What happened: Jarrett Allen converted a one-foot cutting dunk off an Evan Mobley assist with 2:45 left in the second quarter. The bucket trimmed the deficit to 44-52. The Mobley-to-Allen connection again served as Cleveland's interior pressure release.

Why it matters: Cleveland's frontcourt tandem has been the swing variable in this postseason run, and live looks like this one matter because the Cavaliers need their bigs producing high-efficiency rim attempts to stay in games where their perimeter shooting cools. Mobley's passing out of double teams is the throughline — when he hits Allen on cuts, Cleveland's offense holds together. Falling behind by double digits early in a playoff game compounds quickly, so trimming the run before halftime is meaningful.

What to watch: Watch whether Cleveland can close the gap before halftime and how often the Mobley-Allen two-man action gets called in the third quarter.

Sources

  • @ESPN