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If the Cleveland Cavaliers are going to dig out of another 2-0 playoff series deficit, they’ll need Evan Mobley to be more aggressive.
Mobley had 10 points during the first quarter Thursday night against the New York Knicks. He added four points in the second quarter but was a nonfactor offensively in the second half, not taking a shot in the final two periods of the Cavaliers’ 109-93 loss.
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The Cavaliers are hoping for better production out of their fifth-year forward on Saturday night when the Eastern Conference Finals shift to Cleveland for Game 3.
“That’s on all of us. We do have to get the ball in there more, I think we got away from our pick-and-roll a little bit more,” Cavaliers guard James Harden said about Mobley not getting a shot.
Mobley is averaging 16.7 points during the playoffs, which is third on the Cavaliers. He leads the team in rebounds (8.3 per game) and blocked shots with 31.
Even though Mobley has had big games during this postseason run, he hasn’t been a factor during critical moments in Cleveland’s losses.
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During the Knicks’ 18-0 third-quarter run on Thursday night, the Cavs missed all seven shots, including four from beyond the arc.
“When I’m out there on the court, I’m just trying to make winning plays. Early on, the best decision was me shooting the open ones, and they kept leaving me open, so I kept shooting it, and they closed that gap and started driving it,” Mobley said after Thursday’s game. “They kept collapsing, so I kicked it to the open man. We just didn’t knock ’em all down. So I feel like we said the process was right. I could have been selfish on a few of them, but I think I made the right decision 95% of the time tonight. So you got to live with that and keep it moving.”
Mobley’s best play Thursday night came late in the first quarter, when he drove the baseline and finished with a reverse left-handed dunk.
He had 15 points, 14 rebounds, three assists and three blocked shots in Game 1, when the Knicks rallied from a 22-point deficit in the fourth quarter to win 115-104 in overtime. He also has at least two blocked shots…
Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/articles/cavaliers-seek-more-evan-mobley-214809188.html
Author : JOE REEDY
Publish date : 2026-05-22 21:48:00
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