Cavs look LEGIT in win vs. Sacramento Kings

Cavs look LEGIT in win vs. Sacramento Kings

We didn’t know what to expect but I’m not sure we expected a 5-2 road trip the Kings did win five games ultimately falling short tonight in Cleveland to a Cavs team that is beyond red hot they’re now 14 and two in 2024 in fact December

15th the Cavs were 13 and 12 in ninth place in the east as it stands tonight 32 and6 now in second in the East they’re red hot they look like a well oiled machine against a king’s defense that had its issues tonight the Cavs beat the kings in Cleveland 136 to 110 Sacramento

Now 29 and 20 on the season each and every one of our podcast presented by friends at Northwest Exteriors check out trust northwest.com I’m duice Mason that’s Morgan Reagan who just got back from San Francisco after hosting Kings pre and post how you doing I’m good yeah I love I love when

That’s always my answer I think that’s my answer whether they win or lose like it but it just it will sound different you know it’s it’s how I say it and I’m still I’m good I’m solid I I think you and I talked about this for a second

Right when I got done with the postgame show you were getting done wrapping things up and we were like gosh kind of weird not super upset about that loss but maybe it’s because how we keep looking at that loss and bundling it up in this road trip and going you know

What I’m not too mad now I think there’s a lot of different things to break down from tonight’s game because it was against such a good team you know where there’s other teams along this road trip that we keep talking about hey you’re supposed to get that win you’re supposed

To do this but tonight felt like there’s a lot of good but then a lot of bad when it came to the defensive side so we’re going to definitely talk about this game we’re going to take a step back and look at the road trip as a whole how we felt

After this road trip and we’re going to talk some NBA trade deadline that is coming up Thursday we will be live on our YouTube channel that morning youtube.com/ andm We’ll Be Live reacting to all the deals as they happen and he’s not kidding when he says that morning

Like we it’s tra NBA trade deadline day it’s such a and I hate saying it like this because it’s such a sad day for so many people like obviously players and everyone it’s such a fun day for us because of you know it’s rumors it’s change it’s excitement

You see it as like drama and it’s like reality television you know unfolding in something that you love so much basketball but that is why we’re on all day I have a hard time sleeping the night before the deadline it’s like Christmas it no it is I know so I’m not

Kidding you if something big happens we’re going to be live and it may be at an odd hour like what do some mower live at 12:30 what gotta do got to do it I guess we got to talk about this big trade and it’s like Dorian finny Smith goes back

To Dallas for a second round pick how pissed would you be if I hit you up more like hey we got to go live oh God the kings make something no uh D infiny Smith head back to Dallas you think we should talk you got this I’ll see you in

A couple hours oh man uh so yes we’ll be live on Thursday so let’s talk about this game and yeah I actually while I was waiting for you to get back from San Francisco I went back and watched all of the Cavs three-point makes tonight they

Were 23 of 41 from downtown I know and coming in tonight like they’re not a great three-point shooting team on the whole you’re right but recently during this stretch where they’ve been absolutely red hot they were one of the better three-point shooting teams I think in the last 10 games coming into

Tonight they were top five and three-point makes top just outside the top 10 and three-point percentage I think what’s so fascinating about this Cavs team not to spend so much time specifically on them is when they started 13 and 12 they they had injuries to Evan Mobley and the Darius

Garland like it’s not like they’ve been all healthy and I think there was some concern that what was it going to look like when those guys got back that other group had a ton of chemistry well tonight you saw a lot of good and Garland’s not all the way back he was

Questionable headed in tonight Jared Allen questionable headed into tonight’s game they looked awesome tonight um I think first things first you know Sacramento to me tonight offensively it’s like they were they were knocking down shots I felt like the offense you’re like all right you’re I mean you

Hit 17 a 44 from three tonight you knocked down the three-point shot I think tonight the big difference was you could tell the Cavs were like this Kings team is on the final game of a seven game trip we are going to carve them up we’re going to push push push the number

That jumped out to me most tonight yeah 31 fast break points the most that the the most that the Kings have allowed this year you know the kings are a pretty good transition defense team too they get back even after mistakes well tonight they had 12 turnovers that

