Jarrett Allen, a deep spark win against three All-Star starters

Cleveland The Cavaliers were without Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Darius Garland for their rematch against the Miami Heat on Wednesday, but Jarrett Allen and the team’s depth shined in an impressive 130-116 win in South Beach.

“It just gives confidence to everybody in the group,” Allen said after the game. “A lot of the guys that played tonight usually don’t get as much minutes as they did tonight.”

“I think it shows us that we have depth and it’s a next-man-up mentality,” added De’Andre Hunter, who had 21 points and six rebounds in an efficient night. “That’s something we preach, and the guys put in the effort, so I believe everyone on this team is going to play and play defense.”

Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson he called the group’s effort “phenomenal,” noting that 11 players participated and that all 11 contributed. The way Cleveland was able to work through missed shots in the first half and a double-digit deficit midway through the third quarter may have been the most encouraging part of the effort. The Cavs rallied and took over in the fourth quarter when they started getting stops, and they continued to put the ball inside.

Allen led the way with 30 points and 10 rebounds, making perfect use of his impeccable footwork and smarts.

Cleveland Rangers, Craig Porter Jr. and Lonzo Ballhe ran the show, creating a strong matchup in screen play as they held the ball. Each constantly looked for Allen near the basket, whether in motion or stalling after a layup, combining for eight assists to the big man.

“I liked how we posted them,” Atkinson said. “They were small, and that’s where Zo really comes into play. Zo understands what’s going on there. He just kept feeding JA and just telling him to go down. It was contagious. We kept getting the ball to JA deep in the post. That was a big part of the win. It keeps them from being small. They had to come back with (Kel’el’s) war.”

“That’s what I was raised to do, to seal the paint,” Allen said. “That’s what I’ve been working on my whole life. It was good to see the older, traditional basketball coming back into the game, and people need to get it right.”

Porter went a perfect 6-of-6 in the first half with 15 points to go along with five assists, three rebounds, three blocks and two steals. Its energy and production kept Cleveland in the battle because Miami couldn’t put away the wine and gold early as it tried. Allen and Hunter saw Porter do it all.

“Craig was everywhere,” Allen said.

“Not just the point, but the whole thing,” Atkinson added. “Defense. You see it in the stats, but he also had 11 rebounds, three blocks, four steals. It was a heroic, heroic performance. We needed it. He did all the role-playing things, but to add 19 points, 3-for-3 from three. That’s just a great performance. I’m really happy for him because he put in a lot of work.”

He is the first Cavs player to record 19 points, nine assists, four blocks and three steals in franchise history. Porter is also just the fourth point guard in NBA history to record four rebounds.

The Cavs’ depth is breaking through

Porter, two-way forward Nae’Quan Tomlin and rookie Tyrese Proctor ended up having Cleveland’s three biggest plus-minus numbers in the win.

“It gives everybody energy,” Hunter said. “Even ‘Kwan, even Luke (Travers) when they came in, they gave us a lot of minutes. Just that tenacity and that energy that they played with is just contagious. It goes to the whole team.”

Atkinson said the mark of a great program is being able to rely on players who are developing the right way.

“You have young guys who haven’t played and all of a sudden they can come in and win an NBA game,” Atkinson said. “We all know the cost of winning in the NBA. It’s hard to win. Those guys, I just remembered the work they did this summer, especially Nae’Kwan, Luke Travers. You can feel their maturity. You can feel them coming as NBA players.

“Tirese is so damn talented. He’s got his stuff. He can shoot. He’s got guts. He’s got guts. I think he’s going to be in this league for a long time. He’s so skilled. Tough kid. He was great for us tonight.”

Thomas Bryant also brought a lot of momentum to the team, recording a block and a dunk in his first sequence of the game. He grabbed seven big rebounds and was a force defensively. Atkinson called him “Mr. Energy.”

“He spends so much energy cheering, I worry if he has enough for the field,” Atkinson said. “His spirit is always great and his energy is great. I just give credit to our front office. He’s your perfect, I don’t know what to call him, fourth big? Perfect. He fits perfectly with what we want to do. He got us going a little bit, and then he had good minutes in the second half as well.”

A win in Miami gets rid of the sour taste from Monday’s finish, and should be a boost for Thursday’s home game against the Toronto Raptors.

Mitchell and Mobley should be back in action for that one, but we’ll see at Garland and the status of Jaylon Tyson.