The Cleveland Cavaliers were up early, but could not finish the job in New Orleans, losing to the Pelicans 108-104.
Early on it appeared that the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to cruise to an easy win. Shot after shot went in and the Cavs even held a 19 point lead after the 1st quarter. That is why all four quarters are played, because New Orleans was able to crawl back by outscoring Cleveland in the following three quarters and heading the Cavaliers a four-point loss.
Cleveland actually held a double-digit lead in the 4th quarter, but were not able to score when it counted. It was clear that the key players in the Cavaliers lineup were exhausted and were out of energy. Due to numerous players still in the league’s health and safety protocols, minutes were distributed among a smaller group of players than normal.
The Cavs entered the game without Darius Garland as he entered COVID protocols earlier in the day. Ricky Rubio would take his place in the starting lineup, nearly ending up with a triple-double. Rubio finished with 27 points, 13 assists, nine rebounds, two steals, and two blocks. Unfortunately Rubio would exit the game with an injury late in the 4th quarter and was not able to walk off under his own power, being helped to the locker room immediately after leaving the floor.
Evan Mobley made his return to the Cavaliers lineup after clearing COVID protocols. Mobley would score 22 points and grab seven rebounds in his first game since December 13th. With the return of Mobley, Kevin Love went back to his role coming off the bench. Love was still a force, scoring 24 points powered by seven made threes in 32 minutes.
