, coaches and traveling party. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s always good to get a break. I&rsquo;m not that old, but it&rsquo;s always good to put the minutes down.&rdquo;
Markkanen scored 24 &mdash; 22 in the first half &mdash; and Jordan Clarkson, yet another former Cavs player, added 23 for Utah, which has lost six straight on the road.
The Jazz are 5-15 since their surprising 12-1 start.
RUBIO UPDATE
Cavaliers guard Ricky Rubio has scrimmaged with the team's G-League affiliate as he nears his return after season-ending knee surgery.
Although Rubio hasn't played, just having him around has been beneficial to Cleveland's young players.
&ldquo;There&rsquo;s a very rare group of people who have the presence that he has and that guys just want to be around and listen to," coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "Ricky is that guy and they love to play with him even more.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Jazz: Sexton missed his sixth straight game with a strained hamstring. ... C Kelly Olynyk (left ankle sprain) missed his first game, leaving G Malik Beasley as the only Utah player to play in all 33. &hellip; G Nickeil Alexander-Walker had the game's wildest basket, blindly flinging the ball in over his head after he got stuck in the lane.
Cavaliers: Improved to 3-0 on a season-long, six-game homestand. ... Outscored the Jazz 29-2 in fastbreak points. ... F Lamar Stevens (right knee soreness) missed his second consecutive game. Stevens had started the previous eight, averaging 6.6 points, 5.9 rebounds while providing stellar defense.
&nbsp;

Donovon Mitchell scored 23 points and Jarrett Allen added 20 and 11 rebounds to lead the Cavaliers to a 122-99 win over the Jazz.

Mitchell scores 23, Cavs blast Jazz, improve to 15-2 at home

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Jarrett Allen&rsquo;s dunk with 2:01 remaining in overtime gave Cleveland a 100-99 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Saturday night, keeping the Cavaliers unbeaten in five OT games this season.
Allen outjumped two defenders to grab a lob from Darius Garland, then slammed home the ball over Christian Wood for the final points in the five-minute session. Kemba Walker had opened OT with a 3-pointer to give Dallas a 99-96 lead.
&ldquo;It was a character win because we just didn&rsquo;t have it tonight,&rdquo; Cavaliers coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;But that wasn&rsquo;t an excuse for the guys. They went out and picked it up defensively, which you&rsquo;ve got to do when your shots aren&rsquo;t falling.&rdquo;
The Mavericks had three opportunities to take the lead in the last minute, including Wood&rsquo;s 30-footer as time expired. Frank Ntilikina was stripped by Donovan Mitchell and Walker&rsquo;s jumper landed between the backboard and the rim on the other two.
Mitchell scored 25 points and Darius Garland had 18 points, seven rebounds and 12 assists for Cleveland, which has the best home record in the NBA at 14-2. Allen added eight points and 15 rebounds, and Evan Mobley had 17 points and eight rebounds.
&ldquo;Nights like this, it&rsquo;s all mental, so you&rsquo;ve got to fight real deep and find that energy,&rdquo; said Mobley, who scored 10 points in the fourth quarter. &ldquo;But we got the stops we needed at the end.&rdquo;
Four-time All-Star guard Walker, who signed with Dallas on Nov. 29, had 32 points and seven assists over 42 minutes in his third game. Wood had 26 points and 14 rebounds, and Hardaway scored 13 points.
Dallas forced OT on Walker&rsquo;s driving layup with 3.5 seconds left in the fourth, tying the score at 96-all. After Mitchell was called for an offensive foul with 0.7 ticks left, Tim Hardaway Jr. missed a half-court shot at the buzzer.
Dallas was without its starting backcourt of Luka Doncic (right quadriceps strain) and Spencer Dinwiddie (right knee maintenance), and center Dwight Powell (left thigh bruise). Doncic is the second-leading scorer in the NBA at 33.0 points per game.
&ldquo;You have to have a next-man up mentality -- and we had a lot of next men up tonight,&rdquo; Mavericks coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;This is the hardest part of our schedule, but we&rsquo;re professionals and we&rsquo;re here.&rdquo;
The Cavaliers are 2-0 on their longest homestand of the season, a six-gamer that runs through Dec. 26. Cleveland is allowing a league-low 104.8 points per game.
Both teams were on the second half of a back-to-back set. The Cavaliers beat Indiana 118-112 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, while the Mavericks did not check into their downtown Cleveland hotel until 3:37 a.m.
TIP-INS
Mavericks: Walker made his first start since Feb. 16 with the Knicks against Brooklyn. Walker, whose career scoring average is 19.4, is with his fourth team in five years. &hellip; G Josh Green (right elbow sprain) and F Maxi Kleber (right hamstring tear) were inactive, and F Davis Bertans (illness) did not play. &hellip; Dallas lost to the Cavaliers for the second time in four days, dropping a 105-90 decision Wednesday.
Cavaliers: F Lamar Stevens (right knee soreness) was unable to play. Stevens started the previous eight games, averaging 6.6 points and 5.9 rebounds. &hellip; Mobley appeared in his 100th NBA game. The second-year pro is one of 11 players in league history to surpass 1,400 points, 800 rebounds, 200 assists and 150 blocks while shooting better than 50% from the field in his first 100 contests.
UP NEXT
Mavericks: At Portland on Monday night.
Cavaliers: Host Utah on Monday night.

