Player Grades: Cavs vs Celtics – Evan Mobley shines in bummer game
· Yahoo Sports
The Cleveland Cavaliers fell 109-98 to the Boston Celtics.
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All grades are based on our usual expectations for each player.
James Harden
19 points, 10 assists, 4 rebounds
This game might have been different if Harden were more assertive at the start. Cleveland eventually found success in the second half by spamming the classic Harden pick-and-roll. With Neemias Queta on the floor for 53 minutes and being a giant weak point in pick-and-roll, it is puzzling that it took the Cavs so long to start picking on him.
Grade: B
Donovan Mitchell
30 points, 7 rebounds, 5 assists
We’ve seen Mitchell put the team on his back before. Many times in this specific matchup. But it’s not a great sign that Mitchell is being tasked with carrying the offense to this degree. It can bring out the worst in both Mitchell and the team at large. I wouldn’t say we saw the absolute worst of either of those things today, as Mitchell finished 9-18 from the floor, but it was far from ideal.
The Cavs are at their best when the ball is humming. Boston forces them into playing isolation basketball. That’s contributed to some of Mitchell’s high-scoring performances, but it leans into the Celtics’ style.
Grade: B
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Evan Mobley
24 points, 8 rebounds, 1 assist, 3 blocks
This was one of Mobley’s better games this season. He took advantage of his favorable matchup and even managed to lift the Cavs with a pair of three-pointers. His defense, as usual, was superb. The Cavs just didn’t have enough firepower around him for this to tip the scales.
Grade: A-
Jaylon Tyson
8 points, 6 rebounds, 1 assist
Boston provides a tough challenge for Tyson. They don’t give as much space in the pick-and-roll due to their willingness to switch everything. That limits Tyson on a day when he shot 2-6 from downtown.
Grade: C+
Dennis Schroder
2 points, 2 assists, 3 rebounds
This wasn’t one of Schroder’s strong performances. He fell asleep off-ball a handful of times and conceded some easy looks for Boston’s offense.
Grade: D–
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Sam Merrill
5 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds
Merrill wasn’t able to free himself for most of the day. Boston did a fantastic job suppressing him as a three-point shooter. The few open looks he had didn’t drop. He finished 1-7 from downtown.
Grade: D+
Keon Ellis
0 points, 3 rebounds, 0 assists
Ellis helped to keep this game somewhat under control with his defense. This would have been a 30+ point loss without someone setting the tone. But he didn’t do enough to change anything truly, and he went scoreless, shooting 0-1 from the field.
Grade: D
Dean Wade
5 points, 4 assists, 5 rebounds
Wade committed a couple of tough luck fouls throughout the game, but was otherwise helpful on defense. I can’t say Wade was great on offense, but he wasn’t bad either. This was a fine game. Just OK.
Grade: B–
Thomas Bryant
3 points, 2 rebounds
Look, we’ve given Bryant plenty of credit recently. So it brings me no joy to say this was his worst game as a Cavalier. Poor shot selection and even worse mobility on defense. That’s tough. Bryant finished 1-6 from the floor.
Grade: F