Dribbles: Cavs sink even further in loss to Suns, continue to sleepwalk to bad results

March 22, 2025

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 123-112 road loss to the Suns on Friday. …

1. Remember that 16-game win streak? Yeah, ancient history. These Cavaliers are nothing like before.

2. Yes, it’s March. Yes, guys are tired. But no, the Cavs were never supposed to be this inefficient.

3. This is the same team, mind you. In fact, the Cavs had all of their regular rotation players and a full lineup. Yet they looked dazed and confused for long stretches, as if this was their first time touching a basketball.

4. And offense isn’t even the problem. Defensively, as coach Kenny Atkinson said, they lacked “spirit, juice, and energy” for the entire first half. That’s a problem.

5. It’s not time to bury the Cavs (56-14). We are nowhere near that. But here are a couple of facts — they’ve lost four straight and have looked like a shell of themselves along the way.

6. That’s especially the case for Donovan Mitchell. We don’t need to rip him, either. But the truth is, he’s struggled mightily in March. On Friday, he had his worst game ever as a Cavalier — and maybe his worst ever, period. Mitchell finished 2-of-18 shooting, including 0-of-8 on 3-pointers, for seven points. His first basket came with 17 seconds left in the first half.

7. Again, though, this team is deep and talented enough to overcome even that. For whatever reason, the Cavaliers have let opponents get comfortable shooting and into a nice rhythm early.

8. Defensively, it’s been a lack of effort, lack of focus, and lack of winning basketball at that end. Someone needs to take a leadership role and get the Cavs back on track.

9. Atkinson chose to stress the positive in the postgame locker room. The Cavs did put together a nice run after falling behind by 21 points in the second half. They also trailed 104-86 with 9:16 left — then made a game of it, cutting the deficit to 113-106. Too little, much too late.

10. Atkinson to reporters in Phoenix: “I thought our spirit and energy was better in the second half. Conversely, we did not start the game with spirit, energy, or juice. We just have to start games a little better.”

11. Atkinson added that “a little adversity is probably a good thing at this point in the season.” Maybe, but the Cavs have to keep it from becoming a lot of adversity.

12. Nothing should ignite a fire in you like a losing streak. So maybe Atkinson will prove to be right. As bad as things seem now, again, it’s way too soon to lose faith in this team’s ability to bounce back. The sooner the better as far as that goes.

13. Why did Atkinson focus on the strong play of the reserves, the late-game run, and the overall positives? “Part of my job is understanding context,” he said. “They know (they didn’t play well). We were there at the game, but we weren’t present.”

14. The Suns (34-37) are suddenly pulling it together after a mess of a season. They’ve now won four of five. Kevin Durant lit up the Cavs to the tune of 42 points. Every time it seemed like the Cavs might make a run, there was KD, getting a bucket. He’s the ultimate equalizer. It’s just what he does.

15. Darius Garland had a nice night with 18 points, six assists, and five rebounds. He finished 8-of-16 shooting. But he also committed five turnovers and got a little sloppy. Now is not the time to fall into such a habit.

16. De’Andre Hunter added 17 off the bench, and Evan Mobley went for 16 points, 12 rebounds, and five assists. Ty Jerome also scored 16 in reserve. Hunter (6-of-8 shooting) and Jerome (5-of-8) helped to put life back into things. But getting stops when it means the most? Man, that’s been a teamwide issue for about a week.

17. More Atkinson: “We’re in position (on defense), but we’re not impacting plays. Against elite shooting teams, it’s not been enough. … We’re having too many breakdowns.”

18. Atkinson added that he’s not worried about Mitchell. “He’s been batting .400 all year,” he said. “You’re gonna have moments like this during a season. It’s just part of it. I feel like we have to lift him up.”

19. The Cavaliers can fix this quickly. They visit Utah on Sunday and Portland on Tuesday. A couple of wins and this skid will be long forgotten. But no one is gonna roll over for you. You have to go out there and break their will. The Cavs have done it for much of the season. Now is the time to employ that strategy once again.