Jarrett Allen’s dunk with 2:01 remaining in overtime gave the Cavaliers a 100-99 victory over the Mavericks on Saturday night.

Cavaliers beat Mavericks 100-99 in OT on Jarrett Allen's slam

DALLAS (AP) &mdash; Donovan Mitchell said he was thankful, in a strange way, for the playoff loss to Dallas last season because it helped send him to Cleveland.
The smile said there might have been a bit more adrenaline flowing for the first meeting since then.
Mitchell scored 34 points facing Luka Doncic and the Mavericks for the first time since his final game with Utah last April, and the Cavaliers rolled to a 105-90 victory Wednesday night.
The Jazz lost to Dallas 98-96 at home in Game 6 of the first round in the Western Conference, then Mitchell switched to the East as the centerpiece of a blockbuster offseason trade that vaulted the Cavaliers into the conversation of title contenders.
&ldquo;It could have been anybody,&rdquo; Mitchell said. &ldquo;I think for me it&rsquo;s just understanding at the end of the day, they&rsquo;re kind of the reason I&rsquo;m in Cleveland. So I&rsquo;m thankful I&rsquo;m here. I&rsquo;m glad to be here.&rdquo;
Cleveland had slipped a bit after a strong start, thanks in part to eight losses in the past nine road games, including a surprising defeat at San Antonio to start a two-game Texas swing.
The Cavs found a fix with a 17-0 run in the first half, and now gear up for a season-high six in a row at home, where they are 12-2, starting with Indiana before seeing Dallas again Saturday.
&ldquo;What we do, when we do it right, travels,&rdquo; Cleveland coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;Defense goes everywhere. With us, our defense sets the tone for everything else we do.&rdquo;
Doncic scored 30 points and had the Mavericks within nine late in the third quarter and midway through the fourth.
Mitchell answered Dallas' fourth-quarter surge with a 3-pointer, and the Cavs led by at least 10 the rest of the way.
Mitchell was 13 of 20 overall and 6 of 9 from 3 as the Cavs shot 53%.
Lamar Stevens scored 18 points and was part of a strong defensive first half that limited Doncic to 4-of-13 shooting as Dallas shot 35% and trailed by 19 before the break against one of the NBA's best defenses.
&ldquo;You could look at the subs. You could look at a lot of things,&rdquo; Dallas coach Jason Kidd said. &ldquo;I just think that we just couldn't get in sync. We just couldn&rsquo;t put the ball in the basket.&rdquo;
Cleveland big men Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley had 14 points apiece and limited Doncic's ability to get to the rim, a key facet for the NBA's scoring leader.
&ldquo;They have a pretty big team,&rdquo; said Doncic, who finished 9 of 23 and was held below his averages with five rebounds and six assists. &ldquo;And a great team.&rdquo;
Christian Wood scored 20 points for Dallas.
COUNT TO FIVE
Darius Garland, who scored 12 points, finished the third quarter with three free throws to get Cleveland's lead back to 15. The third freebie was a technical because Dallas had four players on the court coming out of a timeout used for an unsuccessful challenge on Doncic's foul of Garland.
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: Cleveland had four consecutive road wins as part of an 8-1 start. Five straight road losses followed. ... Caris LeVert scored 11 of the Cavs' 13 bench points as Cleveland went just eight deep before emptying the bench in the final two minutes. ... Mobley had seven rebounds and six assists.
Mavericks: G Josh Green missed a third consecutive game with a right elbow sprain, and F Maxi Kleber was out for the second time in three games. Kleber had a sprained right knee this time after right foot soreness kept him out Saturday at Chicago. ... Doncic set a franchise record with a 35th consecutive game with at least 20 points.
&nbsp;
More AP NBA: <a href="https://apnews.com/hub/nba">https://apnews.com/hub/nba</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/AP_Sports">https://twitter.com/AP_Sports</a>

Donovan Mitchell scored 34 points and the Cavaliers rolled to a 105-90 victory over the Dallas Mavericks.

