CLEVELAND, Ohio – Finally.
After a month of suffering, the Cleveland Cavaliers had reason to celebrate, ending their streak of ten consecutive defeats by beating the Atlanta Hawks 112-111. He was an unlikely hero who delivered the moment of much needed adjustment.
Newcomer Lamar Stevens, who did not sign a two-way deal and struggled to prove he belongs in the league, spoke less than a week ago about not yet having his NBA signing moment. Forget it. He has one now. A victorious dunk with 4.1 seconds on the clock, preventing the Cavaliers from wasting a 13-point lead in the first half, recovering from a five-point handicap with three minutes left in the fourth period.
Darius Garland’s upset face with about 30 seconds left seemed to be the overwhelming mistake that the Cavs failed to overcome. But Trae Young was chased towards the sideline, near the Cleveland bench, forcing the Hawks to call for the final time and giving JB Bickerstaff a chance to make a late attack-defense substitution by calling Stevens.
After the brief stoppage, Young lost one of his patented floaters, Stevens recovered the rebound, quickly turned the ball over to Collin Sexton and ran to the ground. Sexton started, attracted several defenders and passed on to Stevens for an undisputed dunk. With no time limit, the Hawks turned around before the clock expired.
Stevens, the buried one. Sexton, who called Tuesday’s match a must-see game, was the assistant. Just like Cavs did, right?
Hey, whatever the cost.
“The best part of this game is when you go up and down the stats sheet, literally everyone who played contributed to winning the game,” said Bickerstaff. “This is what makes it even better and sweeter, even though everyone tastes sweet right now.”
Not chosen as an NBA All-Star hours earlier, Sexton scored 29 points out of 9 out of 16 shots and 3 out of 5 in the 3 point range to go with five assists. Garland contributed 17 and eight helpers. Dylan Windler came off the bench, scoring 15 points in a perfect 5 out of 5 depth. Stevens had eight points – none bigger than the bucket that led him to be surrounded by his teammates all the way to the tunnel leading to the locker room.
“He has earned the respect of the coaching staff and his teammates,” said Bickerstaff. “Every minute he wins is deserved and I think that is the most important thing. He’s not getting anything. He received nothing at the beginning of the year. He worked hard to show that he deserved and deserved it. I think that’s why he’s being rewarded for it. “
At one point during the game, teammates Kevin Love and Larry Nance Jr. fought playfully on the wings. It was that kind of night. Both injured attackers, who could have been on the ground in Stevens’ place, exploded when Stevens threw his dunk. They were the quickest to greet the young man as soon as the bell rang.
The Cavs left the court several times with looks of dismay recently. That finally changed on Tuesday night. The explosion of joy lasted 22 long days.
Interested viewer
Matthew Dellavedova, who has not played this season because of a serious concussion and recently had an appendectomy, was on the bench for the first time. Dellavedova, still walking a little cautiously, gave tips to Cleveland’s young guards throughout the game and celebrated backstage.
Early departure
Atlanta Hawks striker John Collins, who took a hard hit to the head in the first half, was replaced by Danilo Gallinari at the start of the third period. Collins was dropped for concussion assessment. He finished with 13 points out of 5 out of 6 shots to go with three rebounds and an assist in 13 minutes.
Next
The Cavs will end their homestand on Wednesday night, playing against the Houston Rockets on the second consecutive night. Delivery is scheduled for 7:30 pm
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New Cavs face masks for sale: This is where you can buy Cleveland Cavaliers themed facial covers for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a pack of 3 ($ 24.99). All NBA proceeds donated to charities.
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