Mario Hezonja didn’t do much in the first half against Oklahoma City on Monday. Then the game flipped.
The Cleveland forward scored all 12 of his points after halftime and helped drag the Cavaliers out of a double-digit hole, turning what looked like a comfortable Thunder lead into a real fourth-quarter fight. Hezonja also chipped in eight rebounds, three assists and a steal, giving Cleveland a much-needed spark while Peyton Watson and Jaylon Tyson were out.
That lift mattered because Oklahoma City had already built momentum with a 33-18 second quarter, taking a 59-48 lead into halftime. Cleveland needed production from its bench, and Hezonja supplied it once the offense finally started to breathe.
He opened the night scoreless, missing his first two 3-point tries, but he stayed active on the boards. Before halftime, he had five rebounds, including three on the offensive glass, an area where he entered the day in the 83rd percentile.
His scoring burst came in the third quarter, when Cleveland started to claw back. With the Cavaliers down 79-73, Hezonja buried a 27-foot 3-pointer off a Tyrese Proctor pass.
He followed that with a driving layup that cut the Thunder lead to one. Later in the period, he split a pair of free throws and then knocked down another 3-pointer, this one set up by Donovan Mitchell.
By the time the quarter ended, Hezonja had scored nine points in the frame and helped Cleveland get within 90-84.
He kept the pressure on early in the fourth. His third 3-pointer pulled the Cavaliers within 93-92 and set up a brief lead on Proctor’s next free throws. He finished 3 of 7 from deep, shaking off the first-half misses and giving Cleveland the spacing it needed during the comeback.
The shot-making was only part of the story. Hezonja also kept the ball moving, and that showed up in the fourth quarter when he assisted on back-to-back Jarrett Allen baskets.
One led to a layup and a free throw. The other produced a 15-foot jumper that put Cleveland ahead 102-100.
He also set up one of Proctor’s first-quarter 3-pointers after grabbing an offensive rebound, turning extra effort into three points. All three of his offensive rebounds came before halftime, when his own offense was stuck in neutral.
Hezonja finished with five defensive rebounds as well, helping Cleveland finish possessions and get back into its offense. He wasn’t perfect - he went 1 of 2 from the line, and he missed a chance at a fourth 3-pointer with the Cavaliers up 94-93 in the fourth - but his second-half response gave Cleveland exactly what it needed.
For a reserve forward still carving out his place, it was a strong reminder of what he can offer: shooting that stretches the floor, rebounding that extends possessions, and passing that helps different lineups function. Hezonja was a bright spot yet again:12 Points8 Rebounds3 Assists2 Steals4/9 FG3/7 3PT1/2 FT#LetEmKnow pic.twitter.com/H61rtWuxZq
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Adell hit .244 with a .740 OPS in 48 regular-season games, and Plutos point was less about the stat line than the fit. With the Guardians facing budget limits and another round of labor uncertainty ahead, he argued the front office should be willing to absorb the arbitration cost if it means keeping a hitter who brings a skill set the roster does not have much of, especially when compared with other pending decisions such as free agent Foster Griffin. [Read more 🡒]