Jarrett Allen's Career Night Leads Cavs To Comeback Win Over Mavericks
Jarrett Allen has been unleashed over the last week and a half. He's not only scoring and rebounding but also has been a playmaker on offense in the absence of Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell.
His hot stretch continued Wednesday evening as the Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a heroic 113-110 comeback win over the Dallas Mavericks.
Allen finished the game with 24 points, 23 rebounds, and six assists. 14 of those rebounds came on the defensive end with the other nine coming on offense. These second-chance opportunities were a key to Cleveland's comeback.
This is now the first time since February 2022 that JA recorded back-to-back 15+ points and 15+ rebound games. It was also the fourth 20-20 game of his career. He was inching closer to his career-high in points (29) and rebounds (24) but ran out of time to do so.
Dec 23, 2023; Dallas, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) looks to shoot as Dallas Mavericks center Dereck Lively II (2) and Dallas Mavericks forward Grant Williams (3) defend during the second quarter at American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Allen left it all on the floor against the Mavericks. There was simply nothing more that he could do for the injury-riddled Cavaliers. His effort helped Cleveland come back from a 20-point first-half deficient and take a late fourth-quarter lead.
JA topped off this career performance by executing a perfect trap of Luka Doncic with Caris LeVert by his side. The Mavericks were down by three and Doncic wasn't able to get a shot up and opted to pass it to Seth Curry who had his shot attempt tipped.
A lot has been said about this Cavaliers team and how injuries have "ruined" their season. Cleveland has now won five of their last six games with Jarrett Allen right at the center of all of that success. He and the Cavs deserve all the credit they are getting for how they've been able to overcome every roadblock that gets in their way.
