Coming off of a surprising win over the Atlanta Hawks, the Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t expected to do much against the Nuggets. Vegas had the Nuggets favored to win by ten, and Cavs fans would have been fine with a close loss and some Evan Mobley highlights.
Instead, they got something they couldn’t have expected: a dominant defensive performance, alongside a competent, well-executed offensive performance anchored by some half court rejuvenation by Kevin Love and his team leading 22 points 13 shots. The Cavs held a lead of three to eight points for most of this game – Denver took the lead once or twice, but Cleveland put their foot down late and ran away with it in the final quarter.