The Cavs continued their six-game homestand on Friday night against the Toronto Raptors.
Cleveland did not play very well and trailed by as many as 26 points. They never had a lead in the second half, and ultimately, the Raptors defeated the Cavs 118-107.
With the loss, the Cavs’ five-game winning streak is over.
Here’s the Great, Not So Great, and the Bottom Line of the Cavs’ loss to the Raptors.
Great:
The Cavs did have seven players in double figures, including all five starters, but no one, and nothing Cleveland did was great.
Not So Great:
The starting 5 for the Cavs: The starting 5 was listless, lifeless, and thoroughly outplayed. Cavs head coach J.B. Bickerstaff was not happy and replaced the whole starting unit in the third after the Cavs fell behind by 26. He did bring them back, but it didn’t matter.
Cavs Backcourt: Donovan Mitchell and Darius Garland combined for 29 points on 10/29 shooting from the floor. Mitchell had 12 points on 4/16 shooting, and Garland had a team-high 17 points on 6/13 shooting. Mitchell was 1/10 from the floor after three quarters. They were off, and the team was off.
Fast Break Points: Toronto feasted in transition and had 27 fast break points.
First Half: Toronto was on-fire in the first half. They shot 59% from the field, including a sizzling 57% from three-point land. Toronto led by 16 points at halftime. Overall, they finished the night shooting 50% from the field, including 51% from deep.
Bottom Line:
There may have been a little hangover after the Milwaukee win, but the Cavs were not themselves. They didn’t defend like they usually do and didn’t get any shotmaking from Mitchell and Garland.
However, no one should overreact.
They are still 16-3 at home and 10 games over .500.
What’s Next:
Cleveland finished their six-game homestand on Monday as they host the red-hot Nets.
Best of the Rest:
The Raptors had three players with 20-plus points. Pascal Siakam and O.G. Anunoby had 26 points apiece. Scottie Barnes added 25 points and 10 rebounds.
Cedi Osman and Kevin Love had 13 points off the bench. Caris LeVert, who had eight points, scored his 5,000th career point on Friday night.
