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LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Clippers gave the Cleveland Cavaliers a nice gift for Valentine’s Day. No roses, chocolates, edible arrangements or even mixed ribbon.
Just a golden opportunity to put an end to their miserable losing slippage. The Cavs squandered it.
Even the Clippers sitting their top two players – Kawhi Leonard and Paul George – weren’t enough to bring Cleveland back to the winning column. The Cavs were beaten by another Western Conference bully, 128-111, on Sunday night. This is the fourth consecutive defeat to open this relentless road trip. This is the seventh consecutive defeat overall. It’s the ninth in the last 10 games, as the team’s rapid fall into the belly of the NBA continues.
As Andre Drummond rested, wearing a cream-colored sweatshirt with “goodbye” written on the chest, Cavs head coach JB Bickerstaff returned to the starting five-man lineup, in party responsible for the only victory in the last two weeks – Darius Garland, Collin Sexton, Isaac Okoro, Taurean Prince and Jarrett Allen. This change didn’t help either.
Once a force, the defense was again Cleveland’s Achilles heel on Sunday night, nuances of the past two seasons when the Cavs came in last.
George missed his fifth game in a row with a right toe injury. Leonard was held up because of a contusion in his lower left leg. Imagine what would have happened if the two got dressed? The shorthanded Clippers racked up 70 points in the first half. Then they opened with five straight in the third quarter, forcing Bickerstaff to call a time-out barely 39 seconds into the second half – a worrying 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 decision mistakes and that gave them a boost and I think he went down to 12 at halftime. I think that momentum has just continued.
Los Angeles became the sixth opponent in the last seven games to reach the 120 point mark. The Clippers shot 47.7% from the field and 43.3% from a distance of 3 points. Lou Williams went for a season-high 30 points to go with 10 assists, providing another education for the Cleveland Okoro rookie.
“I don’t think there is a problem with the attack right now. I think we have to be better defensively, ”said Cedi Osman. “I mean, it’s just not enough, especially against these types of teams. We have to play harder. You see the other teams, they don’t let us score easily, but we gave up so many easy points tonight.
The Cavs were led by Sexton, who had 22 points. Garland and Osman scored 20 each. Allen had 15 points and 10 rebounds.
Following Friday’s loss to Portland, in which Drummond appeared disengaged and uninvolved in team mergers, continuing a string of poor individual performances and disruptive play from a team perspective, Bickerstaff mentioned the possibility of a role change for the double All-Star, who has become a target of criticism.
Sunday provided another chance to see what it looked like with Allen surrounding the dynamic young Cleveland backcourt instead. This is the future of the team.
But it became clear with another rout: The Cavs’ current problems run deeper than an enigmatic player. Deeper than a struggling starting group that had been responsible for lethargic starts. 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 trends in the right direction and unable to find the answers. They need to locate them quickly, before they start to break.
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The Cavs will end their road trip against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. The tip is set at 10 p.m.
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New Cavs Face Masks For Sale: Here’s where you can purchase Cleveland Cavaliers-themed face coverings for coronavirus protection, including a single mask ($ 14.99) and a 3-pack ($ 24.99). All NBA profits have been donated to charity.
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