Dribbles: Cavs run low on gas, still make Hawks sweat

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 114-111 road loss to the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday.

1. Second night of a back-to-back. On the road. Against a likely playoff team. I didn’t love the Cavs’ chances.

2. But they came within a play or two of getting it done anyway. 

3. In fact, Donovan Mitchell had two looks at the end to tie it. They weren’t easy. They didn’t drop. That qualifies as just the breaks of the game. Sometimes, the ball doesn’t cooperate.

4. The Cavs came out with energy and efficiency. It lasted for about one quarter. Then things started to fizzle. They were a step slow at both ends. The ball stopped popping with passes.

5. And I’ll be honest, with about 8 minutes left in the game, I figured they were done. Which is reason No. 714 that I write about the NBA and don’t play in it. As for the Cavs? Well, it was clear they were far from finished.

6. Clearly, they found something in reserve. Mitchell, James Harden, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen, Sam Merrill … everyone out there started doing the little things. Was it a great night? No. It was a loss. But it wasn’t a terrible loss.

7. Given the circumstances, that’s kind of a win. I know we like to dream, but the Cavs (3-2) won’t ever go 82-0.

8. Yes, everyone in the NBA experiences these types of conditions. Back-to-backs aren’t exclusive to the Cavs. In fact, they’ll have to do it plenty more times during the next 77 games. Overall, I like what I saw.

9. Harden had one of his better performances since coming to the Cavs, finishing with 24 points and five rebounds. Mitchell went for 22 points, though just 1-of-9 on threes. Merrill came off the bench to score 16, and Allen had 14.

10. Sadly, the same old issues haunted the Cavs. They gave up some big offensive rebounds. They allowed Atlanta to shoot 40 percent on 3-pointers. They were far from perfect. And yet, they had a real chance. 

11. Coach Kenny Atkinson said in the preseason that he intended to mix it up when it came to the bench. Meleek Thomas sat with right foot inflammation. So Tyrese Proctor played instead. So did Craig Porter Jr. No problem there. The only way to develop true depth is to give everyone some game action.

12. Onyeka Okongwu led the Hawks (3-3) with 29 points. He’s a regular Cavs-killer. So is Nickeil Alexander-Walker, and he scored 20. If even one of those guys had cooled off in the middle quarters, the result may have been very different.

13. Either way, no need to ramble on and on about this one. It’s one of 82, and while the Cavs will never make excuses, I will for them. You can call this a schedule loss. And we’ve all seen a lot worse.

14. The Cavs stay on the road with a visit to Milwaukee on Saturday night. Eventually, they will need to win a road game. Eventually, they will. But this one, in my estimation, was asking too much. The Cavs almost delivered, anyway.