Evan Mobley produced a career-high on Monday and also made a bit of team history to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to an overtime win over the Los Angeles Clippers.
Mobley with finished 30 points, six rebounds, two steals, two blocked shots and one assist in 40 minutes of work in the 120-111 victory. He recorded 18 points combined in the second half and overtime period, and had a key block late to seal the win.
He became the eighth rookie this season to record a 30-point game.
With the performance, Mobley reached 100 blocks on the season to become just the fourth Cavaliers rookie to reach that mark and the first since Zydrunas Ilgauskas in the 1997-98 season. The team record for a rookie is 167 set by Hot Rod Williams in 1987.
“He has impressed me all season. It isn’t just tonight,” Cavaliers guard Isaac Okoro said. “He keeps on improving and improving as the games keep going on so just seeing him do that is special.”
#MobleyROTY's 100th career block is as good as it gets 😍@evanmobley | #LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/WtPQKwswPS
— Cleveland Cavaliers (@cavs) March 15, 2022
The Cavaliers had struggled as of late entering the contest on Monday.
They had gone just 3-8 over their last 11 games to drop to sixth in the Eastern Conference. With just 15 games left, they are in danger of falling into the play-in group, holding just a two-game lead over the Toronto Raptors prior to Monday.
With their recent struggles, the team held a meeting to reiterate the importance of each game left this season. The message, head coach J.B. Bickerstaff said, was received by Mobley and the team.
He understands the moment and it is that simple. The conversation we had about the sense of urgency and the importance of these final 16 games, he took it to heart, and then he has the skill on top of it to impact winning. He was phenomenal.
The outing by Mobley certainly came at a critical point as each game will carry additional meaning with the season winding down. Falling into the play-in group could be the difference between making the playoffs or missing them. They now have a 1.5-game lead on Toronto.
The objective for Mobley is simple: Keep playing as he has all season.
“Just going out there and being aggressive,” Mobley said. “I feel like my teammates have put me in good spots to score the ball as well as defend so I’m really just trying to get better. I feel like that’s what I’ve been doing so far.”
This post originally appeared on Rookie Wire! Follow us on Facebook!
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