Cleveland Cavaliers: Jarrett Allen Crushes Orlando Magic With 1 Wild Feat Not Seen Since Kevin Love’s Cavs Days

Jarrett Allen Goes Full Kevin Love in Cleveland Cavaliers’ Game 2 Win vs. Magic

Speaking of Allen, the former Texas Longhorns star has somehow topped his 18-rebound effort in Game 1 of the series with a monster 20-board effort in Game 2. Allen also finished with 16 points on 6/10 shooting from the field to help the Cavs take Game 2 to the tune of a 96-86 score.

Via Stat Muse:

Jarrett Allen tonight:

16 PTS
20 REB (9 OREB)
2 STL
2 BLK

The most rebounds in a playoff game for the Cavs since Kevin Love in 2017.

Back in the regular season, Allen averaged 16.5 points and 10.5 rebounds per game while shooting 63.4 percent from the floor. He’s stepped it up this postseason, perhaps making it a personal mission to improve his numbers in the playoffs after the debacle the Cavs had in the 2023 playoffs against the New York Knicks, who booted them out of the postseason in the first round.

So far in the Cavs-Magic series, Cleveland is averaging 51.0 rebounds while the Magic are mustering only 40.5. Allen is averaging 19.0 rebounds per game in the first round. Apart from Allen,  Evan Mobley and Max Strus are the other Cavs players who are averaging at least 9.0 rebounds in the series.

Allen will have to keep that up to strengthen the Cavs’ chances of going up 3-0 versus Orlando, which will be playing at home in Game 3 on Thursday. He is already thinking about Game 3 and how different the atmosphere would be for the Cavaliers, with Orlando Magic taking its turn to play in front of its home crowd.

“We know when we go to their place, they’re going to be a completely different team,” Allen said after Game 2 (via ESPN). “They’re going to have their home crowd behind them. They don’t want it to get to 3-0. They’re just going to try to come at us like we’ve been doing to them.”