Matthew Dellavedova was given a hero’s welcome by Cleveland fans on his return to Quicken Loans Arena and he didn’t let his followers down.
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Playing his first game on the Cavs’ home court since being traded back to Cleveland from Milwaukee last week, Dellavedova played a key role in the 113-106 win over the New York Knicks.
The 28-year-old from Maryborough had 15 points, four rebounds and three assists and came up with a couple of big plays down the stretch.
Dellavedova helped force a crucial turnover and then knocked down two crucial free throws with 11 seconds on the clock to stretch the Cavs’ lead from three to five.
"I thought he did a terrific job," Clevleand coach Larry Drew said of Dellavedova.
"He is still on a minutes restriction, he hasn’t been playing much so we don't want to burn him out early.
"But I thought he did a good job, not just from the shots he made but that last possession where they took it out from the side.
"I don’t know how many people noticed Delly was on the ball then he did a phenomenal job tracking the ball on the inbound. We as a (coaching) staff look at that and that was to perfection.
"He brings so many intangibles to the game and what we need as a team."
As Dellavedova was knocking down the free throws late in the game, the Cavs’ fans started chanting “MVP, MVP”.
”It’s awesome. I really appreciate the support of everybody,’’ Dellavedova said after the game.
“I love the fans here and appreciate everything they do, just try to give back to them by playing hard and doing what I can.”
In a season where the Cavs have won just seven of their 28 games, Dellavedova’s return has given them something to cheer about.
He came off the bench in the first quarter to chants of “Delly, Delly” and then proceeded to nail his first three three-point attempts in the opening half.
The Cavs led by 21 points in the second quarter before the Knicks surged back into the contest.
The visitors grabbed a one-point lead with 32 seconds remaining before Dellavedova helped the Cavs to steady the ship.
After losing in Milwaukee to the Bucks earlier this week, Dellavedova gets another crack at his former team-mates in Cleveland on Saturday (AEDT).
After that he’ll come up against his Australian Boomers’ team-mate Ben Simmons when the Philadelphis 76ers head to Cleveland on Monday (AEDT).
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