Overview
- Donovan Mitchell scored 14 fourth-quarter points and buried three late threes to close a 108-100 win over Memphis.
- Evan Mobley sparked the final push after a muted start, yet his consistency is seen as the swing factor for Cleveland’s ceiling, per team reporting.
- An early attempt to run more offense through Mobley was dialed back after roughly five games, reflecting continued trial-and-error with his role.
- Cleveland’s metrics have slipped compared with last season, sitting 15th in defensive rating and eighth on offense while taking many threes but getting few shots at the rim.
- Injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus are distorting rotations, the bench impact has been uneven, and Jarrett Allen’s minute patterns have drawn public questioning.