Mitchell leads Cavs to 105-90 win over 2022 playoff foe Mavs

A reporter who typically despises hot takes actually has one begging to be written: Jarrett Allen is the straw that stirs the Cleveland Cavaliers' drink, and he is their most important player.
Somewhat buried beneath Tuesday's nationally-televised marquee showdown between Donovan Mitchell and a returning LeBron James was Allen&rsquo;s comeback to the Cavs. He&rsquo;d been missing for the last five games with a bothered back. In his first game since Nov. 25, the talented center made his first 10 shots, recording a 24-point, 11-rebound, 3-steal stat line in over 38 minutes of action.
Although Evan Mobley gets valuable reps as a ball-handling, jump-shooting, screen-slipping 5-man during his absences &mdash; and what a whale of a job he&rsquo;s done showing off his toolkit &mdash; Allen has a certain presence about him that makes him just as important on the offensive end of the floor as the defensive end.
Prior to Cleveland&rsquo;s road trip that started in Milwaukee, Basketball News <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1595651027667124225?s=20&amp;t=O06c1WaqkEdZPiNWTGSLGw" target="_blank" rel="noopener">asked Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff about Allen&rsquo;s smarts and knowing opponents&rsquo; tendencies</a> on both sides of the floor. Revisiting that concept before Jarrett&rsquo;s eventual return to the court, Bickerstaff added to his previous response to illustrate what he does to open things up for his teammates.
&ldquo;He plays with the vertical spacing that changes the game for everybody. Teams have to make decisions on who's going to stop him at the rim,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said before the Cavs' 116-102 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. &ldquo;Typically the only guy who's out there that can do that is the big, so now, that clears a lane for your guards who are penetrating, who are attacking. And if you want to bring in a third guy and try to stop him early, that creates room for shooters on the perimeter. So teams have to make adjustments and they have to make decisions when Jarrett is on the floor, because that's going to create opportunities for the other guys that are around him.&rdquo;
Vertical spacing. You don&rsquo;t hear that term too often. So many people look for big men to spread the floor in the modern NBA, expanding their shooting range and forcing defenders to have to pay attention on the outside to free-up space to attack. That isn&rsquo;t Allen&rsquo;s version. His is quite the opposite, in fact, as he draws defenders in, leaving Cleveland&rsquo;s perimeter players with good looks or blow-bys for better ones.
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s a thing just in terms in lobs if my man steps up, then he can throw the lob to me and finish it,&rdquo; Allen said after the victory over L.A. &ldquo;A lot of guys can jump in the league but being down there, ready for the lob, I don&rsquo;t even know how to explain it honestly, I&rsquo;m trying to make something up (laughs). Just a thing in the league with lobs and being able to be there whenever your man helps off you."
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Keeping this going, I finally got around to asking Jarrett Allen himself about this concept. Of course in typical JA fashion, it ended with a laugh: "I'm trying to make something up." <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/vbfglkayGm">https://t.co/vbfglkayGm</a> <a href="https://t.co/EW45xj6uSo">pic.twitter.com/EW45xj6uSo</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1600354444851322880?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 7, 2022</a></blockquote>

