Jarrett Allen sparks Cavaliers in 149-128 rout of Heat after 10-game absence
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CLEVELAND — Center Jarrett Allen wasted no time making an impact in his first appearance since early March, delivering 18 points and 10 rebounds in 18 minutes as the Cleveland Cavaliers overwhelmed the Miami Heat 149-128 on Friday night.
The 6-foot-11 big man had missed the previous 10 games with right knee tendinitis sustained March 3 against Detroit. Head coach Kenny Atkinson planned to cap Allen’s workload at roughly 20 minutes, but the veteran responded immediately, scoring on Cleveland’s opening possession and recording eight points in the first four minutes. “I usually don’t get the first play,” Allen said. “Kenny wanted to get me going, and things just started rolling.”
Cleveland’s 149 points set a franchise record for a regulation game. Guard Max Strus, recently back from foot surgery, knocked down eight three-pointers and finished with 29 points. Forward Evan Mobley added 23, and newly acquired James Harden chipped in 17 points and a season-high 14 assists.
Atkinson greeted Allen with a hug instead of their customary pregame high-five. “I’m so used to him not being in the starting lineup,” the coach joked. “He’s like a 7-foot goalie for us.”
The Cavaliers, currently fourth in the Eastern Conference with eight regular-season games remaining, have juggled injuries all year. Jaylon Tyson (toe) and Dean Wade (ankle) remain sidelined. Allen, averaging 15.3 points and 9.2 rebounds over 51 starts, had been enjoying one of the best offensive stretches of his career before the setback, including a 40-point, 17-rebound performance Feb. 1 against Portland.
Cleveland’s defensive metrics had dipped without Allen, but his reunion with Mobley — the league’s reigning Defensive Player of the Year — gives the club its preferred front-line tandem as the postseason approaches. “It starts at the rim with him,” Atkinson said. “He protects it and gives us a threat on the other end.”
Cleveland led by double digits for most of the second half, and Allen capped his night with back-to-back dunks midway through the fourth quarter before exiting to an ovation from the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse crowd.
Source: ESPN
