Pieces are starting to fall into place for the Cleveland Cavaliers to make a run in the NBA playoffs. The Cavaliers have a more complete and potent roster heading into Monday’s clash with the Utah Jazz in Salt Lake City than they did at the beginning of March.
Jarrett Allen returned to the starting lineup Friday and helped Cleveland (46-28) coast to a 149-128 victory over Miami. Allen scored 18 points and collected 10 rebounds in only 18 minutes in his first action after missing 10 games with knee tendinitis. His presence in the middle helps a Cleveland defense that had sagged a bit in his absence.
“Guys that have been here for a long time, they know how important he is,” Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson said. “There’s kind of that perimeter of gravity you get from shooters, but he’s got the rim gravity … that helps everybody.”
Max Strus also had his best game since coming back from a foot injury that kept him out of the lineup until mid-March. Strus dropped a season-high 29 points and eight rebounds against Miami while going 8-for-11 from beyond the arc. It was his second 20-point game in six games.
Strus said postgame he felt like he couldn’t miss.
“Once I make one, looking for the next one and then I make that one, I’m looking for the next one,” Strus said. “Nights like that are special.”
Strus gives Cleveland a much-needed sixth man who can take some of the scoring pressure off stars Donovan Mitchell and James Harden. His sharpshooting from the perimeter helped offset a night where Mitchell scored just six points on 1-of-10 shooting.
Cleveland equaled a franchise record for points scored in regulation against the Heat and seems to be building momentum at the right juncture. The Cavaliers have won four straight road games and five of their last six contests overall.
Utah is trying to find any sort of silver lining to the proverbial storm clouds amid a spate of injuries that has the team using 10-day signings to scrape together an active roster.
The Jazz (21-54) suffered their fifth straight loss and ninth setback in 10 games after falling 134-109 to Phoenix on Saturday night. Utah is allowing 136.3 points per game over its last four games and three of their four opponents have shot 50% or better from the field.
Against the Suns, the Jazz were gashed at the rim and from outside. They allowed 66 points in the paint and 17 3-pointers.
With Utah struggling as the season winds down, the coaching staff has an eye on the future and is looking at how to build a winning team next season while developing young talent like Ace Bailey and Kyle Filipowski in the last few games of this season.
“We’re trying to study the best teams in our league all the time,” Utah coach Will Hardy told the Deseret News. “You get a moment to focus on them a little bit differently when you’re preparing to play them, but I mean, these are things we’re looking at throughout the season, and then especially during the playoffs — watching as many playoff games as you can and trying to study and determine what ultimately wins, what actually wins in the playoffs in our league.”
