Jarrett Allen scored 27 points and led the Cleveland Cavaliers to a critical win over the San Antonio Spurs.
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been the target of some not-so-encouraging energy and have taken over the last few weeks. At the center of that has been their big man Jarrett Allen, who isn’t having a season up to his standards.
Blame it on injuries, regression, fit, or something else, but Allen simply hasn't looked like the All-Star caliber big man he’s been for the Wine and Gold in the past.
Putting all of that aside, Allen put together his best performance of the season on Monday evening, against a gritty, physical, and demanding San Antonio Spurs team. JA reminded everyone about the type of player he can be, and with that, helped the Cavaliers notch a 113-101 victory over the Spurs.
Allen led the Cavaliers with a game-high and season-high 27 points while shooting 52 percent (11-for-21) from the floor. He also grabbed 10 rebounds, making this performance his fifth double-double of the season.
JA played a critical role in the third quarter to help the Cavaliers get back into the game out of halftime, scoring nine points and grabbing five rebounds in the 12-minute stretch alone.
Dec 29, 2025; San Antonio, Texas, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers center Jarrett Allen (31) dunks against San Antonio Spurs forwards Victor Wembanyama (1) and Julian Champagnie (30) in the second half at Frost Bank Center. Mandatory Credit: Daniel Dunn-Imagn ImagesInterestingly enough, when asked about Allen’s performance after the game, Kenny Atkinson actually said this performance started with putting the pressure on Cleveland’s guards to find their big men down low, and that’s exactly what they did.
Keep them [the big men] involved,” said Cleveland’s head coach postgame. “I challenged our guards. We have to do a better job of rewarding our bigs, and we haven't been doing that enough. You gotta give them the ball.”
If the Cavaliers had lost on Tuesday, it would have marked their third straight loss and likely invoked even more panic. Allen's statement performance came at the perfect time to ease further worry and showed that he still has what it takes to toe-to-toe with a Spurs team with plenty of frontcourt depth and size.
The team that showed up on Tuesday was much more reminiscent of the one that won 64 games last season, and that’s because of Allen establishing his presence in the paint.
There’s still a long way to go for Allen and the Cavaliers to officially be back on track, but this was a tremendous step in the right direction.