Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 123-119 road loss to the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. …
1. The Cavaliers do not look like winners right now. They are way out of sorts, failing to finish games and not getting stops when it matters most.
2. What’s going on? Well, not enough good lately. Too many turnovers. Not enough ball movement. Opposing guards driving right into the teeth of the defense and finishing.
3. Yes, this is March — a time when many of the best teams sort of lollygag and lose their energy. It’s the stretch run, and maybe the Cavs indeed have one eye on the playoffs.
4. But three straight losses after a 16-game winning streak? The Cavs (56-13) are better than that and they know it. Now it’s time to show it.
5. It’s true that Cleveland rested All-Star point guard Darius Garland. But the Kings were without center Domantas Sabonis (ankle) and leading scorer Zach LaVine (personal reasons). There can be no excuses.
6. That said, we should remember that these are playoff games for some of the Cavs’ opponents. That’s especially true of the Kings (35-33), who currently hold the ninth spot in the Western Conference standings. They’re still fighting to get out of the play-in tournament and into the regular playoffs.
7. The Cavs are tired. That much is evident. Donovan Mitchell was very good in the fourth quarter, but he and some others appear to be dragging. That’s fine. But the Cavs have to find another gear again, and quick.
8. Mostly, they just need a win to show they can still do it in enemy territory. You get those by buckling your knees, shuffling your feet, and making the other guy miss.
9. Coach Kenny Atkinson to reporters: “I thought we were phenomenal in the first half in terms of making them miss and making them take bad shots. Then the second half, they shoot 68% and that kind of tells it all. The headline has to be we couldn’t get stops.”
10. Evan Mobley was fantastic, helping the Cavaliers overcome some third-quarter doldrums in which they fell behind by 13. Mobley finished with 31 points on 13-of-18 shooting, including an icy 4-of-5 on 3-pointers. He also grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds.
11. Mitchell added 26 points but went just 1-of-6 on threes. He missed his first five before drilling a biggie off an inbounds pass near the end. That cut the deficit to 121-119 with about 30 seconds to go.
12. But Kings guard Malik Monk drove to the basket and forced a leaping Mobley into a foul. Monk drilled both free throws and that was that.
13. How do we know the Cavs are tired? Well, they’ve been turning the ball over way too much, and at the worst times. When they’re not turning it over, they’re at least being too sloppy with the ball. Not always, mind you. But too much.
14. Some of those 12 turnovers led to easy baskets for the Kings. Same thing happened against the Clippers on Tuesday and the Magic on Sunday.
15. Atkinson indicated it especially benefitted the Kings. “I think that fueled them,” he said of the turnovers. “Now they’re hyped. That’s a momentum shift that kind of turned the game.”
16. Ty Jerome added 14 points and six assists off the bench. Dean Wade added 12, making his first four shots, all 3-pointers, before missing his final four (two of which were threes). Max Strus also scored 12 and Jarrett Allen had 10.
17. What makes this even more disappointing is that the Cavs mostly had their way at the end of the second quarter. They led 56-47 at halftime, That included a 28-10 advantage in points in the paint. Then they fell flat in third.
18. Sacramento received 27 points from DeMar DeRozan, whose continuous midrange shot buried the Cavaliers near the end. Monk added 22.
19. Mitchell on the skid: “There are still some things we have to figure out. I’m kind of sick in the head, so I enjoy this. This is what makes the season fun — going through adversity. The sky is not falling, but we have (expletive) to figure out. This is part of it.”
20. The trip continues on Friday in Phoenix, where the Cavs will face a Suns team that features the likes of Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. Phoenix has been a mess all season. So the Cavaliers need to pull it together and make sure it stays that way.
21. Want some good news? The Cavs still have three games left on this trip. They follow Phoenix with visits to Utah and Portland. There is time to finish strong. These Cavs undoubtedly are capable of doing exactly that.
- Box Score | Kings 123, Cavs 119
- More Cavaliers | All coverage from Hoops Wire
Looking for the latest NBA Insider News & Rumors?
Be sure to follow Hoops Wire on TWITTER and FACEBOOK for breaking NBA News and Rumors for all 30 teams!
YES ! Sam, You nailed it. You said it.
They had some extremely great moments in the game… Mitchell, Mobley, & Shooting finally from Dean Wade and exceptional HUSTLE And shooting from Max Strus. But overall,,,
The clutch lights-out shooting (particularly 3pt & some free throws) we’ve been used to all season has been somewhat intermittently missing for more than a couple weeks now,,, and they somehow have sort of skated by to win last minute…. but NOT by what they have shown most of the season. Cohesion & dominance, witnessed earlier, have vaporized.
And NOW though, the Defense has seemed to be letting down as well. Clippers ate their lunch underneath the basket. Jared Allen has been GREAT all year, but the injured hand must be of more concern than we know ?? He’s been getting knocked around a lot lately & very few whistles have blown. He’s also been missing an inordinate number of free throws too. Very unlike him. Ref’s are allowing a whole lot more banging around and no-call’s abound. That’s how opponents come to feel even MORE free to knock players out & how our players get injured, sometimes for weeks. This IS NOT productive for the players or the league. but ref’s will be ref’s.
My point:
CAV’s have NOW lost home court advantage to OKC, IF, in any event were even able to get it together to get to a FINALS showdown.
Yes, they’re capable, but will they be down the finish line?? & soon.