Cavs handle Blazers behind Jarrett Allen’s utter eruption

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 130-111 road win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday.

1. NBA fans arrived in Portland expecting to see Jarrett Allen and got Bill Walton in his prime instead.

2. Allen has never been better, at least not statistically. It wasn’t just the career-high 40 points and 17 rebounds. It was the way Allen started, the way he finished it late and the way he completely dominated the paint.

3. It was, with a doubt, pure relentlessness. “His energy was just off the charts,” coach Kenny Atkinson told reporters.

4. Allen finished 17-of-23 shooting. He grabbed a game-high six offensive rebounds. He swatted four shots. In a season where some Cavs fans are shouting, “Trade Jarrett Allen!” … well, this served as a reminder that when Allen brings it, he often really brings it.

5. Allen to FanDuel Sports Network Cleveland: “I can’t do it without my teammates. I’m not a guy who creates for myself.”

6. He is right about the teammates part — and they indeed were good, too. Sam Merrill scored an effortless 22 on 6-of-8 shooting on threes. Jaylon Tyson went for 18 points with his usual dose of aggressiveness and efficiency. Dean Wade again made a big impact defensively. And no one set up Allen like Craig Porter Jr., who finished with a game-high 12 assists.

7. Yes, all this and we have yet to mention Donovan Mitchell. On the same night Mitchell was named an All-Star reserve, he played a complementary role, staying mostly in the background on his way to 14 points.

8. Nothing wrong with that. The night belonged to Allen, and knowing Mitchell, there’s likely no one happier. As Atkinson said, the Cavs can’t afford to run Mitchell into the ground, expecting him to carry the load night after night after night.

9. That doesn’t mean the Cavs need more nights like this from Allen. It does mean they could sure use more nights like this from … well, everyone. That’s especially true with Darius Garland, Evan Mobley and Max Strus still on the sideline.

10. So while Allen stuffed the stat sheet, this truly was a team effort. A lot of it was the result of just being locked in and active.

11. As you likely know, the Cavs also did all this without De’Andre Hunter. He’s been traded to Sacramento. I like Hunter. But he wasn’t working out this season. He disappeared too often. There was very little consistency. He wasn’t the 3-and-D guy the Cavs were hoping for when they acquired him nearly a year ago.

12. So in comes well-traveled point guard Dennis Schroder and wing Keon Ellis. I’ve been saying all season that the Cavs really miss a Georges Niang-like presence in the locker room. I felt like they’ve needed someone with an edge, someone who’s really been around and seen it all.

13. That’s Schroder. A couple of weeks ago, he went after Lakers star Luka Doncic. In Germany, Schroder is like Michael Jordan — leading the national team to unprecedented success, including the 2023 World Cup title and 2025 Eurobasket title. He was named MVP of both tournaments.

14. He also has a history with Atkinson, who was an assistant with Atlanta (2013-16) when Schroder played there (2013-18). The Cavs are Schroder’s 11th team in 13 seasons. And that’s after spending the first five years of his career with the Hawks.

15. Anyway, I’ll have more opinions on the trade over the next few days. For now, all we can do is focus on what the Cavs are doing on the floor, and Sunday night, that was pretty doggone impressive.

16. The Cavs (30-21) are now tied with Toronto for fourth place in the Eastern Conference, just two games back of Boston and New York (tied for second). They now get a couple days off before visiting the Clippers on Wednesday. That’s a 10:30 p.m. EST tipoff.