Dribbles: Cavs flat again in loss to Blazers, as early-season funk deepens

CLEVELAND — Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ ugly 122-110 home loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday.

1. Something’s off with the Cavaliers.

2. Coach Kenny Atkinson keeps mentioning spirit, and he’s not wrong. The Cavs look a little flat. He’ll point to the juggling lineups, the threes early in the clock, the team still trying to find its rhythm. All of that checks out.

3. But then you watch a game like this and it’s hard not to be puzzled. The Cavs (13-10) are a better team than the Blazers (9-13). Without question. Portland didn’t even play particularly well. Cleveland was just worse.

4. The concerns aren’t new. Rebounding. Transition defense. Perimeter coverage. Interior lapses. Shot selection. The Cavs show a different weakness every night. And yet… I still don’t sense internal panic. Oddly enough, I don’t feel it either.

5. Atkinson says his job is to keep an eye on the “big picture,” though he declined to share what that picture looks like. He did say he expected bumps early on. Consider this the bumpiest stretch yet.

6. Four losses in five games. Two straight at home. The Cavs look sluggish and out of sync. Not broken. Not doomed. Just drifting.

7. Atkinson remains upbeat. He keeps reminding everyone this is a long season. And he’s right. The Pacers were 11-15 last year before catching fire. December rarely tells the whole story. Sometimes it doesn’t even tell half.

8. Donovan Mitchell dropped 33. Evan Mobley was fantastic with 23, 10 rebounds and five blocks. When two of your stars show up like that, you shouldn’t lose at home to a fringe playoff team. And yet here we are.

9. One reason? Thirteen of 52 from deep. That’s the math of a long night.

10. Atkinson said there were moments he wanted a drive instead of a three. That’s a coaching point. But it also speaks to energy. Settling is usually a symptom.

11. And right now, the Cavs look like a team settling in more ways than one.

12. Darius Garland and Lonzo Ball had rough nights. Two-for-22 combined. One-for-nine each from deep. De’Andre Hunter (10 points, three rebounds) wasn’t much louder.

13. Thomas Bryant, though, brought juice. Thirteen minutes. Fourteen points. Six boards. Real spark.

14. Meanwhile, Blazers forward Deni Avdija continued his Cavs-killer routine with 27. Some guys just have your number.

15. I’m not burying the Cavs. And fans shouldn’t, either. But you don’t have to love what you’re seeing. The softness is real at times.

16. Still, there are 59 games left. Atkinson keeps hinting that the current uneven play isn’t far from what he expected, given the injuries. Fair enough. But at some point the Cavs need to string together some urgency. The clock isn’t ticking loudly yet. But you can hear it warming up.