Wrap-Up -- Things can change quickly in the NBA.
On Tuesday morning, the Cavaliers were smarting from back-to-back road losses with the toughest part of their schedule staring them in the face. But after a tough loss to LeBron James and the Lakers, the Wine & Gold have looked like a new team – bouncing the Sixers on Friday night in Philly and returning home to essentially go wire-to-wire over one of the Western Conference's heavyweights.
On Saturday night, as they had the previous evening, Cleveland got off to a strong start – jumping on the Rockets early and not letting up, cruising to the convincing 117-108 win at The Q.
The Cavaliers have used the same formula in both wins (and in last Wednesday’s close call against L.A.) – getting a big night from Collin Sexton in the starting lineup, a herculean effort from Tristan Thompson on the glass and Jordan Clarkson exploding off the bench in the fourth quarter.
Houston – like the Cavaliers, playing the second night of a back-to-back – outscored Cleveland by one after one, but the Wine & Gold would proceed to score 34 points in the second quarter and 30 more in the third. The Cavs didn’t trail at any point after intermission.
Collin Sexton continues to improve by the game – going off for a new career-high, netting a team-high 29 points on 14-for-21 shooting, adding four boards and a pair of assists. In eight games as a starter, Sexton is now averaging 19.6 points per – shooting 51 percent from the floor, 56 percent from long-range and 83 percent from the stripe over that stretch.
Tristan Thompson has been simply outstanding since the calendar turned to November, and he kept that roll going on Saturday night.
One night after outdueling Joel Embiid in Philly, Thompson did the same to Clint Capela – notching his seventh double-double in his last nine outings, tallying 16 points while recording game-highs with 20 boards (nine offensive) and four steals.
Since November 5, Thompson has averaged 14.3 points and 14.1 boards, including 6.4 off the offensive glass.
Five players score in double digits in Cavs second straight victory on Saturday night against the Rockets.
Thompson’s been the lynchpin for Cleveland’s dominance on the boards over the past two games as the Cavaliers punished Houston on Saturday night – outrebounding the Rockets, 49-30, including a 20-7 advantage on the offensive glass.
David Nwaba rounded out the Cavalier starters in double-figures with 12 points on 5-for-16 shooing, adding four boards and playing as good a defense as one can against the league’s reigning MVP, James Harden, who still went for 40 points on 14-for-30 shooting.
Jordan Clarkson saved most of his best work for late once again – netting 12 of his 20 points in the final period, going 5-for-9 from the floor in the fourth, 8-of-16 overall, adding five boards (all off the offensive glass), four assists and a steal in 28 minutes of work off the bench.
Kyle Korver scored all 12 of his points in the first half, but they were big buckets as the Cavaliers took and extended their advantage before intermission.
Korver and Clarkson’s efforts were the keys to Cleveland’s reserves turning in their second straight one-sided performance – outscoring Houston’s second unit – 44-16 – one night after Clarkson outscored the Sixers entire bench.
Turning Point -- When you’ve been around and accomplished as much as Kyle Korver has, it doesn’t take much to make a big difference. But on Saturday night, the prolific sharpshooter canned a pair of bombs that turned the entire game.
With the Cavaliers trailing by a point, 37-36, early in the second quarter, Korver canned back-to-back triples that gave the Wine & Gold an instant five-point edge. The Rockets would cut that lead to a single point, but Collin Sexton’s three-pointer just before half put Cleveland back up nine.
The Rockets would get to within four points in the second half, but never really mounted a serious fourth-quarter threat – with Cleveland coasting to the finish line over the final three minutes and change.
By the Numbers – 12.3 … points that Jordan Clarkson is averaging in the fourth quarter over his last three games.
Quotable – Coach Larry Drew, on Tristan Thompson’s recent play …
"He’s been a monster. What he has been doing these last few ball games – he’s been a warrior. He’s been taking the challenge against guys that are taller and guys in weight size. That’s what we need from him and he is going in night in and night out and taking the challenge. He’s been a true warrior, he’s been a work horse and that’s what we need from him. More importantly, he’s been more vocal that I’ve ever seen him. This is my fifth year here now and this is the most he’s been from a vocal standpoint where he’s talking out on the floor and in the huddles. He’s starting to emerge as a leader and I’m really happy to see that because our young guys are looking for guidance and someone to show them the way."
Up Next -- After drilling the Rockets on Saturday night at The Q, the Cavaliers are home for one more before hitting the road to close out the month. On Monday night, Cleveland welcomes Karl-Anthony Towns and Timberwolves to town before leaving to take on Russell Westbrook and the Thunder on Wednesday night followed by a Friday night visit to Boston. The following night, the Wine & Gold tip off the month of December with the season’s first visit by Kawhi Leonard and the Raptors.