Cavaliers Set Franchise History, Season High In Win Over Pelicans
The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a convincing victory over the New Orleans Pelicans on Wednesday evening. They shot a stellar 51% (47-92) from the floor and 44% (20-45) from behind the arc.
As impressive as this scoring was, the offense started with one thing which was ball movement.
Cleveland dished out 38 assists as a team in this victory setting a new season high. Everyone participated in sharing the ball. Darius Garland led the war with 11, Caris LeVert had nine, Sam Merrill set a new career-high with nine, Donovan Mitchell finished with five and Isaac Okoro and Georges Niang each had one.
This impressive display of ball movement also set franchise history. This was the first time that three Cavaliers players finished with nine or more assists. The last team to do this was the Los Angeles Lakers on December 30, 2022, per @CavsNotes on X.
J.B. Bickerstaff was understandably thrilled with his team's performance, especially with the unselfishness they played with.
"That's awesome, that means everybody is getting involved and everyone's sharing the ball," said Bickerstaff after the game. "Two guys off your bench combined for 18 assists in [Sam Merrill] and [Caris LeVert]. Again, it's just the buy-in and the selflessness we've shown all year."
Mar 1, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) passes in the first half against the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
© Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland showed what their offense can look like at its best. This is a team full of high-IQ players who seek to make the right play every time down the floor. Combine that with a team that just couldn't miss and the Cavs and Clevland demonstrated just how difficult they can be to beat.