<script src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>

&ldquo;Just try to find the open area," Allen followed up regarding his offensive approach. "D.G. (Darius Garland) has the amazing floater and Donovan has his pull-up game. My man is going to help and try to contest it. I&rsquo;m just trying to get into the open window where they can find me and dish it to me at the last second.&rdquo;
What Allen is known for is his screen-setting abilities, spearheading a pick-and-roll dynamite duo with both Mitchell and Garland. So when opposing teams send doubles at whichever ball-handler is operating the offense, it leaves just Allen and the basket. Again, an opportunity to cram it or spray it to the corners.
&ldquo;I don&rsquo;t really know where to start. I think the biggest thing is he can do it all,&rdquo; Mitchell said after a win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Nov. 23. &ldquo;He can set hard screens. He can slip out of screens. You can hit him on a half-roll and a lob. You can pass to him and he&rsquo;s able to make a post move and finish. There&rsquo;s just so much to his game that adds onto mine&hellip; There&rsquo;s so much we can do &ndash; him and I together.&rdquo;
&ldquo;I mean, he's huge. He's a big guy. I mean, when he makes contact, he's making real contact,&rdquo; Garland stated at a preseason shootaround on Oct. 12. &ldquo;So I have a lot of room coming downhill and can get to any of my spots. And then he's just right on the rim. A lot of bigs don&rsquo;t want to have their man score, so a lot of bigs like going back to JA on the roll, so that leaves a lot of wide-open layups. When they do help, it leaves the easy lob, it&rsquo;s two points for sure.&rdquo;
Considering both of the Cavs guards are in the NBA&rsquo;s top-15 in getting doubled, it&rsquo;s always helpful to have that kind of option in the middle of the floor to make something happen. And sometimes, you&rsquo;ll see Allen and Mobley execute a high-low to bend the floor.
&ldquo;It goes both ways. Sometimes he's passing it to me, and sometimes I'm passing it to him. We just look out for each other,&rdquo; Mobley said after the Portland win. &ldquo;I feel like we're building that chemistry as well and getting better at it in on a game-to-game basis.&rdquo;
&ldquo;It&rsquo;s super cool to see, been saying it for years now,&rdquo; Garland said following a Nov. 18 victory against the Charlotte Hornets. &ldquo;It&rsquo;s super cool that they have that connection on the floor. The lobs from the 5-man to the 4-man is kind of crazy and it&rsquo;s super cool to see. A lot of teams don&rsquo;t really do that. We feel comfortable when they have the ball in their hands. When our backcourt is getting trapped, we know we can hit them and they can make the right play.&rdquo;
Mitchell has the &ldquo;ultimate confidence&rdquo; in those scenarios.
&ldquo;Teams might resort to blitzing us in certain situations and when you have an outlet, not only just have the outlet, but be able to make plays for himself, for others in pass and certain things. It's kind of like pick your poison, you know?&rdquo; Mitchell added recently. &ldquo;You have us two, then you have those two on top of that who are able to get in there and make plays for everybody."
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There just seems to be a more natural feel to Cleveland&rsquo;s half-court offense when Allen is there &mdash; just going by the eye test. Referring to advanced stats, the Cavs&rsquo; effective field goal percentage and free-throw rate <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4337/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">drops by 3.8% and 2.1% respectively</a>. That ranks in the 89th and 69th percentiles among his peers, per Cleaning the Glass.
Lineup data via PBP Stats helps show his effect on those around him. In the 176 minutes that Garland, Mitchell and Mobley have shared without Allen on the floor, their <a href="https://www.pbpstats.com/wowy-combos/nba?TeamId=1610612739&amp;Season=2022-23&amp;SeasonType=Regular%2BSeason&amp;PlayerIds=1628386,1628378,1629636,1630596" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Offensive Rating as a trio dips by nearly 6 points per 100 possessions</a>. (Ironically, their Net Rating is better &mdash; Mobley is an incredibly versatile defender, and Lamar Stevens has done an admirable job as the team&rsquo;s starting 3).&nbsp;
According to <a href="https://nbacourtoptix.nba.com/en/metrics/ball-screens" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NBA.com&rsquo;s Optix figures</a>, the Cavs are scoring a whopping 1.47 points per possession when Allen sets a screen for Mitchell (9.7 times per game) and 1.13 PPP when he does it for Garland (11.0).&nbsp;
&ldquo;I mean, it, by the numbers, is elite pairings. It's not just as easy as it may look. It's more scientific than we give it credit for,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said Tuesday. &ldquo;Understanding angles, understanding timing, understanding defenses and rotations &mdash; it's calculated. I think from both standpoints, Jarrett has the calculations down, the guards have the calculations down. It's just more so about them playing more together and the more they play together, the more lethal it's gonna be.&rdquo;
&ldquo;With Donovan, I like to flip the screens more,&rdquo; Allen said a couple of weeks ago at a morning practice. &ldquo;He likes getting downhill. I&rsquo;m not going to give away all the secrets, but he likes getting downhill and going a certain way. So instead of setting it how I would for Darius, I might flip the screen for Donovan.&rdquo;
Allen is cerebral, physical and, most impressively, a presence that elevates his Cavs teammates to the incredible performances we&rsquo;ve seen on a nightly basis.
&ldquo;I mean, he's in the right place the majority of the time. It's a simple concept, but he always goes where the defense isn&rsquo;t,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said after the Cavs' win over Portland. &ldquo;And a lot of guys have a hard time figuring that out. But it's one of the things that he does, like for a big guy who's not a three-point threat, how do you create space for your teammates, in small spaces? And I think Jarrett does a great job of just finding those gaps and where to position himself where he creates enough space where big guys have to make tough decisions. Do you stop the ball, or do you give up a dunk? A lot of times you look out there and big guys are just in the way and it ruins the spacing for everybody else. But he does a great job of creating room for those guys to operate.&rdquo;
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At this point, we all know about his abilities as an anchor on defense, and his coach and teammates continue to demand recognition as a DPOY candidate. It's not just about the blocked and altered shots, but more significantly, the freedom it gives his teammates to put more pressure on the ball and roam around.
&ldquo;When he's in there, he usually protects rim and I just help him. So I have a lot of more freelance ability to really move around and help where I see fit, and I feel like I play that role really well,&rdquo; Mobley said last month after the Charlotte game.
Mitchell and Garland have highlighted this time and time again throughout the season.
&ldquo;You know, when you've got guards who are dynamic like Trae [Young], Dejounte [Murray] getting downhill, all you've gotta do as a guard is kinda just stay in space and kinda funnel them down there to both Ev and JA. But you noticed it when JA was out, things weren't too great, and it's tough just to be down there when it's Ev and say, a Lamar. Lamar is not... we know we're not 7 feet,&rdquo; Mitchell said on Nov. 21 after beating the Atlanta Hawks. &ldquo;So being able to have two of those guys down there [is] the foundations of our defense. But definitely with JA back blocking shots, deterring shots and even forcing guys to travel because they don't wanna go up there for a shot &mdash; I think that's something that, you don't notice it on the stat sheet, but you see it when you're watching the game, and they bring it every night.&rdquo;
&ldquo;Everybody says that he's the Defensive-Player-of-the-Year-caliber player and our team thinks the same of him. Just having like an agility 7-footer like that, it helps a lot,&rdquo; Garland said after defeating the Blazers. &ldquo;I mean, JA is super smart. He sees everything early, he just knows everything, like really early. So, he sees it and just reacts really quickly so it's good to see.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
It amazes me how Jarrett Allen knows what teams are going to do before they do it on both ends of the floor. I wanted Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell to provide their perspective. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/basketbllnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@basketbllnews</a> <a href="https://t.co/87FN2jSN2e">pic.twitter.com/87FN2jSN2e</a>
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1595626743691644928?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 24, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Allen keeps defenders from getting second chances too, which is a part of defense that might not be appreciated as much. But the defensive metrics in general match what his teammates say about him.
According to Cleaning the Glass, Cleveland allows 7.8 points more per 100 possessions when he&rsquo;s not on the floor. And when he is on the court, the Cavs&rsquo; Defensive Rating as a team is just 104.4. That puts him in <a href="https://cleaningtheglass.com/stats/player/4337/onoff#tab-team_efficiency" target="_blank" rel="noopener">the 98th percentile in the NBA</a>, and it shows what leading by example truly means.
&ldquo;That's what Jarrett does. We go through our expectations of guys, like, that's his way of leading is a willing to do all the things that most people aren't willing to do. And that forces everybody else around him to do the same,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said following an Oct. 23 win over the Washington Wizards. &ldquo;But it's, I mean, what he's capable of and the impact that he can have on that end of the floor, at that size, the versatility. I mean, like he's a Defensive Player of the Year candidate every single year. And I think it's time that we acknowledge that.&rdquo;
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Go back to last season when Allen broke his finger. Cleveland&rsquo;s defense suffered, which made its offense suffer, which made the team suffer. The Cavs were 35-21 in the games that Allen played in. They went 7-11 after that point, and were 9-17 overall without Jarrett. Even in the previous season when he was traded from the Brooklyn Nets, this kind of impact was obvious to the naked eye.
With the roster turnover since then, it could be interpeted as foolish to compare that to the present day. Not in this writer&rsquo;s eyes, as the Cavs are 2-4 in games without Allen this season, and the trend continues. (Mobley has gotten better and the team has started to learn how to operate on defense with Allen the middle, to be fair. However, it just doesn't seem the same.)
On a nightly basis, we&rsquo;ve marveled over a number of sensational performances. With Mitchell, Garland and Mobley, you&rsquo;re going to see that more often than not.
While that may be the case, Allen is the ingredient that blends the Cavs together and makes that group's individual talent thrive alongside one another in a team setting. He cannot be viewed as an unsung hero any longer.
Jarrett Allen is literally an All-Star in his role &mdash; one that appears to be the most crucial for Cleveland to succeed.
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Two things: 1) I love watching Marcus Smart compete. Dude is built and knows how to use his muscle. 2) At some point, Jarrett Allen needs recognition from everybody as more than an unsung hero for <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Cavs?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Cavs</a>. He shows up every night and consistently is one of the best at his job.
&mdash; Spencer Davies (@SpinDavies) <a href="https://twitter.com/SpinDavies/status/1587995991852154881?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 3, 2022</a></blockquote>

