CLEVELAND, Ohio – This is not how you start. It’s how you end.
February was not a pleasant month. It featured a streak of ten consecutive losses and nine double-digit losses thanks to an awful period dotted with playoff caliber landmines. But the Cavs knew they needed to weather the storm. They did this, winning a second consecutive game on Wednesday night against the Houston Rockets, 112-96.
With the month coming to an end this weekend, the Cavs temporarily reversed their fortunes.
A carbon copy of Tuesday night’s uninterrupted victory, the Cavs got off to a quick start, avoiding the deep starting hole that had haunted them in previous weeks. A 10-point lead evaporated thanks to a sloppy second quarter with repeated defensive failures at the points of attack, allowing Houston pilots to enter the play.
But Cleveland didn’t budge. Regrouping in the interval, Cavs emerged with the intensity required by coach JB Bickerstaff before the game, leaving aside any thoughts of tired legs in the second in a row.
The worst team in the third quarter of the league surpassed the Rockets 34-24 in those 12 minutes. Cavs did not give up on Wednesday, winning that period by eight points. In all, Cavs won in the last 24 minutes, 64-46.
Jarrett Allen abused Houston’s undersized interior. With the tallest Rockets holder at just 1.80 m tall, Allen scored 26 points out of 10 out of 11 pitches for 18 rebounds and four blocks in a striking 37 minutes. Allen even had a hand dunk from coast to coast – a jaw-dropping highlight that energized the crowd.
Collin Sexton recovered from a terrible first half, making some adjustments in the locker room and reaching the 20-point mark for the seventh consecutive game. Sexton – who had just seven points from 2 of 9 pitches at halftime, looking disturbed by Houston’s physicality – finished with 23 points, burying seven of his 10 attempts in the second half. Darius Garland also found his rhythm, recording a double-double with 11 points and 10 assists.
Dylan Windler’s shooting on the hot perimeter has continued since Tuesday. After scoring 5 out of 5 in the win against Atlanta, Windler drained all four pumps, the longest streak made by a Cavalier since Kyrie Irving in 2015.
On the other hand, the Cavs kept the Rockets at 40% shooting and 30.3% in the 3 point range, showing signs of their aggressiveness at the beginning of the season. It is the first time that he has kept an opponent below the 100 point mark since February 1st.
Two in a row. A victory against Philadelphia in the end of February would be three. This is called a winning streak. It has happened before.
Just not since January.
Stay close
The board needed to make a decision on Dean Wade by 5 pm on Wednesday. If he was in the lineup beyond that point, his contract would be fully guaranteed. The Cavs not only stayed with Wade, but put him on the starting lineup for a second straight game. Wade finished with 11 points, the best of his career, in 4 of 4 shots and 2 of 2 beyond the hoop.
Next
The Cavs have two days off before heading to Philadelphia for a fight on Saturday night. Delivery is scheduled for 19h
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