CLEVELAND, Ohio — The Cavaliers didn’t look like a team on the second night of a back-to-back Saturday night — at least for the first 24 minutes.
Doing nearly everything right in a dazzling first half, the Cavaliers appeared to have ended the competitive part of the evening when they went to the locker room with a 81-52 lead at the break. But the final 24 minutes was considerably wobblier — the offense disappeared as the Cavs mustered just 24 points over the first 18 minutes of the half. As a result, the Kings closed to within seven midway through the fourth quarter before Cleveland settled down for a 117-103 victory.
The Kings went on a 19-4 run to start the final quarter, trailing just 103-96 with six minutes left. But Jarrett Allen hit four free throws and Ricky Rubio connected on a pair of 3-pointers down the stretch to end the Kings’ comeback.
The first half, though, was another example of the team using the strategy that’s led to the 5-2 start to December with a collective approach.
Darius Garland continued to show his growth as a floor general with 16 points, seven rebounds and a career-high 13 assists. Evan Mobley’s potential was on full display all over the court with 15 points and 15 rebounds. The 3-and-D ability of Isaac Okoro flashed constantly with 20 points. Then Cedi Osman provided the spark off the bench, making his first six shots — four from three-point range — leading to 18 first-half points.
The Cavs spent the first half shooting 61.2 percent and 50 percent from three while the Kings struggled (39.3% shooting, 20% from deep, 58.3% at the line). Both teams played Friday night and a sluggish start was reasonable.
But the Cavaliers, who improved to 15-12, were nearly flawless when it mattered to start a three-game homestand. Miami visits on Monday.
The Cavs established an 11-3 lead heading into the first media timeout and went up double digits for the first time midway through the first quarter. The lead was less than 10 only once the rest of the half when the Kings started the second quarter with layups from Buddy Hield and Tyrese Haliburton, making it 36-27. But Garland quickly responded with a three as the Cavs ran away.
On a night when the Kings struggled to have success doing much of anything, guard Buddy Hield provided one of the few bright spots. The sixth man led the way with 21 points. The Kings ended the night shooting 44.1 percent and 25 percent from three.
Cleveland ended the night with seven players scoring in double figures — shooting 46.6 percent and 38.7 percent from three.
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