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Spencer Davies dives into Jarrett Allen's meaning to the Cavs, and why he is crucial to their success.

Not just an unsung hero: Jarrett Allen, an All-Star in his Cavs role

CLEVELAND (AP) &mdash; Caris LeVert scored 22 points off the bench, Darius Garland had 21 points and nine assist and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Philadelphia 76ers 113-85 on Wednesday night.
Donovan Mitchell added 18 points and six assists for Cleveland, which led by a season-high 33 points in the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers are 9-1 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the third-best home mark in the NBA.
All-Star center Joel Embiid led Philadelphia across the board with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists, and Shake Milton scored 14 points. The 76ers had their three-game win streak snapped in the opener of a three-game trip.
Cleveland built multiple 30-point leads in the second half before pushing it out to 109-76 on LeVert's 3-pointer. LeVert also had six rebounds and four assists, and Evan Mobley scored 16 first-half points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Philadelphia&rsquo;s starting backcourt of All-Star James Harden and Tyrese Maxey remains out with injuries. The 76ers had won five straight over Cleveland.
The Cavaliers played without All-Star center Jarrett Allen, who missed his third consecutive game with a low back bruise.
Cleveland scored 44 points in the second quarter, two shy of its franchise record, to carry a 69-48 advantage into the break. Mobley went 8 of 10 from the field in the first half, soundly outplaying Embiid.
Embiid missed a pair of technical free throws and was whistled for one of his own in his second game back after missing four straight with a sprained left mid-foot.
Two-way forward Mamadi Diakite made his first NBA start for Cleveland, scoring six.
STEPPING UP
76ers G De&rsquo;Anthony Melton was acquired from Memphis over the summer to add depth off the bench, but has started 12 games since Harden was hurt.
Melton, who is averaging 11.0 points and 3.3 assists, extended the NBA&rsquo;s longest active streak of games with multiple steals to seven.
&ldquo;De&rsquo;Anthony is a very easy guy to play with, but I don&rsquo;t think he loves being the primary ballhandler at times,&rdquo; coach Doc Rivers said. &ldquo;We told him if you want to get respect in the locker room, go out and stop somebody. De&rsquo;Anthony has done that.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
76ers: Harden (right foot tendon strain) missed his 13th consecutive game and G Jaden Springer (right quad strain) sat out his eighth in a row. &hellip; Maxey (left foot fracture) was injured against Milwaukee on Nov. 18 and could return in mid-December. &hellip; Two-way G Julian Champagnie is on a G League assignment with Delaware.
Cavaliers: F Kevin Love (right thumb fracture) has missed six of the past seven games since breaking his thumb on Nov. 18 against Charlotte. &ldquo;So much of what he does is with his hands, so we&rsquo;re trying to get it to calm down,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. &hellip; F Lamar Stevens (non-COVID illness) was unavailable for the fourth straight game.

Caris LeVert scored 22 points off the bench, and the Cleveland Cavaliers routed the Philadelphia 76ers 113-85.

