By Eurohoops Team/ info@eurohoops.net
The Cleveland Cavaliers were forced to 9-6 after losing at home to the Boston Celtics despite Ricky Rubio and Cedi Osman pouring 28 and 26 points, respectively, on Monday.
The Spanish point guard, among the most experienced players of the team in his 11th season in the league, complimented the Turkish small forward following the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season contest held at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
“We are really good friends. We are from Europe. And we have our secrets,” he noted in fun before shifting to a more serious approach, “He’s a player who can shoot the ball. I like playing with that type of player because I know how to find them. He moves well off the ball.”
Osman, 26, has started his fifth NBA season with 11.0 points, 2.5 rebounds, and 1.6 assists per contest, coming off the bench in all 14 games played so far. His 26 points in the losing effort were a season-best. He connected 10/17 field goals, including 6/12 from beyond the arc.
“He is pretty young but has a lot of experience. He can shoot the ball and space the floor. He keeps working hard. He helps us a lot off the bench,” added Rubio on his teammate, “He knows how to play basketball.”
The former Anadolu Efes player improved from 16.6 minutes to 25.8 minutes per match with Lauri Markkanen in the league’s health and safety protocols. The Finnish forward cleared to resume training is likely to soon cut in his teammate’s minutes.
“I just felt like I had to step up tonight, more than usual,” mentioned Osman, “I let the game come to me. It makes everything easier.”
Up next, back on the road to visit the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday, after four home games in a row.
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