INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The Cleveland Cavaliers finally had their normal rotations back Friday night.
NBA Defensive Player of the Year Evan Mobley and All-Star guard Darius Garland were both in the starting lineup, and key backup De’Andre Hunter came off the bench. They made a big difference after the No. 1 seed had lost the first two games of the Eastern Conference semifinals at home.
Mobley helped the Cavs maintain a huge rebounding advantage while Garland and Hunter produced big moments in spurts as Cleveland pulled away from the Indiana Pacers 126-104 to cut its series deficit to 2-1.
“I knew if I was going to come out here and play, I had to be able to do certain things,” Mobley said after finishing with 18 points, 13 rebounds, four assists, three steals and three blocks. “I felt pretty comfortable, especially yesterday and then shootaround today, I also felt good. So I was pretty confident I could come out here and play my game.”
Mobley was the most effective of the three despite spraining his left ankle so severely in Game 1, he couldn’t initially put any weight on it. Four days of rest certainly helped.
And it was certainly more than enough to help All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell put the game away late. Mitchell finished with 43 points and nine rebounds Friday after his 48-point effort Tuesday fell short of a win.
Garland returned from a sprained big toe on his left foot and had mixed results. He was called for four fouls in the first half and wound up with 10 points and three assists in nearly 25 minutes.
“He’s just playing through a lot of pain to get him to play this game,” Cleveland coach Kenny Atkinson said when asked about Garland. “But taking the 0-2 situation, I think he had to push through a lot, a lot tonight. So hopefully recovers. quickly.”
Hunter had eight points and five rebounds in 20 minutes after spraining his right thumb in Game 1. He also absorbed a big collision in the second quarter that nearly knocked him to the ground, but he managed to finish the most physical of the three games.
Indiana had taken advantage of Cleveland’s injuries by using its depth to pull away late in Game 1 and rallying from a seven-point deficit in the final minute to take Game 2.
The Pacers had a chance to do it again late after cutting a 24-point lead to 104-93 early in the fourth quarter. But with Cleveland at full strength and the ball in Mitchell’s hands, the Cavs pulled away to climb back into the series and avoid the dreaded 3-0 hole.
The big question now for Cleveland is how quickly and completely Mobley, Garland and Hunter can recover, and what they’ll be able to do in Game 4 on Sunday at Indianapolis.
“Listen, if he (Garland) could get 15 to 20 minutes, we need it,” Atkinson said. “We need another ball-handler. He can create separation. He can create advantages. Even if it’s not going to be perfect, we need him right now.”
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