The Cleveland Cavaliers evened up their first round series against the New York Knicks in the 2023 NBA Playoffs on Tuesday night. Cavs forward Evan Mobley was matched up on Julius Randle for most of the game, something he has shown to be a competitive advantage for the Cavaliers, reports the It’s Cavalier Podcast’s Mack Perry.
When Mobley is matched up against Randle as the primary defender, now both in the regular season and the postseason, Randle has shot 15/45 from the field. That is a shooting percentage of 33%, demonstrating the lock down defensive prowess of Evan Mobley.
The Cavs and the Knicks have both had a tough time scoring the ball so far in the 2023 NBA Playoffs. Each team ranks in the bottom four for total points per playoff game out of the 16 teams remaining. Both will hope for a better offensive showing in Game 3.
While Mobley and the Cavs have been stout on the defensive end, they did have a much better day shooting the ball in Game 2 in contrast to Game 1. They won Game 2 by a score of 107-90, led by a 32-point performance from Darius Garland amid 6/10 shooting from the 3-point line.
Looking ahead to Game 3, the series shifts to New York and Madison Square Garden. The Knicks will look to take advantage of their theft of Game 1 in Cleveland and seize control of the series at home. For the Cavs, they will most likely be putting Evan Mobley on Julius Randle in order to neutralize the Knicks offense, as Mobley has proven he is well up to the task.