Cavs vs. Spurs: Cleveland hangs on for thrilling win in Victor Wembanyama's NE Ohio debut

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Cavs vs. Spurs: Cleveland hangs on for thrilling win in Victor Wembanyama's NE Ohio debut

Nate Ulrich, Akron Beacon Journal · Akron Beacon Journal

Sun, Jan 7, 2024 ·

10 min read

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CLEVELAND — The Cavaliers will bring a three-game winning streak to Paris after defeating a French phenom Sunday afternoon.

The Cavs beat the visiting San Antonio Spurs 117-115 and prevailed over rookie sensation Victor Wembanyama , the No. 1 overall draft pick who is listed by the NBA as 7 feet, 4 inches and 210 pounds.

Wembanyama , 20, entered his first game in Cleveland averaging 19.2 points, 10.1 rebounds, 2.8 assists, 1.2 steals and 3.2 blocked shots.

But Cavs center Jarrett Allen remained hot. He bolstered his All-Star candidacy — something the Cavs continue to push — by scoring a game-high 29 points on 11-of-19 shooting from the field and grabbing 16 rebounds in 31 minutes for his seventh consecutive game with a double-double.

"He was a great threat tonight for the whole team, and it's the kind of player I really like," Wembanyama said of Allen. "Efficient, does the hard job all game long. He's had a long career so far, and it's a player I respect."

With 3:46 left in the fourth quarter, the crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse went wild when Allen blocked a dunk attempt by Wembanyama.

With 1:11 remaining, Wembanyama returned the favor by blocking an Allen layup.

Wembanyama's layup with 41.9 seconds left cut the Cavs' lead to 117-115. The Spurs had a chance to tie the score but committed a turnover with 10.3 seconds remaining when Jeremy Sochan 's pass went out of bounds.

The Spurs remained alive, though, until the final buzzer. Wembanyama blocked a layup attempt by Caris LeVert with 2.6 seconds left. Sochan then heaved a desperation shot from half court, but it didn't reach the rim.

San Antonio Spurs' Victor Wembanyama (1) and Julian Champagnie (30) block Cleveland Cavaliers' Jarrett Allen (31) during the first half of an NBA basketball game in Cleveland, Sunday, Jan. 7, 2024. (AP Photo/Phil Long)

Wembanyama finished with a team-high 24 points on 6-of-13 shooting from the field, 10 rebounds, three assists, five blocked shots and a steal in 25 minutes.

"I'm excited for him," Allen said after the game. "He's going to have a long career in this league. He's talented. He can take people off the dribble, excellent shot blocker, post up — he has it all. So I'm happy for him, and I hope he excels.

"You never realize how big his wingspan and how tall he is until you actually go up against him, and that just surprised me."

During pregame media availability, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said "a team effort" would be required to defend Wembanyama .

"When they put him in the pick and roll, you've got to be in your spots early to protect one another," Bickerstaff said. "If you're late and you're trying to play with him at the rim, it's over with. So your weak-side defense has to find him early when he's on his rolls above the free-throw line [and] try to impede him. The guys who are on the ball have to do a great job of getting back in front of the ball, so then you can release your big guy."

Despite Wembanyama's must-see status, the Cavs (21-15) are a better team than the Spurs (5-30). The Cavs outscored the Spurs 50-44 in the paint and 18-7 on second-chance points. They're now 14-2 against teams with sub-.500 records.

Coming off consecutive blowout home wins over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday and Friday and the dramatic victory Sunday, the Cavs will travel to Europe and face the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday at Accor Arena in Paris.

Cavs rout Wizards for back-to-back wins: Donovan Mitchell, bench lead the way over Washington

Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) moves to the basket as Milwaukee Bucks center Brook Lopez (11) defends during the first half in Cleveland, Friday, Dec. 29, 2023.

Tipoff for Cavs vs. Spurs occurred shortly after 1 p.m. Sunday.

