Dribbles: Cavs Lose Evan Mobley, Lose Game, But All Not Lost In Toughie vs. Heat

December 8, 2024

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 122-113 road loss to the Miami Heat on Sunday. …

1. This is the NBA and this is a place where you’ll have nights like these. That’s really the bottom line here. Every time you thought maybe the Cavs would get over the hump … well, it just wasn’t meant to be.

2. Miami played great. The Cavs played OK. When you’re on the road, you generally need to be great against a good team. And you can’t be great every night. It’s just asking too much in a season with 82 games.

3. So, overall, nothing to be concerned about. Just a night where you didn’t have it as much as the other guy.

4. The only real negative — or potential negative — was the fact Evan Mobley suffered a left ankle sprain in the second quarter. He seemed to shake it off, as he kept right on playing. But he didn’t return for the second half.

5. It’s too early to give a diagnosis or timeframe. But the fact Mobley played after hurting the ankle makes you think it’s not overly serious. That’s just a guess, though.

6. Regardless, the Cavs (21-4) still sport the NBA’s best record and now they get four days off before their next game. That one is at home against the lowly Washington Wizards. Translation: Cleveland should be able to bounce back quickly.

7. Anyway, there were some things to like here. Mostly, that the Cavs battled. Darius Garland was pretty good with 23 points and five assists. There were moments when you thought he might be able to carry the team to an unlikely comeback.

8. Again, not to be.

9. Georges Niang had a nice night with 15 points (3-of-4 on 3-pointers) and six rebounds, and Ty Jerome added 14 points and tied Garland with six assists. Caris LeVert tacked on 13 points. Like Niang, LeVert went 5-of-7 shooting.

10. Oh, and Dean Wade contributed 11 points and seven boards. He displayed more confidence than perhaps at any other time this season. So the so-called “role players” did their jobs.

11. Meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell was fairly quiet, save for a seven-point run late in the third to pump life back into the Cavs. Until then, though, he only scored two — finishing with 12. He struggled to a 5-of-16 shooting night.

12. This was the second day of a road back-to-back for the Cavs, and it showed a little. They just seemed a step slow. Yes, Miami played on Saturday, too. But both of their weekend games were in Miami.

13. Along with that, the Heat (11-10) are fully healthy for once, with all of their key parts on the court. Tyler Herro was magnificent with a game-high 34 points and Duncan Robinson (23) wasn’t far behind.

14. Really, this was a case of the Heat winning the battle of the little things. For instance, they shot 26 free throws and made 24. The Cavaliers were 17-of-18 from the line.

15. This also marks the first time this season that the Cavs shot better than 35 percent on threes … and lost. They actually went 14-of-33 for 42.4 percent. Interestingly, each team was exactly 41-of-86 from the field for the game (47.7 percent).

16. If you chalk this up to anything, though, you can chalk it up to the Cavs rallying and getting close, then running out of gas at winning time. That can be life in the big leagues.

17. Miami beat the Kevin Durant-less Phoenix Suns on Saturday, and blasted the Los Angeles Lakers by 41 a few nights before that. The Heat have really taken advantage of a nice home stretch and some good health. They’re one of those teams that hovers around .500 most of the year, and at the same time, stays in contention.

18. The Cavaliers know that. They’re aware of everyone. Maybe things would’ve been different had this game been in Cleveland, who knows?

19. Here’s another interesting stat — the Cavs are 5-3 against the Southeast Division (Atlanta, Washington, Charlotte, and the Heat), and 16-1 against everyone else.

20. So there you have it. What is known as a “schedule loss.” Perhaps by Friday, the Cavs will have Mobley back, Isaac Okoro back, and Max Strus coming around the bend. For now, they get a nice and well-deserved break, a chance to lick their wounds, and the opportunity to start another hot streak.