Cavaliers Win Third Straight With Bench Blitz, Three-Point Clinic
In their previous game this past Monday night, the Cleveland Cavaliers scored a season-high 48 bench points and tied a season-high with 19 three-pointers in a 135-130 overtime victory over the Houston Rockets.
Tonight, the Cavaliers eclipsed both of these totals in a big way in a 124-116 triumph over the Utah Jazz.
This result gives the Wine and Gold a three-game winning streak, which is tied for their second-longest stretch of victories this season.
With three usual starters in Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, and Evan Mobley out, Cleveland’s bench blitzed Utah with a historic performance.
The Cavaliers’ bench scored a season-high 75 points. All four players off their bench scored in double-figures, with Sam Merrill leading the way with a career-high 27 points. Caris LeVert added 23 points, Georges Niang finished with a season-high 15, and Tristan Thompson tied his season-high of 10 points.
Dec 20, 2023; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; Utah Jazz guard Collin Sexton (2) defends Cleveland Cavaliers center Tristan Thompson (12) in the fourth quarter at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
© David Richard-USA TODAY Sports
According to StatMuse, Cleveland’s 75 bench points are tied for its fifth-most in a regular season game in franchise history. They are also the team’s most in a regular-season game since February 13, 2019, when the Wine and Gold scored 83 bench points in a triple-overtime road loss to the Brooklyn Nets.
The Cavaliers also shot 23-for-51 (45.1%) from behind the arc tonight. Merrill drained a career-high eight triples, while Max Strus made six, LeVert and Niang tied their season-highs of four and three, respectively, and both Isaac Okoro and Dean Wade added one apiece.
According to @CavsNotes on X, Cleveland’s 23 three-pointers are tied for its second most in a regular-season game in franchise history.
The Wine and Gold will look to sweep their four-game homestand tomorrow night, as they host the New Orleans Pelicans in the second night of a back-to-back.
