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Player Grades: Cavs vs Blazers – Donovan Mitchell can’t always be Superman

CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers lost 122-110 to the Portland Trail Blazers. This one was hard to watch. Donovan Mitchell33 points, 5 assists, 5 reboundsThis wasn’t a bad Mitchell game by any means. But it wasn’t the superhuman, heroic game we’ve seen in the past. His 33 points came at a costly 26 shots. And to no fault of Mitchell himself, that’s not enough for the Cavs right now. There’s only so much Mitchell can do. He’s carried the team with his scoring through 23 games, but at some point, someone needs to step up and help. They can’t rely on him this heavily. Grade: B+Darius Garland6 points, 4 assists, 2 reboundsGarland isn’t moving well. That’s a plain and simple fact. He’s struggling to move up and down the court, and this has looked glaring when compounded by the Cavs’ all-around lack of effort. Grade: FEvan Mobley23 points, 5 assists, 10 rebounds, 5 blocks, 2 stealsMobley opened this game on fire, shooting 4-7 in the first quarter. He only took 7 shots the rest of the way. This has been a recurring and frustrating theme. Nonetheless, it was an efficient 23 points to go with 5 huge blocks and 2 steals. This was an incredible defensive game from Mobley, and an offensive game that left you wanting just a little more. Grade: A+Support us and rep Evan Mobley with Homage!We’ve partnered with Homage to help provide Cavs fans with the best gear. Anything bought from the links below helps support Fear the Sword while also allowing you to rep the Cavs. You can also shop all Homage Cavs gear HERE.You can grab the Mobley shirt seen above HERE.The Mobley trading card shirt can be bought HERE.Jaylon Tyson14 points, 2 assists, 7 reboundsIf watching these games gets you frustrated, and you’re looking for something to feel good about, just watch Tyson on nearly every play. He’s got the goods, and he plays like a young and hungry sophomore. Grade: A-De’Andre Hunter10 points, 1 assist, 3 reboundsLast week, we sang Hunter’s praises as the finer aspects of his game appeared to be polished. He’s regressed a bit since then. Falling into old habits and generally looking disinterested tonight. Grade: FCraig Porter Jr.0 points, 2 assists, 0 reboundsPorter only played 10 minutes tonight and went 0-1 from the floor. Considering how actively damaging Ball was, there probably should have been more minutes given to CPJ — even if he wasn’t super effective in the limited run he got. Grade: B–Dean Wade0 points, 1 assist, 1 reboundWade picked things up defensively tonight, but he remains in a cold spell from deep. Grade: D+Nae’Qwan Tomlin7 points, 1 assist, 4 reboundsTomlin plays hard, as we’ve celebrated on this blog all season long. But certain things can’t be solved by playing hard. Inexperience is one of them. Tomlin might not have been part of the effort issue tonight, but he blew multiple defensive rotations and looked off Donovan Mitchell for an open three-pointer, instead opting for a jumper of his own — which he missed. Still, Tomlin’s effort is something that makes him a positive contributor. It’s just worth highlighting that the Cavs’ issues are deeper than just effort, at the moment. Grade: BLonzo Ball3 points, 2 assists, 7 reboundsBall is in a funk. His defense is far below what was advertised, and his shooting has somehow been worse. He shot 1-9 tonight, including a groan-inducing brick in transition during the fourth quarter. Grade: FThomas Bryant14 points, 0 assists, 6 reboundsBryant changed everything about this game. Seriously. His commitment to screaming after every play is admirable, and it helped turn the momentum back into Cleveland’s favor for a brief moment. Grade: A+

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