Below is some more information about the fourth quarter.

Cavs regain control after Spurs rally early in the fourth quarter

The Spurs went on a 7-0 run to cut their deficit to 93-91 with 9:52 left to play.

The Cavs regained control after a timeout. All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell made a 3-pointer and then a driving layup, extending Cleveland's advantage to 97-91 with 9:11 left.

The Cavs went ahead 102-91 and forced a Spurs timeout with 7:58 remaining after Max Strus scored on a fast break and then hit a 3-pointer on an assist from Mitchell.

Back-to-back 3-pointers by Strus and Georges Niang pushed the Cavs' lead to 108-93 with 7:02 left. However, a replay review showed Strus was out of bounds on his shot, so the score was later changed to 105-93.

Below is some information about the third quarter.

Cavs center Jarrett Allen ties career-best double-double streak, helping Cleveland capture 88-84 lead at the end of the third quarter vs. Spurs

In the third quarter, Allen scored six points and grabbed seven rebounds, giving him totals of 21 points and 12 rebounds entering the fourth quarter.

Allen tied his NBA career-best streak for consecutive games with a double-double. He now has seven double-doubles in a row.

The Cavs led the Spurs 88-84 at the end of the third quarter.

The Cavs' sixth man, LeVert made another buzzer-beating 3-pointer to end the quarter. He ended the opening quarter in similar fashion.

With 2:19 left in the fourth quarter, Cavs fans applauded LeVert for reaching 6,000 career points, a milestone acknowledged on the arena's video boards. LeVert scored 23 points, aiding the Cavs in reaching 60 bench points against the Spurs.

Victor Wembanyama scores Spurs' first nine points of the second half, but Cavs withstand rally

Wembanyama put on a show early in the third quarter, scoring the Spurs' first nine points of the second half. His steal off a Mitchell pass and subsequent fast-break dunk gave the Spurs a 65-64 lead with 9:13 left in the third quarter.

But the Cavs fired back, with LeVert providing a spark off the bench. LeVert made a 3-pointer to tie the score 67-67 with 8:13 remaining. Then LeVert dished out an assist to Allen as the Cavs went ahead 69-67 with 7:45 left.

Below is some information about the second quarter.

Cavs lead Spurs 62-56 at halftime

The Cavs outscored the Spurs by 10 points in the second quarter and led 62-56 at halftime.

Backup guard Sam Merrill led the Cavs with 18 points, followed by center Jarrett Allen's 15 points to go along with his five rebounds. Merrill didn't score in the second half.

Merrill's contributions were key to the Cavs holding a 35-19 advantage in first-half bench points.

Devin Vassell led the Spurs with 15 points.

Wembanyama encountered early foul trouble. He had seven points on 1-of-4 shooting from the field, four rebounds, two assists and two blocked shots in 11 minutes.

Sam Merrill catches fire for Cavs in second quarter vs. Spurs

The Cavs trailed by as many as 14 points in the first quarter, but Merrill helped Cleveland take control in the second quarter.

The Cavs led the Spurs 53-49 with 4:09 remaining in the first half. Merrill fueled the rally not only with his shooting, but also with assists on a Tristan Thompson dunk and a Niang 3-pointer.

Merrill scored 12 of his 18 points in the second quarter. He was 5-of-9 shooting from the field, including 5 of 8 on 3-pointers.

Merrill's previous NBA career best for scoring in a half was 17 points last month in a win over the Utah Jazz .

Below is some information about the first quarter.

Cavs sixth man Caris LeVert scores six points in final 2.3 seconds of the first quarter

The Cavs trailed the Spurs 32-28 at the end of the first quarter. Cleveland's deficit would have been 10 points instead of four if not for LeVert putting on a clinic.

LeVert made a 3-pointer contested by former Cavs teammate Cedi Osman with 2.3 seconds left. Then he stole a pass from Blake Wesley and made another 3-pointer at the buzzer.

