Dribbles: Cavs flounder early, fight back, but little things costly vs. Thunder

Random dribbles following the Cavaliers’ 121-113 road loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday.

1. Sometimes, everything comes down to what you do in the first five minutes. And what the Cavs did was turn the ball over. A lot.

2. Still, in the waning moments, Evan Mobley and Donovan Mitchell each had a chance to cut into the lead with threes. Neither made it. Ballgame. Good shots that just didn’t drop.

3. The Cavs (36-22) were due to lose after winning seven straight. So not necessarily a big deal. But they still need to clean up the little things against good teams. Boxing out. Taking care of the ball. Not getting lost on defense.

4. Yes, the Thunder (43-14) were without MVP Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, All-Star Jalen Williams and defensive-demon Alex Caruso — but they’re still a good team. They didn’t win the championship last season on the strength of three guys. They won it via depth and resiliency.

5. Nonetheless, credit the Cavs for overcoming a 23-point deficit to actually take the lead. That deficit began and ended with their inability to take care of the ball at the start. Once they shored that up, they won the game.

6. It’s just one game, and I think it’s safe to say the Cavs are still finding their way with newcomers James Harden (20 points, nine assists), Dennis Schroder (11 points) and Keon Ellis (nine, relentless defense). So I wouldn’t overreact. But I know you probably will, anyway.

7. Sam Merrill and Ellis came in off the bench and really made a difference. They both just do the little things so well. Merrill has also been doing some of the big things well — finishing with 20 points on 6-of-10 shooting on threes. 

8. There’s a reason coach Kenny Atkinson called Merrill an “eggbeater.” It’s because Merrill mixes things up and contributes in most areas. And, oh yeah, he hits threes on the road.

9. Mitchell also scored 20 but went 0-of-6 on threes. No big crime. The Thunder always blitz the opposing team’s best scorer, fouling him relentlessly and daring the refs to make a call. Sometimes, the refs call it. A lot of the time, they don’t.

10. The Cavs still have a tendency to give up big rebounds. Yes, the rebounding stats ended up even (44-all). Still, it was rebounding timing that haunted them, and that’s been the case far too often this year.

11. When you play a team like OKC in its building, the margin for error is very small. And when you look at this game, it was the small things that cost the Cavs. That’s really the bottom line.

12. The Cavs fell to 48-8 over the last two seasons when Jarrett Allen (11 points, 13 rebounds) compiles a double-double. Allen and Mobley (15 points) didn’t really get going until later in the game, but they both played well once they did.

13. Still, Mobley needs to do better than two rebounds in 25 minutes. I understand he’s working his way back from a calf injury. He still looks a little rusty, but had an otherwise nice night. No matter how you spin it, the Cavs need him to hit the glass.

14. Harden also passed for nine assists and Schroder had seven. The new guys made a difference and they will continue to do so as everyone gets more familiar. The loss stinks, but there is way more good news with this team than bad.

15. Isaiah Joe led the Thunder with 22 points and Cason Wallace scored 20. Chet Holmgren (17) and former Cavs center Isaiah Hartenstein (13, 6-of-6 shooting) did most of the major damage, though.

16. Overall, the Cavs committed 17 turnovers and gave up 21 made threes. Not gonna win on the road with those numbers.

17. Brush it off, learn from it, use it as motivation and get back to it. You’ve got 24 more of these left before the real thing begins.

BOX SCORE | Thunder 121, Cavs 113