Turned into 17 points but pushing and it just put so much pressure on the king’s defense and collaps the defense I felt like Donovan Mitchell he was knocking down shots early but I looked at the end of the night he had eight fast break points himself Donovan Mitchell himself

Had eight fast break points for perspective the Kings as a team had 12 I thought Donovan Mitchell was awesome tonight well I mean you look at just everything that you’re saying right there first starting with the fast break points and them just really pushing on

Them um it was it it was just a really smart game plan to do that to the Sacramento Kings especially where is their transition defense at like uh what’s the pulse on that I think the effort was a lot better it was there it was just like like we said you’re coming

At the end of a road trip this is what type of energy you’re going to get and then you look at someone like Donovan Mitchell he looked absolutely absolutely amazing at times and especially there at the end when he was trying that little [ __ ] thing on Kevin herder where he

Throws off the backboard and goes up for the layup I was like it was beautiful dude we get it you can do it all we need to fully describe that moment describe it he was on the perimeter started out in the perimeter Kevin herder defending Allan sets like a little brush green to

Roll to the basket herder recovers to get back on the Mitchell Mitchell gives him a little turn left came back throws it off the glass dunks it home it was a beautiful fake just gorgeous but then there was other moment where you go okay he’s going to be sharp on his

Threes at times and tonight was felt like it was one of those times he was five of 11 from Beyond The Ark but then deuce the kings were doing something that they do on Star players when they throw that Blitz especially they throw it high up them up on them near the half

Court line they throw it up Donovan Mitchell quick smart decision-making player he would quickly get get that get that pass to jar Allen in the pocket boom go jar Allen makes a quick move a quick decision even even there was help coming up in time on someone like Allen

And it still wouldn’t be enough because it felt like sabonis was getting pulled out on that double or on that Blitz and then it just seemed like okay this is where the cats were going to dominate I mean that situation and to rewind for a second the last time these two teams

Played believe it or not the Kings did beat this team earlier this year 132 to 120 in Sacramento and Keegan was the primary defender on Mitchell that night and Keegan did a great job and Donovan Mitchell’s a great player he’s going to have off nights too but Keegan legit

Played some nice defense he was two of 10 with five points when Keegan was on him Donovan Mitchell in that first game in that first yeah yeah I was like and tonight he he was they had him on early but I could tell they were making it a

Point to run action to get Keegan off of him and that’s like that that’s the ultimate respect right a little bit but you know for the Kings it’s like all right you got to make sure the right guys are getting switched on him so one Keegan picks up a couple of early fouls

That hurt but then they were doing everything they could to get him off where in that first matchup I think Donovan Mitchell was like Keegan Murray take this is an early November game by the way they’re looking at it’s November 13th donin Mitchell’s like this guy can’t guard me and then there’s like

There’s more of a sample size out there where it’s like no this Keegan guys on Luca a couple weeks earlier on the’s going on everyone’s best play exactly and so they did everything they could to get him off and you know Keegan also fouled him on a three-point attempt

Touch foul and won but then the kings are right whether they were trying to Blitz him or on a pick and roll situation it’s so tough when you’ve got you mentioned Jared Allen but moble tonight on that short roll he had seven assists so when you got Allen and Moy

Combining for 10 it was so tough because yeah they’d get the short roll and immediately make a good decision where they’d fire it to the corner and then I just felt like the ball movement in general tonight from the Cs I’m like this group look like they played

Together for seven years it was beautiful it was Absolut it was so crisp so sharp and um just you know I think that’s what ultimately led to so many open shots too so many open threep point shots especially now they have guys that have that type of range as well you got

Merill coming off the bench you had stru obviously who we already know can shoot stru finish six of 10 from Beyond The Arc but I thought the rotations were good but then there’s a few of those three-point shots now you can tell me because you went back and watched all

These in the hour and a half that I was driving back here but a few what I was noticing is and Mike babby brought this up too in the post game the urgency to get to some of these players from Beyond The Arc and I felt like I once they’re

Hot you got a game plan and and and adjust it to everyone a Steph effing Curry out here and that same type of urgency and effort needs to be on all of these guys so to your point I’ll get to like what I saw but Mike Brown said

