‘That was an epic play’: Cavs react to Isaac Okoro’s late-game heroics

In just his second game since returning from an extended absence, Okoro turned in the best two plays of his young career on Thursday.

In just his second game back since returning from an extended absence, Cleveland Cavaliers rookie Isaac Okoro on Thursday turned in the best two plays of his young career to help seal a 94-90 win over the Memphis Grizzlies.

First, with the Cavaliers up by one point and under 40 seconds left in regulation, Okoro got it done on defense.

Grizzlies guard Tyus Jones appeared to have a clear path to a potential go-ahead layup. However, as Jones was approaching the rim, Okoro flew in from behind him, raised up and swatted the attempt merely inches before the ball was set to touch the backboard.

Okoro was initially charged with a foul on Jones with 33.5 seconds left, but after pleading with head coach J.B. Bickerstaff, the Cavaliers challenged the call. The ruling on the floor was eventually reversed with the block being ruled clean and no foul charged to Okoro.

A few seconds after the LeBron James-esque chase-down block on Jones, Okoro came up with the game-sealing basket.

With the clock ticking under 20 seconds, the Cavaliers had one last possession, up by one point. Okoro, who was left alone in the corner, made a great back-cut to get open, caught the pass from Andre Drummond and threw down the dunk to send the Cavaliers to victory.

Okoro finished with eight points, two rebounds, two assists and two blocks.

“The recognition of a young guy who sees his man leave to go double team and then make that cut and then the great pass by Andre and obviously the finish,” Bickerstaff said after the game. “Then, the chase-down block. If it wasn’t early January, we’d be talking about that for a long, long time. It was phenomenal. To go get it cleanly without fouling and before goaltending the ball, and to have to cover that ground. That was an epic play by a young player at a critical moment of the game.”

Okoro returned to the Cavaliers’ lineup on Wednesday versus the Orlando Magic after dealing with a left foot sprain. He was also on the COVID-19 health and safety protocol list but was removed earlier this week prior to arriving in Orlando.

The fifth overall pick had played in just two games prior to his absence but the rest of the roster can already tell how vital he is to the success of the team. Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. has likely already emerged as Okoro’s biggest fan.

“There is not enough good I can say about him,” Nance said. “[When he came back], we got a winner back. I’m a big Isaac Okoro fan. … He knows I’m a fan of his. I’ll keep continuing to tell him. The sky is the limit for him. He has already got intangibles other people can’t teach so whatever he picks up from here is just a bonus.”

The impact Okoro has made in such a short timeframe speaks volumes about his potential with the team. The team already sees him as a key piece moving forward and that will likely result in that fan club growing each time he steps onto the court.

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