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The Cleveland Cavaliers are STRUGGLING: What is going on and how can they fix it?



The Cleveland Cavaliers are STRUGGLING: What is going on and how can they fix it?

After losing three games in a row, the Cleveland Cavaliers are struggling to defend and have gotten away from their identity. The schedule isn’t getting any easier with the Detroit Pistons coming to town followed by another road-home back-to-back, playing the Heat in Miami and then coming back home to take on the Atlanta Hawks the next day.

CLEVELAND — — Amen Thompson had his second career triple-double, Alperin Sengun and Jalen Green scored 26 points apiece and the Houston Rockets beat the Eastern Conference-leading Cleveland Cavaliers 135-131 on Saturday night.

Thompson finished with 23 points, 14 rebounds and 10 assists, and Fred VanVleet had 20 points and six assists for Houston. The Rockets beat Cleveland for the second time in four days, winning 109-108 at home Wednesday.

Darius Garland scored 27 of his 39 points in the second half for the Cavaliers. They have lost a season-high three in a row and dropped a half-game behind Oklahoma City for the NBA lead. Donovan Mitchell had 25 of his 33 points in the second half.

Cleveland also lost consecutive home games for the first time, but is a league-best 21-3 at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.

Takeaways

Rockets: Centers Sengun and Steven Adams dominated counterparts Jarrett Allen and Tristan Thompson, combining for 40 points and 12 rebounds.

Cavaliers: Power forward Evan Mobley returned after missing four games with a right calf strain, but was ineffective throughout. He had seven points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots in 29 minutes.

Key moment

After Garland made two free throws to even the score with 1:51 remaining, Houston answered with a 10-2 run to seize a 134-126 lead, fueled by five points from Thompson. Mitchell missed a wide-open, potential tying 3-pointer with 27 seconds left.

Key stat

Mitchell made his first three shots and had Cleveland’s first eight points, then missed 10 straight field goal attempts. The All-Star starter didn’t score again until the third quarter, winding up 11 of 27 from the field and 4 of 11 on 3-pointers.

Up next

Both teams are back in action Monday night. The Rockets are at Boston, and the Cavaliers host Detroit.

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AP NBA: https://apnews.com/hub/NBA

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20 Comments

  1. @O.G.LIL-MAN

    Cavs keep making the same mistake of that the problem aint the problem. They need taller stretch and more athletic players. We said this last year, and they avoided it thinking the coach is the solution. Kenny can only take them so far when they dont have the dogs or horses to put belts to a**. Merrill, Niang, Struss and Okoro should be traded off for larger, more athletic players who can shoot

  2. @jef_freely

    Low key … JT Thor isn’t bad as a big… wouldn’t mind a Kenny Lofton Jr as a backup small ball wrecking ball stretch 5 … he has a knack for outcompeting the unicorns with his unique build. Might blend well with second unit lineups. Seems like he could replace Niang/TT to me. He’s a fun player that just needs the right role and fit.

  3. @mike-ej9hz

    NIang had a lot of defensive lapses last night. Bad attitude is often mistaken for skill in the NBA. Fans love Patrick Beverly, Jose Alvarado etc attitude but are overrated defenders. I'm a Rocket fan and don't follow the Cavs like that, but from what I saw on the defensive side from Niang, he's unplayable in a playoff series.

  4. @garyhartel2180

    Ok, can we also just say, the Rockets are really good? They were hitting everything, we were missing layups. The only thing I didn't like was the lack of boxing out for rebounds.

  7. @thomasmazanec374

    We are getting beat on drives to the rim. Cut off the penetrator and force 3s. Agree we need to be much more physical. Need a modern version of Kendrick Perkins as an enforcer

  9. @JunZendhong

    Houston is one of the best team in NBA they are no.2 in the west they are young team but they have jalen green current player of the week in west a good young center sengun and a do it all amen Thompson plus two veteran in champion played van fleet

  10. @420Meatwad

    Jarret Allen is just not a physical player because of his build. He gets bullied often these days. If we can't acquire this lengthy wing player maybe we can get a legitimate backup center. TT is ok but we need someone better who is bruiser and more physically imposing than Allen and Mobley.

  11. @allequal5564

    Same problem they have hade for 3 years, heart and toughness, they are not winners. They will lose in the 1st or 2nd, I can see them getting swept.

  12. @420Meatwad

    If Naing is not scoring he is a big liability on the floor. Even when he is scoring it is not that impactful because he can't move his feet to defend and his rebounding is horrible. Part of why Amen Thompson got all of those rebounds is because Niang is terrible at rebounds. He jumps about 1 inch off the floor and does not box out his man. Right at the end of the game when Amen Thompson got that put back it was because Niang completely left him and went for a steal on Sengun. Also, I wouldn't give Niang too much credit for being tough. I think he is what some refer to as a "fake tough guy".

  17. @MannHoldUp

    Yall got a bunch of Un Athletic white boys.. all yall can do is shoot.. Good regular season team,but not built for the playoffs

  18. @bobwhite2

    The struggles started when the city started talking about needing a wing. A wing? 36-6? They need a wing? Players are very confused. The management talk about needing a wing may have shuttered the season. Perfect. Join the Browns n

  19. @minhnguyen-mk9om

    the word struggling is little over exagerrated, sometimes you lose close games, you lose to a good team is normal, not struggling

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