After the game you know how they label certain players on every team hot guys yeah he said the Cavs hot guy the guys they label as hot meaning these are the players that we can’t like let good good looks we got to run them off the line

Contest them right he said their hot shooters were 188 of 23 from three tonight 18 of 23 from three I mean they were just so efficient so on fire I mean here’s the thing about how they got threes tonight they did it in every way possible every way it was pick and roll

Mhm with Garland or or Donovan Mitchell or it was those guys just car like pushing the pace and getting in the paint and then they they’d kick it out and the ball movement around the perimeter was perfect and so the kings are one guy gets beat okay and then all

Of a sudden guys are trying to rotate rotate rotate you’re just a hair late you’re screwed and I thought the pick and roll defense they got hurt a lot tonight because dude when you have Bigs like Allen and Moy that are threats because they’re so long and can finish

At The Rim but also can pass like it puts you in a tough spot because now you pull sabonis away in a pick and R if it’s like Fox defending a guard you’re pulling those two away from the basket and you still have to worry about Jared

Allen down there and who’s the help is it Harrison Barnes is it maybe a Tre La that’s tough I felt like in this is what I will say too with the king’s defense I felt like the effort was there like it was like they wanted to be in the right

Spot at the right time they wanted to Blitz hard they wanted to do all the things right but the Cavs just kept being a little bit more crisper a little bit more disciplined they look awesome and then on top of all that when you’re knocking down your shots you know how

Much that can deflate a team and I thought the Kings did a great job job not just getting down they kept battling even every time they got into 10 they like kept being there no I felt like tonight it was they by the when it hit

Like three and a half it was like yep even though I felt like the real dagger was when Mitchell threw it off the glass and dunked it I’m like okay real you’re not winning that game if he’s throwing a something off the glass the other thing tonight you’re talking about the threes

But these these are things that don’t show up on the box score okay Jared Allen what he did tonight I know like you look at screen assist and sabonis and goar are always near the top but man how often does Allan set a screen that gives Mitchell

Or Garland the ability to get in the paint and then spray he set vicious screens tonight I saw it multiple times on Keegan on Fox herder they got hung up monk I mean it he is such a good screener it’s all of it in that is all

About timing not only from him and it’s also understanding timing of whoever’s coming off that screen uh especially if he has that chemistry now with Donovan Mitchell all about timing rubbing the shoulders it doesn’t matter if you’re a brick wall or the biggest guy out there

If you have the perfect timing on it and no and and again that goes to your guard toon you’ve seen sabonis at times yell at someone like not yell but like communicate with someone like haven’t Hur her and be like hey take wait just wait one more second it’s like these

Pros they know how to do that but it felt like the Cavs were doing it perfectly tonight they were I mean it was really an offensive Masterpiece by the Cavs tonight and you know you said yeah you didn’t mind the effort and going back I don’t think there were

Times where they were late on Closeouts but urgency right today’s game it’s just like if you’re hair late the reaction time you know there was one where believe it was a pi roll situation where they had Mo on the short roll and I think he I’m trying to remember

The exact play it ended up getting back to Dean Wade in the corner right and lyes was the guy that was supposed to there be there to contest it he was just a slight hesitation going out to contest it open three Y open three there was another one and this is this is

Where s we this is the other issue I felt like tonight is when you have Garland and Mitchell two guys that can legit handle are are threats to score at all three levels and can pass you better be able to guard them a little bit and I

The Kings couldn’t stay in front of some of these guys tonight but one play that jumped out to me was on again a short roll Moy to the corner to Caris LeVert the guy helping the close out in the corner was Davon Mitchell well he was there yeah but Davon Mitchell’s at six

Foot and good luck yep no it it was um just like we said offensive Masterpiece a lot of smart basketball happening for the Cavs and on top of all that when you do look at the fast break points too and you okay well they had 31 fast break

Points and the Kings only had 12 but you well did the Kings only have 12 because the Cavs were making all their shots you could say a lot of that has to do with it but it’s not like the kings were missing a whole bunch of shots all night

