Donovan Mitchell, James Harden, Cleveland Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the NBA. Winners of nine of their last ten and four overall, it has all started coming together for the team. The trade deadline seems to have help them reset and find the things they were missing.
The trade to land Keon Ellis and Dennis Schroder from the Kings helped them add toughness and secondary playmaking off the bench. Bringing in James Harden has given them an elite offensive player both in terms of scoring and timely facilitating.
Not even leading for more than a few seconds against Nikola Jokic and the Nuggets, clutch play helped the team to pull off an improbable win.
James Harden hit a late three, and Donovan Mitchell broke the tie at the FT line with 0.9 left.
Let’s talk about some of the major takeaways from this game.
Three Major Takeaways from Cavs Win over Nuggets
Every list of takeaways for the Cavs right now has to start with Donovan Mitchell. Snubbed from being an All-Star starter, he has turned his play up to an even higher level than it was when he was scoring 29 points per night. He dropped 32 with 10 assists, delivering the game-winning free-throws in the final moments.
The takeaway for Mitchell of course, is that he is that guy. A likely All-NBA performer this year, he’s a huge part of the team having the record they do and success they have had of late.
Takeaway number two is on the Nuggets side, and it’s that no matter who’s hurt or out, the team will find a way to be in every game. Nikola Jokic was doing his thing for much of the night, before being unable to get anything to go in the last two minutes. There is a clear-cut reason why Jamal Murray finally got an All-Star nod with his elevated play.
Denver is going to challenge in the West to try and go win the title, and having Peyton Watson and Aaron Gordon back then, will put them in position to do so. The fact is, they have had injuries to every key guy, and yet, they sit at #3 in a loaded conference. They are more than capable.
With one more takeaway left in the game, follow along to the next section for more.
Donovan Mitchell, New Cavs Chemistry Working
The final takeaway of the night is that the camaraderie and trust the new-look Cavs in one another is their key to winning. The gravity of James Harden to draw defenders and find shooters helped them get back into the game. When it was on the line, Donovan Mitchell trusted his new 11X All-Star teammate, and he delivered the tying shot.
Jarrett Allen has had a double-double in four straight games. After a historic 40-16-5 last week, he’s continued to bring it. His late-game involvement last night goes right to the addition of Harden and how well he keeps players involved. Big dunks and lay-ups in the final few minutes from The Fro wwas integral to the win with his 22 points and 13 rebounds.
Harden put up his double-double, ending with 22-10-7. Not to mention his four blocks. Donovan Mitchell won the game at the line and had 32 points and 10 assists while not having to over-exert himself. Late buckets too from Jaylon Tyson and Sam Merrill proved that having shooters around The Beard is almost unstoppable.
2-0 with Harden, they were win their fourth straight in the head-to-head with Denver.
A fantastic win from Cleveland.