Craig Porter Jr. was a standout tonight.
The Cleveland Cavaliers held on for dear life as they beat the Denver Nuggets 113-108 in a three-point shootout. Let’s see who won and lost the night.
WINNER – Craig Porter Jr.
This has been the best week in years for Craig Porter Jr. Island. The once undrafted guard is forcing his way into Cleveland’s rotation, playing a brand of basketball that feels more sustainable than before.
Kenny Atkinson has anointed Porter as the backup guard for the moment. He played all of Lonzo Ball’s usual minutes in the previous two games and was the first off the bench tonight, even though Zo eventually got back on the floor.
Porter has made the most of his opportunity. He made a big impact in the last two games despite not scoring the ball much. Tonight, he pushed past double-digits with a pair of huge three-pointers and confident drives to the basket.
The Cavs challenged Porter to be a scrappier player this summer. He’s continued to embrace that challenge by clawing, scratching and fighting for every loose ball. Porter has 21 rebounds over his last three games.
LOSER – Perimeter Defense
Given all of Denver’s injuries entering this game, mainly the lack of Nikola Jokic, you’d think the Cavs would be able to zero in on Jamal Murray and ensure he doesn’t burn them.
He burned them anyway.
Murray had 16 of Denver’s 24 points in the first quarter and ended the half with 28 points. He converted on some difficult shots, but he also had more than his fair share of quality looks. Cleveland’s point-of-attack couldn’t contain him.
It would be one thing if the Cavs had the approach of staying home on Denver’s supporting cast and daring Murray to beat them all on his own. But this wasn’t the plan. Cleveland sent numerous traps at Murray throughout this game, and it didn’t matter. They were too weak in their attempts to swarm him and too slow to rotate and recover away from Murray.
There’s a version of this game where the Cavs blitzed Murray and won the game comfortably. It took them until the second half, and particularly the fourth quarter, to finally crack the code. Denver only had 11 points in the final frame. It took a minute, but it was an effort worth commemorating, considering it ended in a win.
LOSER – Taking Care of the Ball
The Cavs were shooting the lights out for most of this game. At one point, in the third quarter, they were above 50% from downtown. Yet Cleveland found themselves trailing by 10 points during that stretch despite their red-hot shooting.
This is partly because of their defense, but even more so, because they kept turning the ball over.
Denver was outscoring the Cavaliers 14-2 in points off turnovers when they took their lead. Multiple live-action turnovers led directly to breakaway layups. Add in the fact that the Nuggets were also shooting well-above 40% from deep, and Cleveland’s turnovers effectively neutralized their own efficient shooting.
Fortunately, Cleveland’s shooting kept them in the game and eventually pushed them over the top. But taking better care of the ball would have helped them get there more easily.
WINNER – Soul Crushing Rebounds
With the game on the line and a two-point lead hanging in the balance, Donovan Mitchell attempted a desperation three-point jumper. It was off the mark. But a long miss led to a chaotic rebound — ending in Jarrett Allen bringing down the board and dishing it back to Mitchell to make it a two-possession game.
The Cavs have been on the wrong end of those soul-crushing second-chance points. Far too many times, actually.
So to be on the right end of it for once was something worth celebrating. It feels good to bury your opponent like that.
Category: General Sports
