According to Cleveland Cavaliers big man Jarrett Allen, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff challenged him and Evan Mobley to set the tone in Game 1 of Cleveland’s first-round series versus the Orlando Magic.
#Cavs big man Jarrett Allen said that head coach J.B. Bickerstaff had been challenging him and Evan Mobley all week, pushing them to step up and set the tone against the Orlando Magic.
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) April 20, 2024
Allen also was seemingly a fan of the physicality exhibited in the first game of the series.
#Cavs big man Jarrett Allen told me he loves games as physical as this one was against the Magic.
“Everybody's just playing at 110% and doesn't matter if you've been on the bench for however long ,you're coming in ready to hit somebody and I was just able to find joy in that.”
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) April 20, 2024
Mobley’s and Allen’s numbers on Saturday indicate that both players embraced Bickerstaff’s challenge. The former racked up 16 points, 11 rebounds, two assists and three blocks while converting half of his 12 shots from the floor. He also made a total of two 3-pointers.
As for the latter, Allen totaled the same number of points as Mobley and also contributed 18 rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Allen and Mobley were two of four players for the Cavaliers to score 14 points or more in the team’s 14-point win over the Magic. Donovan Mitchell led the way for Cleveland in the scoring column, as he dropped a game-high 30 points on 11-of-21 shooting from the floor and 3-of-8 from 3-point range.
The Cavaliers’ offense was productive against Orlando, considering the team shot 44.4 percent from the field and 81.0 percent from the free-throw line on 21 attempts.
But Cleveland played even better basketball on the defensive side of the ball. After all, the Cavaliers held the Magic to just 83 points on 32.6 percent shooting from the floor and 21.6 percent from 3-point range.
Additionally, Cleveland allowed Orlando to score only 32 points combined in the second and third quarters of the contest.
The Cavaliers will attempt to repeat their dominance on the defensive end of the floor when Game 2 of the first-round series rolls around on Monday night. If Cleveland can earn another win at home, the team will own a 2-0 lead in the series and all the momentum as the series shifts to Orlando for Games 3 and 4.
In light of the Cavaliers’ impressive victory in Game 1, Cleveland fans should feel optimistic about the team’s chances of extending its lead in the series on Monday.
