Recap: Nuggets 116, Cavs 119 (OT) or, March Madness

In a game that exceeded some pretty lofty expectations, the Cavs accomplished a series sweep of the Denver Nuggets 119-116 (OT) in front of an absolutely raucous crowd at the Rocket Mortgage Field House. The Cavs were able to out-executed the Nikola Jokić-led Nuggets on offense, no small feat for the Darius Garland-led offense. Let’s dive right into the night’s takeaways!

1. Game co-MVPs: Lauri Markkanen, Darius Garland

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GL7qe1uEkZ0

What a night for Lauri “The Finnisher” Markkanen, who had perhaps his best game as a Cav with 31 points, 10 rebounds, three assists, four steals, and a +25.3 net rating in 42 minutes. Not only did he hit the crucial go ahead three in overtime to win, he took the challenge of guarding the NBA MVP Nikola Jokić and passed with flying colors, making him work for shots and passes. If this is a sign of things to come from the 24 year old, the Cavs are about to have a lot of fun the next decade.

The Darius Garland for MVP agenda has just been launched. Mr. Indiana played the complete game tonight, with 25 points, 14 assists, two turnovers, one steal, and led the Cavs in net rating with a +28.1. His disciplined decision making on offense is what won the Cavs the game. He didn’t waste possessions, he made sure the Cavs were putting up shots and not letting the Nuggets dictate the pace of the game. The game winning play was his offensive rebound and pass that led to the Lauri Markkanen dagger, one of the most inspiring plays of the season. A mighty 6’1″ guard in among the trees and just wanted the ball more. That’s basketball in its purest form.

3. Rookie of the Year Performance from Evan Mobley

The Rookie of the Year race is heating up and Evan Mobley made sure his name stays in the conversation, with a 27 point, 11 rebound double-double. He also threw in three stocks and a +1.4 net rating in 38.8 minutes. His thought process was superb, looking to get shots up with 22 attempts. That means he stayed in consistent attack mode and forced the defense to guard him and open up shots for others. The confidence he showed in himself and the trust his teammates showed him allowed him and the team to shine and get the win.

4. The bench giveth…

The bench tooketh away tonight, with a horrendous performance that put the game in jeopardy in the first place. The Cavs built a nice lead only to have it squandered because the bench unit refused to play defense. 100% credit to Coach J.B. Bickerstaff for pulling the plug on all but the veterans NBA Champion Kevin Love and Caris LeVert, the young bench crew simply wasn’t ready to play. Luckily for them, there’s less than 24 hours to erase the bad vibes against Detroit tomorrow night. Perhaps Cedi Osman could’ve made a difference, but it sure seems like J.B. just wanted to buy some rest for Cedi and would expect to see him tomorrow night especially if things get ugly early.

5. He’s got that dawg in him!

The Cavs’ junkyard dawgs Isaac “Ice” Okoro and Lamar Stevens really came through with the defense tonight. The Cavs posted a sub 100 defensive rating with Stevens on the court, and nearly a sub 100 defensive rating with Ice on the court. Those are incredible numbers against the Nuggets’ offense.

But according to J.B., the junkyard dawg award went to “old school” NBA Champion Kevin Love, for his physicality on defense and the defensive boards. There’s no question Love’s timely threes and defensive rebounds especially in the second half really set the tone for the team. J.B. stretched KLOVE’s minutes further than yours truly can remember with 31 minutes on the floor. It’s obvious NBA Champion Kevin Love isn’t going to waste this season, and his leadership really shined tonight in the comeback win.

6. Quick note on the Nuggets

Hats off to the Nuggets, they played a helluva game. Each team was inspired by the other to raise their level and make plays. Nikola Jokić was amazing to watch as nearly always. What tremendously bad luck the Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal Murray saga has been for that team. Also it’s insane what’s going on with the cable and TV companies in the Denver area that are blacking out the Nuggets. Denver Nuggets fans haven’t been able to watch their MVP player, which is such a sports travesty. All one can do is hope for better days for Nuggets fans. One bright spot besides Jokić is Bones Hyland, they’ve found themselves a player.

7. Next up, Trap City

The next two games will test the Cavs’ mental toughness as they face the Detroit Pistons tomorrow night and the Los Angeles Lakers Monday night. The Cavs should be favored in both games and will have to handle the expectations that come along with being a playoff team. As it stands right now, the Cavs are only one game out of the fifth seed and seventh seed. The Cavs will have to continue the playoff urgency against teams that are just going through the motions. So rest up, Go Cavs!