Cavaliers Thrash Clippers as Cedi Osman Ties a Career High With 29 Points
The Cleveland Cavaliers built a 40-point lead en route to a 122-99 rout of the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday night thanks in large part to Cedi Osman, who tied his career high with 29 points and tied the franchise record by making all seven of his 3-point attempts.
Donovan Mitchell, the All-Star starter who missed three games with a strained groin, scored 11 points in his comeback game for Cleveland. On Jarrett Allen’s first 3-pointer since November, the Cavaliers never trailed and jumped out to their biggest lead of the year at 82-42. 5, 2021.
“It was a great feeling, everybody was sharing the moment with me,” Osman said. “Everyone enjoyed the game, and we played well offensively. We have such a great group of guys who are always there for each other.”
The Clippers decided not to dress Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, or Reggie Jackson because they all played on Saturday in Atlanta. The Clippers had won five straight games. Jackson has a sore right Achilles, and George and Leonard were reportedly sidelined due to right knee issues.
On Turkish Heritage Night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Osman, a member of the Turkey national team, made 11 out of 13 shots. As the only Cavaliers to make 7 of 7 shots from beyond the arc in a game, he joined Kyrie Irving and Mo Williams in that distinction.
“That’s what Turkish Heritage Night will do for you,” Allen said, laughing. “His layups were the only thing that didn’t go in. All night long, he carried out his duties.”
Allen had 15 points and eight rebounds, while Darius Garland had 16 points and 10 assists for Cleveland, which has the best home record in the East at 21-5.
This performance contrasted sharply with the Warriors’ absence of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, and Andrew Wiggins in the Cavaliers’ 120-114 home loss to Golden State nine days earlier.
“Tonight was a similar situation, but we took it serious,” Osman said. “We were aware that Golden State lacked numerous components, and we took a difficult lesson from it.”
Moses Brown had 13 points and 16 rebounds, while Brandon Boston Jr. led Los Angeles with 24 points. Season highs of 12 points and 8 assists were recorded by Ohio University rookie Jason Preston.
A six-game road trip for the Clippers that ends in February is 1-1. 6 in Brooklyn, who finished 2 of 19 and missed 16 of their first 17 3-point attempts.
“I had a couple of friends and family here, so it was a good night, for sure,” Preston said. “I kept feeling a little more confident the more exposed I was.”
WELCOME BACK
Tyronn Lue, the head coach of the Clippers, led the Cavaliers to their lone championship in 2016 and three consecutive appearances in the NBA Finals. There are only two players left who played for Lue: F Kevin Love and Osman.
“When you lose LeBron (James) and Kyrie (Irving), usually it’s going to take a long time to get back,” said Lue, who played for the Cavaliers for four seasons and had a 128-83 record. “They’ve done a great job assembling this team to get where they are now.
“They advanced to the next level with the addition of Donovan Mitchell this year after an incredible trade for Jarrett Allen in the beginning.”
TIP-INS
Clippers: G Terance Mann recorded the lone first-half assist for a starter for Los Angeles. … Marcus Morris, a forward, missed his third straight game due to a bruised rib, and Robert Covington, a forward, missed his second game due to personal reasons. The last time G John Wall played was in January due to abdominal pain. 13 against Denver. The G League’s two-way C Brown was called up from Ontario.
Love (low back spasms) missed the Cavaliers’ third straight contest. Six games have been missed by the 34-year-old due to injury since the beginning of December. … For the fourth consecutive month, Cleveland must win its final game to finish with a winning record. Since winning the 2015–2016 title season, it hasn’t started a season with four consecutive winning months.
UP NEXT
Clippers: On Tuesday evening, play in Chicago.
Miami will visit the Cavaliers on Tuesday night.
Source: basketballnews.com