Cavs fall further behind the Spurs with Victor Wembanyama on the bench due to early foul trouble

The Spurs led 16-7 when Wembanyama checked out of the game with two fouls and 7:34 left in the first quarter.

Unfortunately for the Cavs, they didn't immediately seize the opportunity.

After turnovers by the Cavs' Donovan Mitchell and Isaac Okoro , Sochan and Devin Vassell made 3-pointers on back-to-back possessions to give the Spurs a 24-12 lead. Then the Cavs called timeout with 4:34 left in the opening quarter.

San Antonio Spurs center Victor Wembanyama (1) reacts in the first half of an NBA basketball game against the Memphis Grizzlies Tuesday, Jan. 2, 2024, in Memphis, Tenn. (AP Photo/Brandon Dill)

Cavs center Jarrett Allen attacks the basket of the gate, but Cleveland gets off to a slow start vs. Spurs

Allen entered Sunday on a six-game double-double streak. After he won the opening tipoff, Allen tried to throw down a vicious dunk on Cleveland's first possession, but he missed.

With 9:59 left in the first quarter, Allen scored the Cavs' first points when he made two free throws after being fouled by Wembanyama.

But the Spurs went on a run a 9-3 run and led 13-5 during a timeout with 8:24 remaining in the opening quarter.

Still, Allen's aggression was significant. He drew a second foul by Wembanyama with 7:46 left in the first quarter. Wembanyama checked out of the game with 7:34 remaining in the first quarter.

Below is some pregame information.

What is the injury report for Cavs vs. Spurs?

The Cavs ruled out starting point guard Darius Garland (jaw surgery), starting forward Evan Mobley (knee surgery) and backup point guard Ty Jerome (ankle).

The Cavs have gone 8-3 since announcing on Dec. 15 they would be without Garland for at least a month and without Mobley for approximately six to eight weeks.

Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro and San Antonio Spurs guard Malaki Branham fight for the ball during the first half, Monday, Feb. 13, 2023, in Cleveland.

St. Vincent-St. Mary High School graduate and Ohio State product Malaki Branham (ankle) was among four Spurs players listed as probable to play. Before the game, Branham told the Beacon Journal he would play. He came off the bench with 3:15 left in the first quarter and finished with two points, two assists and a rebound in 15 minutes.

The other probable Spurs players were guard-forward Keldon Johnson (wrist), forward Doug McDermott (forearm) and Sochan (quadriceps).

The Spurs ruled out forward-center Zach Collins (ankle) and center Charles Bassey (torn ACL).

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Cleveland Cavaliers forward Cedi Osman (16) drives against Indiana Pacers forward Oshae Brissett (12) during the first half of an NBA basketball game, Sunday, April 2, 2023, in Cleveland. (AP Photo/Ron Schwane)

What are the connections between the Cavs and Spurs?

A Spurs veteran forward, Osman reunited with the Cavs after they traded him this past summer. He received a welcoming ovation from the crowd at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse during a timeout in the first quarter.

The Cavs sent Osman to the Spurs as part of a three-team deal in which Cleveland acquired Strus from the Miami Heat in a sign-and-trade move.

Spurs forward Mamadi Diakite played 22 games with the Cavs last season.

The Spurs employ two former Cavs general managers: scout Chris Grant and consultant Danny Ferry, who also played 10 seasons for Cleveland.

What is the history between the Cavs and Spurs?

The Cavs improved to 38-66 in their all-time series with the Spurs. Cleveland has won seven of the last nine meetings.

Last season, the Cavs lost to the Spurs in San Antonio and later won the rematch in Cleveland.

How can I watch, stream or listen to Cleveland Cavaliers vs. San Antonio Spurs?

The game was televised locally on Bally Sports Ohio and broadcast on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).

Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com. On Twitter: @ByNateUlrich .

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cavs defeat Spurs in Victor Wembanyama's Cleveland debut

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