CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Cavaliers‘ rough stretch continues as they lost Friday’s game with the Chicago Bulls 136-125. The Cavs have now lost three straight and five of their last seven.
This game wasn’t
too different than any of the other recent games the Cavs have lost. They started strong, were outclassed in the second quarter, fought back in the third and fourth quarters, but weren’t able to do enough down the stretch to get the victory.
It didn’t help that the Cavs received news earlier today that they’d be without Donovan Mitchell and Craig Porter Jr. due to illness. They joined Cleveland’s long list of sidelined players, which included Evan Mobley (calf), Sam Merrill (hand), and Max Strus (foot).
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Cleveland was tied after the first quarter, but lost the second quarter by 11. This has been a recurring theme throughout this rut.
The Cavs were able to fight back to take a brief two-point lead midway through the third quarter thanks to 10 points in the frame from Jarrett Allen. However, that didn’t last as Chicago quickly reclaimed possession of the lead.
The Cavaliers had chances to win the game late, but they couldn’t string together stops and scores like they needed to. Lackadaisical defense and not getting back in transition did them in once again.
Darius Garland was one of the few bright spots of the evening. He played his best and moved his best on the court this season as he put up a season high 35 points on 13-27 shooting from the field, which included going 6-12 from three. Garland also supplied eight assists and a steal.
On one hand, it’s discouraging that the Cavs can’t get past a mediocre Bulls team when Garland has this good a game. On the other hand, it’s encouraging to see Garland look much more like his All-Star self. If the Cavs are ever going to play up to their potential, they will need Garland and his other injured teammates to return to their 2024-25 regular-season form.
Tyrese Proctor made the most of his chance to start on Friday. He provided 16 points on 6-15 shooting with six rebounds and five assists.
Nae’Qwan Tomlin added 15 bench points on 6-14 shooting. Allen finished with 14 points on 6-9 shooting with 12 rebounds and five assists.
The Bulls were led by Nikola Vucevic and Matas Buzelis. They both had 24 points. Coby White had 13 points and nine assists in the win.
The loss brings the Cavs’ record to 15-14. They’ll have a chance to rebound as they host the Charlotte Hornets on Monday.