Caris LeVert scores 22 points, Cavaliers rout 76ers 113-85

TORONTO (AP) &mdash; Pascal Siakam had 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return from injury, O.G. Anunoby scored 20 and the Toronto Raptors beat the Cleveland Cavaliers 100-88 on Monday night.
Gary Trent Jr. added 14 points, Fred VanVleet had 13 and Scottie Barnes 11 as the Raptors improved to 8-2 at home.
Siakam returned after missing 10 games because of a strained right adductor. The All-Star forward was injured when he slipped and fell in the third quarter of a Nov. 4 loss at Dallas. Toronto went 5-5 in his absence.
&ldquo;He was really good,&rdquo; Raptors coach Nick Nurse said. &ldquo;Looked really like he hadn&rsquo;t missed a beat.&rdquo;
Siakam shot 7 for 14 and made one of three from 3-point range.
&ldquo;Watching Pascal play is just like, &lsquo;Wow,&rsquo;&rdquo; Barnes said. &ldquo;Every move he makes, the step-backs, the spin moves, double spin moves. It&rsquo;s great to have him back out there on the floor.&rdquo;
Barnes returned after missing two games because of a sprained left knee. Last season&rsquo;s NBA Rookie of the Year came off the bench for the first time in a regular-season game.
Evan Mobley had 18 points and 15 rebounds and Darius Garland added 18 points and 10 assists, but the Cavaliers lost north of the border for the second time.
&ldquo;They have to come see us twice at home, too,&rdquo; Garland said. &ldquo;Hopefully we get them back twice.&rdquo;
Cleveland won eight straight following a season-opening loss at Toronto, and returned to Canada having won five of its past six.
But the Cavaliers shot 7 for 38 from 3-point range, their fewest made 3s of the season and their lowest percentage at .184.
&ldquo;Shots just didn&rsquo;t fall for us tonight,&rdquo; coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.
Cleveland matched its previous season low with eight 3-pointers in Sunday&rsquo;s win at Detroit.
Cleveland was 3 for 11 from long distance in the first quarter, 3 for 10 in the second and 0 for 8 in the third. Caris LeVert connected with 2:17 to play in the fourth, giving the Cavs their only 3-pointer in 17 second-half attempts.
Siakam made Toronto&rsquo;s first two baskets and scored eight points in a seven-minute stint in the first quarter. The Raptors led 26-24 after one.
&ldquo;He made tough shots in that first half,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;That gave them energy, gave them a boost.&rdquo;
Siakam scored nine points in the second and VanVleet added seven as the Raptors made four of six from 3-point range to lead 52-43 at halftime.
Toronto took an 80-67 lead into the fourth.
MITCHELL&rsquo;S MISERY
Cavs guard Donovan Mitchell went 3 for 11 and scored a season-low eight points. Mitchell was held below 20 for the third time in 21 games.
&ldquo;I just think he had a night,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;That was it. Always give the Raptors credit. There were shots Donovan had that Donovan takes and makes typically. I think it was just one of those nights.&rdquo;
BACK IN ACTION
LeVert returned after missing four games because of a sprained left ankle. He scored eight points in 29 minutes and shot 2 for 9.
&ldquo;He&rsquo;s got to get out and play,&rdquo; Bickerstaff said. &ldquo;It was good for him to get those reps down the stretch.&rdquo;
TIP-INS
Cavaliers: C Jarrett Allen (sore lower back) sat out for the second consecutive game. F Lamar Stevens (non-COVID-19 illness) missed his third straight, while F Kevin Love (broken right thumb) missed his fourth in a row.
Raptors: Barnes was a reserve in Game 4 of Toronto&rsquo;s first-round playoff series last season, when he was returning from an ankle injury. &hellip; Trent came off the bench, ending a streak of 85 consecutive starting appearances. &hellip; F Otto Porter Jr. (dislocated toe, left foot) missed his fifth straight game.
UP NEXT
Cavaliers: Host the Philadelphia 76ers on Wednesday night.
Raptors: Visit the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday night.
___
AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports

Pascal Siakam had 18 points and 11 rebounds in his return from injury, O.G. Anunoby scored 20 and the Raptors beat the Cavaliers.

