LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Clippers have given the Cleveland Cavaliers a sweet Valentine’s gift. No roses, chocolates, edible arrangements or even a mixed bag.
Just a golden opportunity to end their miserable losing streak. The Cavs squandered it.
Not even the Clippers who had their two best players – Kawhi Leonard and Paul George – were enough to get Cleveland back in the winning column. The Cavs were beaten Sunday night by another Western Conference brute, 128-111. This is the fourth consecutive loss that this relentless road trip has opened. This is the seventh consecutive loss. This is the ninth in the last ten games as the team’s rapid tumble in the belly of the NBA has continued.
While Andre Drummond rests, wearing a cream-colored sweatshirt with ‘farewell’ across his chest, Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff is back in the starting line-up of five men who were partly responsible for the only victory in the past two weeks – Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen. That switch didn’t help either.
Once a strong point, the defense on Sunday night was again Cleveland’s Achilles heel, shades of the last two seasons when the Cavs finished last.
George misses his fifth consecutive game with a right-toe injury. Leonard was held out due to a lower abdomen in the left leg. Imagine what would happen if both were appropriate? The short-handed Clippers threw in 70 points in the first half. Then they started with five in a row in the third quarter, forcing Bickerstaff to call a timeout just 39 seconds after the second half – an ominous sign.
“I honestly think it started at the end of the second,” Bickerstaff said. ‘There was a point where it was a six-point game and we had some costly mistakes in the decision-making, and that gave them a boost and I think it went up to 12 in the half. I think the momentum just carried over. ”
Los Angeles became the sixth opponent in the last seven games to score the 120-point mark. The Clippers shot 47.7% from the field and 43.3% from the 3-point range. Lou Williams set a season-high 30 points to pass with ten assists, giving another training session to Cleveland rookie Okoro.
‘I do not think there is currently a problem with the offense. “I think we have to be better defensively,” said Cedi Osman. ‘I mean, it’s just not enough, especially not against these types of teams. We have to play harder. You see the other teams, they do not let us score easily, but we gave up so many easy points tonight. ”
The Cavs were led by Sexton, who scored 22 points. Garland and Osman scored 20 apiece. Allen had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
After the loss in Portland on Friday, in which Drummond looked uninvolved and uninvolved with the team, continued a series of poor individual performances and disruptive play from a team standpoint, Bickerstaff mentions the possibility of a role change for the two-time All-Star, which has become a target of criticism.
Sunday gave another chance to see what it looks like with Allen instead of Cleveland’s dynamic young backline. This is the future of the team.
But it became clear in another way: the current issues of the Cavs run deeper than one enigmatic player. Deeper than a struggling starting group responsible for inertia. Deeper than a few injuries – Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr. and Matthew Dellavedova.
The Cavs entered a dark place. They are weeks away from the right direction and can not find the answers. They need to locate them quickly before they splinter.
Following
The Cavs end their road trip against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. Tip set for 22:00
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New Cavs face masks for sale: Here you can buy Cleveland Cavaliers-themed face masks for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All NBA proceeds are donated to charity.
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