The Cleveland Cavaliers were not able to end their home stand on a positive note as they lost to the Sacramento Kings 119-105.
Coming into the second game of a back-to-back the Cleveland Cavaliers were already at a disadvantage. There was a considerable chance that things would not go the Cavs way and that is just what happened. A combination of facing a fresh team plus their rival the 3rd quarter did not result in a positive outcome.
As per usual this season, the 3rd quarter was problematic for the Cavaliers. Cleveland was outscored 27-17 in the 3rd and that included a 15-0 run by Sacramento. Considering the Cavs only lost by 14, that played a huge role in the final result. The Cavs were just never able to recover from that scoring drought and this has been a recurring theme this season.
Cleveland’s surprising leading scorer was JaVale McGee. McGee finished with 18 points and 9 rebounds on 6 of 9 from the field. The most unexpected part of his performance was his perfect 6-6 from the free throw line, nobody could have predicted that.
SexLand both went 6-15 from the field as Darius Garland scored 17 points and Collin Sexton scored 15. Garland made 2 of 4 three-point attempts and 3 of 4 free throws while Sexton was 0-3 and 3-3 respectively. Sexton actually had more assists on the night than Garland (7-2), a bit of a rarity for the Cavaliers guards.
One of the more interesting story lines over the past few games has been the increased role of Dean Wade. Wade played 23 minutes and finished with 11 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists and 2 steals on 5-10 shooting (1-3 3PT). It appears that Wade is carving out a role on this Cavs team. With the trade deadline approaching that role could grow if a few moves involving big men are made.
