Craig Porter Jr. Records Another Career Night, Cavaliers Defeat 76ers

Cleveland's undrafted rookie led all players with a career-high nine assists and +21 plus/minus in the team's second NBA In-Season Tournament win of the season.

Cleveland Cavaliers undrafted rookie Craig Porter Jr. had been emerging as a key piece of Cleveland’s bench in the team’s previous two games.

This past Friday night, he had 12 points, three rebounds, five assists, and a steal in 15 minutes of action against the Detroit Pistons.

The next game, Porter Jr. recorded a career-high 21 points, along with four rebounds, four assists, two steals, and a block in 24 minutes of action against the reigning NBA Champion Denver Nuggets.

Tonight, with Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, and Ty Jerome all out due to injury, the 23-year-old turned in another impactful performance when the Cavaliers needed it.

In a 122-119 overtime road victory over the Philadelphia 76ers, Porter Jr. had 12 points, three rebounds, a career-high nine assists, and a block in a career-high 27 minutes of action.

Porter Jr.’s latest outing was a crucial part of the Wine and Gold’s second NBA In-Season Tournament win of the season, as his career-best plus/minus of +21 led all players.

In overtime, while on the floor for just one minute, he made the most of his limited opportunity.

Porter Jr. drove through reigning NBA MVP Joel Embiid to make a layup, which gave the Cavaliers a 118-116 lead. He then assisted on what eventually became a game-winning baby hook from Jarrett Allen with 18 seconds remaining.

Nov 21, 2023; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Craig Porter (9) drives for a score against Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid (21) during overtime at Wells Fargo Center / © Bill Streicher-USA TODAY Sports

In the first half, he proved to give the Cavaliers a spark on the floor, leading all players with a +19 plus/minus and six assists, while also scoring eight points in 16 minutes.

Porter Jr. did not get to play as much in the second half, though, posting a minus-three plus/minus as Cleveland was outscored 57-45 in the last 24 minutes of regulation.