John Beilein Claims He Played Larry Nance Jr. Over Tristan Thompson for Strategy Purposes Down Stretch

The Cleveland Cavaliers got a much-needed win on Thursday night versus the San Antonio Spurs.

There were fireworks on the Cavs’ bench well before the end of the overtime thriller, however, when Tristan Thompson was seen yelling at Cavs head coach John Beilein.

After the incident, Beilein opted to go with big man Larry Nance Jr. over Thompson down the stretch.

Following the win, Beilein claimed the choice to play Nance over Thompson was motivated by strategy and was not a result of the war of words that took place on the bench.

In the end, neither Thompson nor Nance had much of an impact on the 117-109 win. Thompson finished the game with two points and seven boards in 26 minutes. Nance finished with zero points, but did contribute 11 boards in 29 minutes of playing time.

The Cavs’ major contributors included Jordan Clarkson, who scored 25 points off the bench, Collin Sexton, who scored 28 points, and Kevin Love, who finished with a monster 30-point, 17-rebound explosion.

The Cavs can enjoy their sixth win of the season, but not for long. They head to Milwaukee to take on the 22-3 Bucks on Saturday.