Siakam scores 18 in return, Raptors beat Cavaliers 100-88

Cementing himself within an NBA rotation for the first time in his career, Charlotte Hornets big man Nick Richards is the only active Jamaican player in the league.&nbsp;
He joins only seven others from the country to have accomplished that, including the legendary Patrick Ewing (and his son Pat), Jerome Jordan, Samardo Samuels, Omari Johnson, Rumeal Robinson and Wayne Sappleton.
He looked up to Ewing for certain, but having competed in every sport when he was growing up, Richards idolized one of his countrymen in particular.
&ldquo;Usain Bolt,&rdquo; Richards told Basketball News at last Friday morning&rsquo;s shootaround in Cleveland. &ldquo;When I was younger, I played track and field.&rdquo;
A 7-foot, 245-pound behemoth of a man, Richards is taking his opportunity to show the NBA what he&rsquo;s made of and running with it &mdash; just like his hero.
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Entering last weekend, Charlotte&rsquo;s backup big came in as the league leader in Offensive Rating (137.4) on a strikingly efficient 68.2% True Shooting percentage over a career-high 19.0 minutes per contest.
Veteran center and Hornets teammate Mason Plumlee jokingly answered for him before Richards could respond to hearing those numbers: I want some more minutes!
&ldquo;Best vet in the world (laughs). I don't know how I feel about that honestly. Maybe Mase is right?&rdquo; a grinning Richards said, leaning back in his chair courtside.
&ldquo;It feels good to get some minutes, get some reps in. The past couple of games, [I&rsquo;ve] been getting into a good flow. Just feeling good. I'm contributing to my team in a positive way. But honestly, we should be able to get more wins under our belts. We should just learn from every single game and just try to get better from every single loss that we have so far. Just locking in on details, just getting better at playing for 48 minutes. As [Hornets head coach Steve Clifford] said, we don't want to play good for [just] 30 minutes and not 48.&rdquo;
(Note: Richards now ranks third in Offensive Rating [134.8] with a slight dip to 66.2% TS. He's increased his minutes average to 19.5 per game.)
An instant-impact player with the Hornets&rsquo; second unit, Richards has been making the most of his newfound opportunity. Over the last two seasons, his playing time was sporadic, honing his skills with the Greensboro Swarm in the G League as a rookie, then, observing the guys who&rsquo;ve been in front of him in the rotation with the big club.
&ldquo;Honestly I feel like the first two years were really good, were really more important years for me,&rdquo; Richards said. &ldquo;I sat back and learned from my vets that are in front of me. Just watched them and how they play on the floor, and just try to duplicate that.&rdquo;
Richards wasted no time doing it. To start the season, he put together two double-doubles in three games, collecting a combined 39 points and 21 rebounds as Charlotte started its campaign with a 2-1 record. Over his last two contests, he's produced 24 points and 24 rebounds in total, notching back-to-back double-doubles.
To this point, Richards is putting up 18.1 points and 12.0 rebounds per 36 minutes.
&ldquo;I think [it&rsquo;s] just his approach. Being consistent in this league is hard to achieve. For him, he's really been consistent for us. And I think as a teammate, you appreciate that, the staff appreciates that,&rdquo; Plumlee told Basketball News. "Obviously he had the games earlier in the year where he had incredible numbers, and I think he'll have more games like that, but just knowing what you're gonna get every night is a sign of maturity.&rdquo;
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-theme="dark">
Nick Richards said NO 🚫 (via <a href="https://twitter.com/HornetsOnBally?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@HornetsOnBally</a>)<a href="https://t.co/7vRsIlwk16">pic.twitter.com/7vRsIlwk16</a>
&mdash; Dime (@DimeUPROXX) <a href="https://twitter.com/DimeUPROXX/status/1593778914496860163?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">November 19, 2022</a></blockquote>

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One aspect of Richards&rsquo; breakout that Plumlee enjoys is watching him take the mantle while taking a breather.
&ldquo;It makes me feel great, and for our team, it really gives us a chance,&rdquo; Plumlee explained. &ldquo;What's been fun is like... our rotation is consistent, but other teams do it differently. So to see him match up with the starting bigs too and do his thing has also been exciting.&rdquo;
Explosiveness plays a key part in Richards&rsquo; success. He is all over the glass to keep possessions alive, trailing only Steven Adams with his 16.6% Offensive Rebound percentage, <a href="https://www.basketball-reference.com/leagues/NBA_2023_advanced.html#advanced_stats::orb_pct" target="_blank" rel="noopener">per Basketball-Reference</a>. In addition, the Kentucky alum is scoring 1.42 points per possession on putbacks, <a href="https://basketball.instatscout.com/players/476499/playtypes" target="_blank" rel="noopener">according to InStat</a>.
&ldquo;I can get up, but I have to load a little more," Plumlee said of Richards' athleticism. "He's quicker. He's a quicker jumper. Some of his dunks are really impressive."
&ldquo;Honestly something Coach [Clifford] has been telling me is to try to gather myself more instead of just trying to get it up there quicker. But I'll probably focus on that,&rdquo; Richards explained. &ldquo;Instead of just going straight up, you just try to gather and try to dunk the ball.&rdquo;
Asked to elaborate why Charlotte is asking Richards to use that gather more, Clifford said it had to do with him getting his shot blocked too often.
"If he gets a little bit lower, he gets his eyes up, he can read the defense better to me and still make a quick move," Clifford said. "Or, you know what they say, 'Look up and look out.' If everybody's here [in the paint], just touch the ball out sometimes too. So I think that's part of his development also."
Richards&rsquo; screening and handoff abilities are helping his teammates too. Among <a href="https://go.nba.com/gj2gb" target="_blank" rel="noopener">two-man combinations that the Hornets employ</a> (min. 100 minutes), he and Terry Rozier lead the pack with a plus-20.4 Net Rating. Next is teaming up with a rejuvenated Dennis Smith Jr. (15.2), and then, the Richards-Kelly Oubre Jr. duo (7.2). There&rsquo;s also a great rapport with LaMelo Ball, though they&rsquo;ve only played three games together so far this year.
&ldquo;We have really, really good guys that play really well off the pick-and-roll. That's really what our offense is based around,&rdquo; Richards said of freeing his teammates up for good looks. &ldquo;So it's just more about knowing your role on the team and just also playing your game within that role."
"I think right now he's the 35th-best screener in the league, which is important to me," Clifford said on Friday. "I think for our team, when we get everybody back, we have three guys who have the potential to be really good pick-and-roll players, and you need a good screener. And he's a good screener and he's getting better. He's improving that way. His screening on the ball and off the ball."
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As a roller, Richards is seeing some progress as well. He is getting smarter when it comes to diving hard toward the bucket, and has begun timing his cuts at the right moments.
"I think he locks into the things that make him play well. He doesn't worry about the other things," Clifford added. "He runs, he rebounds, he brings physicality, he screens, and he's gonna develop into a good roller. And if he does those things, I think he understands that those are important skills to have in this league. It makes him unique."
As we approach the quarter mark of the NBA season, Nick Richards seems to be finding his niche, and Plumlee and Clifford both recognize that growth and potential in real time.
&ldquo;I think he's having a great year,&rdquo; Plumlee said. &ldquo;I think he's impacted the game every time he's in it, and he's impacted both ends. He's getting us second-chance points, he's defending the rim, he's running the floor hard and he's been a big boost for our bench.&rdquo;
"You look at Jarrett Allen, what's he do? He runs, he sprints to the rim, he protects the rim; he's a terrific player," Clifford said. "And I think Nick understands that he can become as good as he wants to be by getting good at those things. Those are skills that a lot of guys don't appreciate."

