Mobley's Cavaliers are dominating and Barnes' Raptors are languishing, but both still offer reasons to dream of more.

Oklahoma City came into Wednesday night with the best defense in the NBA this season. Cleveland put up 129 points on it.

Cleveland Cavaliers forward/center Evan Mobley has been named the franchise’s first-ever Kia NBA Eastern Conference Defensive Player of the month for games played in December 2024, the NBA announced today.

CLEVELAND, Ohio — Last season, the Cavs often paired Donovan Mitchell with Jarrett Allen. It was a great combination. When the Cavs had an 18-1 stretch in the middle of the season while dealing with injuries, it was driven by Allen and Mitchell.

Evan Mobley earned Defensive Player of the Month honors for December. No Cavs player, including LeBron James, has ever earned the award.

Jarrett Allen collected 25 points and 11 rebounds to lift the host Cleveland Cavaliers to a 129-122 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Wednesday in a battle of the top two teams in the NBA.

Oct 16, 2024; Detroit, Michigan, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) gets ready to shoot a foul shot against the Detroit Pistons in the first quarter at Little Caesars Arena. Mandatory Credit: Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images / Lon Horwedel-Imagn Images

Jarrett Allen scored 25 points, Evan Mobley added 21 and the Cleveland Cavaliers ended Oklahoma City’s 15-game winning streak by beating the Thunder 129-122 in a marquee meeting between the NBA’s top two teams.

Evan Mobley has a big night to lead a balanced Cavs attack in another double-digit win. Find out how many straight double-figure wins the Cavs have.

Ranking the Top 10 NBA MVP Candidates right now... MVP probability: 1.1% *Ranking among 10 candidates listed Mobley has certainly rewarded the Cleveland Cavaliers for selecting him at No. 3 overall in the 2021 NBA draft.

Ultimately, Donovan Mitchell decided an organizational leap required sacrifice. He needed to take a step back so others could step forward. Evan Mobley specifically.