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CLEVELAND (AP) — James Harden garnered the most attention in the series of moves the Cleveland Cavaliers made near the NBA trade deadline.
However, the Cavaliers would have been in dire straits Wednesday night without Dennis Schroder.
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Schroder scored 11 points in the fourth quarter as the Cavaliers came back to beat the Toronto Raptors 125-120 in Game 5 of their first-round series.
“This guy’s played in huge games in the NBA and then on the international scene, so this type of game fits him,” Cavaliers coach Kenny Atkinson said. “I think it started with him getting to the rim and then that loosened up the jumper for him. And then I thought his defense on (RJ) Barrett really got under him, harassed him. He really was Dennis the Menace tonight.”
Schroder — acquired from the Sacramento Kings on Feb. 1 along with Keon Ellis — finished with 19 points on 7-of-11 shooting, including three 3-pointers, in 21 minutes. This is the 17th time Schroder has scored at least 19 points in a playoff game. He had 20 for Detroit in Game 2 of its first-round series against New York last year.
It was the third-most points Schroder has scored since joining the Cavaliers.
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“I love big games, I love the playoffs. You’ve just got to embrace it,” Schroder said. “I’ve been through a lot of big games of my career, and I’ve seen it. I think experience matters, but at the end of the day, the urgency and the energy, you’ve got to have it.”
Schroder’s biggest contribution came before the fourth quarter. The Cavaliers trailed 74-67 at halftime. The 13-year veteran gave a detailed 2-3 minute breakdown in the locker room on what was needed to come back.
“I just wanted to see Cavs basketball, how we played when we first got here. We did a great job even throughout this season when we first got here, but I think we got a little bit away from that,” Schroder said. “We need the big guys. Jarrett (Allen) and Evan Mobley are the key to our team. We’ve got two superstars with Don (Donovan Mitchell) and with Uno (James Harden), but those two big guys, we’ve got to use them.”
Mobley had six of…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/schroders-halftime-speech-11-points-051422745.html
Author : JOE REEDY
Publish date : 2026-04-30 05:14:00
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