Long the fourth quarter is when they really C and I also thought the Cav’s defense did a good job but the kings were knocking down shots the Kings shot 46% finished with 46% they scored 34 in the 1 25 in the second yeah 33 in the

Third 18 in the fourth when they you know they ran out of gas and then all you know they’re rolling a little bit I guess I guess my point to that being though is that you know we we’ve seen teams Miss shots Kings go out on the

Fast break cuz a good defensive play whatever get deflections boom go but we’ve also seen dearen Fox and other kings players take that ball out so quick after a made guard layup boom go go go and I feel like the Cavs kind of took on that game plan especially in the

Fast Break to really push on the Kings um knowing that this was their last game in the road trip yeah I’m looking at the final numbers in this one Sacramento’s leading score tonight Harrison Barnes yes it was 22 points he was six of 10 from three other three-point numbers tonight cuz the

Kings were 17 of 44 Fox three of n um herder two of five Murray two of four from downtown those were kind of the prime numbers yeah I I thought the Cavs just looked awesome and I felt like this was a game where you the were you know we

Talk so much all year long about the Kings limitations as a team like where they are just from a roster standpoint this is where you get exposed most when you have going up against a team with like two bigs that are long Mo such a freak athlete and then you add in two

Like guards like Garland and Mitchell the Kings don’t have the Personnel to really check those guys I don’t but you know what I I honestly I think I felt after this game and I just like no no I moral victories I don’t believe even in that term absolutely not whatever um I

Felt like this was one of those losses this year that it was like oh okay a loss with a lot of effort a lot of challenges um they kept up they still played good basketball because we’ saw a lot of shitty losses this year where the where you could question the effort the

Shot making ability like the stagnant offense the defense looking like [ __ ] and I just felt like things were looking so much better for the Kings especially They Carried a lot from their wins in this road trip into this game we saw a lot of good especially like you’re

Saying within the offense uh they were making a lot of shots because they were creating a lot of good opportunity for their teammates and one of my favorite ones was I forget how it started but then it ended up with domos and it was a

In it was a dho but it was domas doing a behind like just not even looking kind of just behind the back as Keegan is coming and he understands that ke he’s leading Keegan with the pass right here to have just a nice little easy mid-range jumper and I’m like that was

My favorite play of the entire game it was just so effortless it was like beautiful and it was they just made it easy on offense at times yeah they competed tonight for sure I mean it was a 10-point game in the fourth quarter I wrote down the swing play of the quarter

To me which quarter the fourth oh so it’s early fourth quarter 10:42 let’s see I wrote down the swing plane then I look at it wrong I’m just trying to make sure I got this right now God damn it oh yeah yeah yeah yeah yeah okay okay

I got it this whole time out thing threw me off for a second okay so fox makes a jumber to make it 10696 okay timeout caves okay oh yes I I know exactly what timeout Cavs I’m like dude it’s a I’m telling Jason Ross in there I’m going

Dude it’s a 10-point game there’s like 10 like they’re in it like they’re battling right now out of the timeout Garin turns it over Fox misses a three then Moy layup yeah okay tough then Fox comes down misses a layup then Wade hits a corner three and

That’s when the timeout was called Mike Brown one so it it went from my whole point is a 10-point game you get you force a turnover with a chance to make it eight or seven and then it turns into a 15-point game like it was just such a

Swing we like dude they cannot just get it to single digits and that’s where take a step back for a second we talk about where the kings are at where the these games against the Bulls or you know we mentioned the bucks or the Suns

Or the even the Mavs when the Mavs got back to the game it’s like closing teams out they make a little run they get it to 10 and then boom Blitz him tonight the Kings made it their their little run and the Cavs went stop it we’re going to

Execute here we’re at home we’re playing good basketball we’re putting this team away they did just that that’s the difference that’s where the Cavs are at a different level than the Kings absolutely that’s just where it’s at right now yeah and it’s it’s um you know you saw where the Cavs were even

Defensively last year and there was times going into this season again you look at the first half of the season for a lot of teams and I think sometimes especially for me I go oh I really think we can figure out a team’s identity through 20ish games and with the Kings I

