The Cleveland Cavaliers are heading to the NBA Playoffs for the fourth consecutive season. James Harden and Max Strus were instrumental down the stretch against the feisty Golden State Warriors, leading the Cavs to a 118-111 win to move them to 48-29. Donovan Mitchell and Evan Mobley played a huge part, too, as the Wine and Gold won two of its three games on the road this week.
Harden was mature despite the constant blitzes from Golden State and proved to be a calming presence, delivering pocket passes early in the shot clock to Jarrett Allen, who got to the free-throw line at will in the fourth quarter. The 36-year-old star felt out Golden State's defensive pressure with poise, determining how long to wait before attacking or firing feeds to open shooters late in the shot clock. Harden finished the contest with 19 points, five assists, and two rebounds.
Strus reaped the benefits of a few of Harden's dishes throughout the game, but no matter who was getting him the ball, Cleveland's sharpshooting veteran was knocking down critical shots. He nailed two of the most important 3s of the evening, but got his group going by attacking the basket from the perimeter. Strus wound up with 24 points, five rebounds, and two assists in 28 minutes.
Noticeably extra active on the defensive end, Mitchell brought a good mix of teardrops and shooting to the table throughout the night. He came up with some big rebounds in crunch time and guarded with intent, leading the way with a team-high 25 points on 7-of-14 from the field.
Mobley stayed aggressive even with Allen on the floor, getting to his spots and taking advantage of the space he found. Maybe his most heady play of the game was his pass to Strus in the corner to put the Cavs up by five with less than two minutes to go.
Both of Cleveland's bigs had double-doubles, combining for 28 points and 23 rebounds.
The Cavs weren't too thrilled with how they performed against an undermanned Warriors squad, but the good news is they maintained their composure in a fourth quarter that started going sideways with a tough whistle and tempers flaring. So, while it's not perfect at the moment, they can hang their hat on coming out on top at the very least.
Defense is going to be the separator for the Cavs in the postseason, and it undoubtedly needs to be better and more consistent. Until then, Cleveland needs to get healthy, stay healthy, and make it to the finish line before the playoffs come around.
Currently, the Cavs are slotted at the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference, with the Atlanta Hawks holding onto the fifth slot, 1.5 games ahead of both the Philadelphia 76ers and Toronto Raptors.