Spencer Davies sits down with Nick Richards to talk about his fast start with the Hornets, his incredible efficiency and more.

Nick Richards boasting solid screen skills while boosting Hornets bench

MONTREAL (AP) &mdash; OG Anunoby scored 32 points and Scottie Barnes added 25 as the Toronto Raptors defeated the Boston Celtics 137-134 in overtime Friday on the final night of NBA preseason play.
Precious Achiuwa had 18 points and eight rebounds for the Raptors, including the game-sealing rebound after Boston's Payton Pritchard missed a potential game-tying shot and a chance to force a second OT.
Khem Birch, playing in his hometown, was the starting center for the Raptors. He finished with four points, four rebounds and two assists. The Bell Centre crowd got a chance to cheer on their local player when Birch drove to the net for a dunk in the first quarter.
Derrick White and Jaylen Brown each scored 23 points for the Celtics. Jayson Tatum added 21 points and five assists. Marcus Smart finished with 15 points.
The teams were tied at 127 at the end of regulation after Toronto&rsquo;s Josh Jackson made one of two free throws with 21.5 seconds left. The Celtics had a chance to avoid overtime, but shots by Pritchard and Sam Hauser in the closing seconds were off the mark.
In the extra period, Toronto scored the first seven points and held on for the win.
ROCKETS 122, PACERS 114
Jalen Green hit 10 of 15 shots and scored 33 points as Houston beat host Indiana to finish the preseason with four wins in five games.
Green made 4 of 7 shots from 3-point range and all nine of his free throws. Kevin Porter Jr. had 22 points and seven rebounds, and Alperen Sengun finished with 12 points, five assists and four rebounds.
Buddy Hield led the Pacers with 19 points. Bennedict Mathurin, the sixth overall pick in last summer&rsquo;s draft from Arizona, continued his solid preseason play by posting 18 points and five rebounds.
MAGIC 114, CAVALIERS 108
Paolo Banchero, the top pick in this year&rsquo;s draft, scored 17 points on 6-for-12 shooting as host Orlando used a second-half rally to beat Cleveland.
Banchero also had five rebounds and two assists. Cole Anthony scored 14 points, and Franz Wagner added 13. Caleb Houstan scored 11 for Orlando, which outscored Cleveland 62-53 after halftime.
Isaac Okoro led the Cavaliers with 17 points on 6-for-7 shooting. Claris LeVert had 15 points, and Lamar Stevens added 12.
The Cavaliers gave most of their starters, including Kevin Love, Darius Garland and recently acquired Donovan Mitchell, the night off. But Cleveland big man Evan Mobley was back in the lineup after injuring his right ankle earlier in the preseason.
Mobley finished with eight points, going 1 for 4 from the field and making 6 of 8 free throws in 17 minutes.
KNICKS 105, WIZARDS 89
Jalen Brunson, signed in the offseason with hopes of providing steady point guard play, scored 27 points to lead host New York past Washington.
Brunson, who signed a four-year deal with the Knicks, was 10 of 16 from the field and handed out five assists. Mitchell Robinson scored 20 and RJ Barrett added 19. Robinson and Barrett each had 12 rebounds as the Knicks controlled the boards 66-40.
New York dominating inside throughout, outscoring Washington in the paint 58-36.
Rui Hachimura led the Wizards with 20 points and eight rebounds. Bradley Beal finished with 16 points, five rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes. Monte Morris chipped in 10 points.
NETS 112, TIMBERWOLVES 102
Kyrie Irving scored 26 points in 30 minutes as visiting Brooklyn defeated Minnesota.
Kevin Durant added 20 points in 31 minutes for the Nets, and Day&rsquo;Ron Sharped added 15 points. Ben Simmons fouled out in 13 minutes, scoring two points and handing out six assists.
The game provided a look at the Timberwolves bigger front line with Rudy Gobert, acquired in the summer, and Karl-Anthony Towns. Gobert was perfect on six shots and finished with 16 points, eight rebounds and four steals in 30 minutes. Towns had 15 points and nine rebounds in 33.
D&rsquo;Angelo Russell led the Timberwolves with 17 points and six assists, while Anthony Edwards added 12 points on 4-for-14 shooting from the field.

OG Anunoby scored 32 points and Scottie Barnes added 25 as the Raptors defeated the Celtics 137-134 in overtime Friday on the final night of NBA preseason play.