The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the New Orleans Pelicans 93-90 after trailing for most of the game – one night after a surprising loss to the Detroit Pistons.
The Cavs, missing Darius Garland due to back soreness, trailed at halftime 39-38, but never trailed by more than nine points. Off the bench, Brandon Goodwin matched a career-high with 21 points to lead the team, and Cedi Osman set a career-high with 12 assists. Kevin Love recorded a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. In total, five Cavs’ players scored double-digits.
The Cavs shot just 29% (9 for 31) from three, but the bench outscored the Pelicans’ 52-22. The Cavs also committed fewer turnovers than the Pelicans’, 13-9.
With this victory the Cavs improve to 31-20 overall, and complete the month of January with an 11-4 record. They will travel to play the Houston Rockets (14-36) on Wednesday at 8:00 PM. This will be the team’s final road game against Western Conference teams.