Was like I have no effing clue what the [ __ ] they are you know like that was confusing but iel like that happened with a lot of teams um so far this season where you’re really seeing different type of play from different type of teams it feels like the Cavs are

Looking a lot more like they were last year when play the and it helps I mean sure but sorry to cut you off you’re right the defense has been really good that’s my point though and someone like Max stru Max stru killed me tonight man well yeah he was shooting the [ __ ] out

No no the shooting was great streu had 22 points five rebounds two assists two steals sabonis gets a rebound Stripped by stru oh yeah who else dear was stripped one time but who is that by I I don’t know but so stru gets the bonus once and then sabonis gets a rebound

Streu is patrolling right there I’m yelling at the TV like sabon that’s what the bench needed to do what were you on again sabonis sabonis sabonis cuz I’m like he’s coming and what do you know ripped it away yeah and then it leads to a three that sabonis

Doesn’t contest because he’s bitching at the ref and I’m like he’s either bitching at the ref or at his at the bench what it was one of those frustrates of bonus minutes where he’d even go out to contest the three he went to like touch Allen to make sure he’d

Get the rebound and it was an open three bang but stru those little hustle plays right there where he just took that a rebound a defensive rebound he takes it away and they score five total points off of that that’s a huge sequence yeah no I mean and yeah there was there was

Little things like that throughout this game and um it’s so funny that you’re even saying that you were yelling at the TV and and sometimes it’s like sometimes teammates could help and you know make sure that they’re communicating with one another and trying to really get each

Other into it when someone maybe gets out of it but yeah either way it’s I mean it happens with those type of effort players it can happen once oh can’t happen twice when it happens TW you help him out you know it’s just the same thing with like when you say help

Him out who are you saying help him out like the bench yeah yeah yeah well okay you know it’s so funny that you say this about the bench or just about teammates communicating too is that I was talking just talking to Mike BBY and I was telling him how much I hated John

Stockton and how much I still hate John Stockton and how I was like a young girl I hated two guys more than anyone in the world and was Stockton him Malone and he T and then he started talking about Malone and he’s like yeah Stockton got

Me this one time on this play where he went this way and I just went straight into this brick wall and it’s Carl Malone and he’s talking about it and he goes he goes Malone comes up to me he goes hey young fell you better tell your

Teammates to tell you a screen’s coming or something you know like just talking [ __ ] or whatever and I said Mike why didn’t anyone tell you a screen was you could have died you could have died on that screen and he’s like no exactly he goes I was a rookie Vancouver Grizzlies

And uh it just wasn’t it wasn’t we weren’t all connected like that and then he started talking about how with the Kings they were all connected they all really liked each other um everyone was talking so it is one of those things that those little moments really do

Matter because it and then it ends up becoming a swing play it’s like what I always say Morgan you make fun of me for this like you did on TV the other day e the little things are the big things Oh I thought you were you don’t accept and

Defeat what you would accept in Victory did I say it right no you did I I have said this once the last two games we’ve done together I’ve said it no less than 32 times this year on the podcast go on you don’t accept in victory victory right oh that makes sense what

You wouldn’t accept in defeat you would accept and defeat my bad I’ll get your quote right the next time and by the way it’s not even your quote who the hell said it I at this point you’re not even crediting can I be honest at this point I think

It’s me no cuz that you could say something over and over again and it doesn’t just become your quote like take something from someone in history and then not give them any credit like what the hell H you know my fear is I’m going

To look at it and it’s going to be like some aw going to be Adolf Hitler you know and you’re like no you know oh fingers crossed dear God dear God dear God please please don’t be any B I don’t know where I originally saw that quote uh Dick Bennett oh dear God

Dick Bennett please don’t be a weird racist weirdo Dick Bennett who is a coach okay okay who coached last at Washington State he was a college coach I’m sorry I don’t know him he coached at Wisconsin did he really come up with that quote cuz if he did that’s a great

Don’t accept in Victory what you wouldn’t accept in defeat I I think it’s him top 11 quotes by Dick Bennett he the exact quote was um we cannot accept in Victory what we would not accept and defeat beautiful that’s a great Dick Bennett he says he

