CLEVELAND, Ohio – When the Cleveland Cavaliers drafted Evan Mobley with the No. 3 overall pick in the NBA Draft last June, he was dubbed “The Piece.”
Monday night at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse he could have been nicknamed “The Closer,” because he was indeed “The Diff” in the Cavs 120-111 win over the Los Angeles Clippers in overtime.
“He understands the moment. And it's that simple conversation we had about the sense of urgency and the importance of these final 16 games,” said Cavaliers head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. “He took it to heart and then he's got the skill on top of it to impact winning. And he was phenomenal.”
Mobley dominated, particularly in the second half on his way to a career-high 30 points, on 13-of-32 shooting, six rebounds and one HUGE block on the defensive end to put the Clips away.
“He can change the game. He is elite with his timing and quickness and ability to read guys when they leave their feet in blocked shots without fouling,” Bickerstaff said. “It makes it extremely difficult for guys when they go in there. You know, they're just throwing up Hail Mary’s because they can't see the rankings covering them up.”
The rookie has been expected to be the key in turning this Cavs team from pretender into contender. Against the Clippers, he was the difference maker in a key win over the Clippers that kept the Cavs in the thick of the Eastern Conference playoff race.
Things had gotten a little stuffy for the Cavaliers. Once owners of the third best record in the East at the All-Star break, they had fallen on hard times. Coming into Monday evening’s game, they were just 3-7 in their last ten games and had slipped to sixth place.
“We talked about this morning shootaround,” Mobley said. “We had like a little speech about where we are and what we’ve got to do to keep moving forward. I feel like tonight we executed.”
Mobley executed in nearly every area of the floor. He finished the night with 24 points from the paint and was also 1-for-3 from beyond the arc.
“I’m just going out there and being aggressive,” Mobley said. “I feel like my teammates have put me in good spots to score the ball as well as defend, so I'm really just trying to get better and that's what I've been doing so far.”
Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse has been a comfortable place for the Cavs this season, as the Wine and Gold have posted a 21-11 record following a win over the Clippers. Despite a roster in turmoil due to injuries, the Cavs looked comfortable themselves putting things away in overtime against Los Angeles.
Darius Garland added 24 points and 13 assists for the Cavs while Isaac Okoro added 20 points, five rebounds and five assists.
Okoro helped push the game out of reach late in overtime by finishing a feed from Mobley handed Ivica Zubac his sixth foul.
“Every game matters, every game is going to feel like a playoff game in the regular season,” Okoro said. “Everybody in the East by right now in the NBA is trying to fight for a spot right now, so every game will have that playoff atmosphere.”
That atmosphere reached a fever pitch as Mobley opened the overtime period against the Clippers with a highlight reel block of Zubac, becoming just the fourth Cavalier to notch 100 bocks as a rookie.
The accomplishment set the tone for closing out the Clippers and put Mobley in the company of some names that hang in the rafters at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse,
“He'll be there one day, for sure,” Bickerstaff said.
NOTES—Caris LeVert, who missed the last eight games with a sprained foot, returned to the Cavs lineup on Monday night. LeVert finished the night with 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists in just his fifth game with the Wine and Gold.
“I thought he was good. I mean, he had the move, it’s like silky, where he got back to his left hand and found a small space,” Bickerstaff said. “I think it was great for him to just get those minutes and he'll continue to get better. But he's another guy who can attack beat his man and also play make.”