Win is Evan sent: Mobley comes up big in fourth quarter against Thunder to make sure Cavs don't let another game slip away

CLEVELAND — Evan Mobley picked the right time to take over. The 7-foot, 215-pound power forward had 12 of his 21 points in the decisive fourth quarter Saturday night to lead the Cavaliers to a 110-102 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mobley made all five of his shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, in the fourth quarter when he scored the Cavs' first 10 points. "I thought he was a force," Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said. "He was everywhere. He was determined to help us win." Guard Caris LeVert paced the Cavs (17-10) with 22 points and four assists. Center Jarrett Allen chipped in with 21 points and 11 rebounds. Mobley had a team-high 12 rebounds, as the Cavs thumped the Thunder (11-15) on the boards, 48-40. "We tried to control the paint," Mobley said. He credited forward Lamar Stevens and the job he did defending Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who came into the game third in the NBA in scoring at 31.1 points per game. The 6-6, 195-pound Gilgeous-Alexander fouled out with 1:04 remaining with 23 points. "He's super-talented," Stevens said. "You try to get a good contest and hope he misses. I tried to take away his tendencies and play him without fouling." The Thunder started the fourth quarter on 17-7 run to tie score at 89. Mobley followed with his 3-pointer, Allen dunked and the Cavs didn't look back. Oklahoma City never led in the game. Still, Bickerstaff was not thrilled with the way his team closed the game. "It's frustrating at times for all of us," he said. "We have to be better. It's mostly self-inflicted wounds." The Cavs missed leading scorer Donovan Mitchell (leg) and top sub Kevin Love (back), both sidelined with injuries. The injuries, coupled with the uneven play of point guard Darius Garland, made things interesting in the late going. Garland finished with 13 points and eight assists but was 0-for-2 from the field and committed six turnovers in the second half. He didn't score after halftime until he dropped in two free with 1:02 remaining. Oklahoma City put a bigger body on Garland in the fourth to try to slow him down. "He made the right plays," Bickerstaff said. The coach wants to relieve some of the attention given to Garland. "We don't want 10 (sets of) eyes staring at him all the time," Bickerstaff said. Bickerstaff said Garland has improved in his decision-making. "He's getting better," he said. "He reads the floor well. He understands how and when to attack." Luckily for the Cavs, they were able to hold off the Thunder, who outscored Cleveland 30-28 in the fourth quarter. "We stuck together as a team," Allen said. "We could have folded. Lamar got us in a defensive mindset. We know if we play our game, we can beat anybody." The Thunder put 6-8 Josh Geddy on Mobley in the fourth, which Allen said was an invitation to "attack the rim relentlessly." "No one was going to stop (Mobley)." Allen and Mobley combined to shoot 15-for-23 from the field. "It's like I always say, 'Feed your local big man,'" Allen joked. Tip-ins Mitchell (leg) and Love (back) missed their second consecutive games. The Cavs are hoping to get them back on their upcoming road trip to San Antonio and Dallas. ** The players weren't the only ones who could have done better in Friday's loss to Sacramento, which closed the game on a 19-0 run. "How can we all be better?" Bickerstaff said. "It's my responsibility to help more when needed." ** Oklahoma City's 7-1, 190-pound forward/center Chet Holmgren, the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft from Gonzaga, sustained a Lisfranc injury in his right foot in summer league and will miss the entire season. Contact Bob Finnan at rfinnan30@gmail.com and follow him on Twitter @BobCavsinsider. Cavaliers 110, Thunder 102 OKLAHOMA CITY (102): Dort 3-10 0-0 7, Pokusevski 6-14 1-2 16, Robinson-Earl 2-5 0-0 4, Giddey 7-16 2-2 17, Gilgeous-Alexander 7-13 9-9 23, Bazley 3-7 0-0 8, Muscala 0-0 0-0 0, Jal.Williams 4-6 3-6 11, Joe 4-7 1-1 12, Mann 1-3 0-0 2, Wiggins 1-2 0-0 2. Totals 38-83 16-20 102. CLEVELAND (110): E.Mobley 8-14 3-5 21, Stevens 4-9 0-0 10, Allen 7-9 7-13 21, Garland 3-9 6-6 13, LeVert 9-22 0-0 22, Osman 3-10 2-2 8, Okoro 3-7 0-0 8, Lopez 1-1 0-0 2, Neto 2-4 0-0 5. Totals 40-85 18-26 110. Oklahoma City&emsp;&emsp;22&emsp;&emsp;24&emsp;&emsp;26&emsp;&emsp;30&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;102Cleveland&emsp;&emsp; 28&emsp;&emsp;31&emsp;&emsp;23&emsp;&emsp;28&emsp;&emsp;—&emsp;&emsp;1103-Point Goals—Oklahoma City 10-29 (Pokusevski 3-3, Joe 3-6, Bazley 2-3, Giddey 1-4, Dort 1-6, Robinson-Earl 0-1, Gilgeous-Alexander 0-2, Jal.Williams 0-2, Mann 0-2), Cleveland 12-32 (LeVert 4-9, E.Mobley 2-3, Okoro 2-4, Stevens 2-5, Neto 1-3, Garland 1-4, Osman 0-4). Fouled Out—Oklahoma City 1 (Gilgeous-Alexander), Cleveland None. Rebounds_Oklahoma City 40 (Pokusevski 14), Cleveland 48 (E.Mobley 12). Assists—Oklahoma City 25 (Giddey 6), Cleveland 25 (Garland 8). Total Fouls—Oklahoma City 26, Cleveland 14. A_19,432 (19,432)