Also said toughness is a skill and can be practiced and improved like all other skills hard disagree Oh hesitate in your beat he has too many quotes like you’re like he’s forcing them coaches don’t want excuses they want results jeez relax just get better every day oh some of the aren’t just him there’s other ones involved now Buy in or buy a ticket John Wooden

It’s what you learn after you know it all that counts Whoa man whoa whoa anyway all right thanks dick yeah what else do we need to talk about um trying to think of what else I I wrote down from this game um oh Keegan marray

Tonight I I went back and watched the C three-pointers I didn’t go back and watch the entire game obviously but I’m eager to see what the hell happened with Keegan Murray in the second half because Morgan Keegan Murray came out and he was aggressive he had 10 points when he

Picked up his second foul of the 248 Mark at the 248 Mark of the first quarter he had 10 points he finished with 10 points and you’re going oh did he just miss a whole bunch of shots well at the half he 10 points on four of eight shooting two of three from

Downtown he finished with 10 points four of nine shooting to a four from downtown Keegan Murray got one more shot attempt the rest of the game yeah after the half not good and I think again without going back and watching all of it there has to be a concerted effort to

Like make sure he’s involved whether it’s challenging him to be more aggressive or the coaching staff uhuh and part of it too is well Malik’s out there taking a ton of shots Harrison is being more aggressive right now um he took 15 Shots tonight Fox took 20 but I

I want Keegan to get touches he is too important to this team long term to to take one shot one in the second half sabonis had 15 assists in this game and I go I look at the moments that sabonis makes his teammates better find some open get some open whatever I got

Another stat for you too I go why wasn’t Keegan either trying to utilize sa bonis more even if it even if even if Monk and Barnes were taking more shots which I loved I thought you know there was efficiency there I liked what they were looking at but you’re exactly right with

Keegan it it whether it’s a mental shift on his part or on the team’s part because no one wants to sit there and baby him and be like okay let’s hold your hand and get you shot take your damn shot you picked you go be aggressive do what you need to do he

Seemed a little frustrated there at the end when he uh started fouling especially when he started fouling Donovan Mitchell and stuff but whatever it is just get out of it in the second half he and sabonis combined combined oh yeah yeah took four shots yep not enough

Not enough four shots so Keegan did not score in the second half sabonis scored Four Points so and sabonis was I mean another triple double for this guy his 15th triple double tying joic he now has 32 consecutive double doubles he had 12 points 19 rebounds 15 assists in the

Game um I love this because G gwis whatever Greg on Twitter uh he said funny moment from the Cavs broadcast they asked jar Allen how did you slow down sa bonis in that first half Allan I don’t think I did I think he has a triple double already ready and it’s so

F my and I guess my point is it’s like they obviously felt like they weren’t slowing him down he was being aggressive he was doing what he needed to do whether it was rebounding making you know uh creating plays or getting his shots off but whatever they did in

Adjustments they made in the second half they really slowed him down from being aggressive and trying to get those shots up yeah and that length I mean the the kev’s defense is one of the best defenses in the league y for sure but you know I think the Kings have enough

Offense and you still score 110 points but I I think they left some on the board and you know Keegan’s a guy that you know when it is a 10-point game and you need a shot like let’s find a way to get him involved right because he has

The ability to stretch the floor he’s got good size we’ve seen the growth and I think there are too many times lately where you’re like hey got to a good start and he doesn’t get the shots in the second half they have to find a way to balance that a little more

Deuce and Mo react to the Kings loss to the red-hot Cavs and how they feel after a 5-2 road trip.

For the full NIGHT CHAT:

__________________________________________________________________________
Support the show on Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/deuceandmo

Become a Deuce & Mo member access to perks:
https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCr7VqKCBgBQtBXri_rZ4Aww/join

NEW Deuce & Mo merch store:
https://deuce-mo-a-sacramento-ki-shop.fourthwall.com/

Watch games with them:
https://www.playback.tv/deuceandmo

Subscribe to the podcast:
https://www.deuceandmo.com/

Join our discord:
https://discord.gg/jfejj9A3nA

#sacramentokings #clevelandcavaliers #nba #nbapodcast