Lamar Stevens had quite a night on Monday against the visiting Boston Celtics. Stevens was instrumental in the Cleveland Cavaliers’ 118-114 overtime win versus the Celtics, but he also nearly cost his team a win when he sent Grant Williams to the free-throw line with just under a second remaining in regulation after a foul.
In the end, the Cavs came out on top and Cleveland head coach J.B. Bickerstaff rightfully heaped praises on Lamar Stevens after the game.
Via Kelsey Russo of The Athletic:
“There’s no way we win that game without Lamar,” Bickerstaff later added. “He set and changed the tone of the physicality, the effort. I know I say this a lot, but I love in this team that they didn’t want to disappoint him. He was giving it his full effort, and they weren’t going to let his effort go wasted. So they figured out a way where they raised their level and out-competed and went out and won the game.”
Lamar Stevens gave the Cavs a big shot in the arm with his energy coming off the bench. He finished the game with eight points in 17 minutes, while also grabbing eight rebounds. He had six offensive boards which were crucial in helping Cleveland steer the momentum in its favor. Stevens also scored five of his total points in the game during overtime, including one from behind the arc that put the Cavs ahead by two points with only under three minutes left in the clock.
The Cavs are going to go as far as where Donovan Mitchell takes them, but it’s still extremely important for Cleveland to get contributions from the team’s supporting cast if they are to win it all this season — and Lamar Stevens just showed that.