The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to keep things close with the Los Angeles Lakers, but were outscored 25-16 in the 4th quarter.
For the majority of the game the Cleveland Cavaliers were competitive with the Los Angeles Lakers. At one point the Cavs even held an 11-point in the 2nd quarter. But as all we know there are two constants in the NBA, the Cavaliers are not good in the second half and do not count a team has LeBron James on their roster.
The Cavs were outscored by nine points in the 4th quarter and by 12 in the second half overall after both teams entered the half tied at 54. Overall this game was a much more accurate portrayal of where the team stands in regards to real contenders than some of their earlier games this season.
Evan Mobley led the Cavaliers scoring effort with 23 points, making 10 of 16 field goals including one of two three-pointers, and went 2-5 from the line. Additionally, Mobley had six rebounds three assists, and two steals in the contest.
While it was not a prolific shooting night for Darius Garland (6-14), he did manage to end up with 18 points in addition to his game-high 11 assists. On the other hand, Garland’s backcourt partner Collin Sexton was essentially a non-factor. Sexton finished with nine points on 2-9 from the field while also having three assists, three rebounds, two steals while turning the ball over three times.
Lauri Markkanen came through with a surprising 17-point performance, with most of his damage coming from deep (3-8 3PT). Markkanen is still struggling from three his season, making just 26.3 %, about 10% lower than his career average.
While it also seems inevitable that Ricky Rubio gets moved at the deadline, for the time being he has proven to be a valuable option off the bench. Rubio was able to finish with 18 points, six rebounds, four assists, and three steals in 32 minutes.
The Cavaliers travel to Phoenix to take on the Suns in the second game of a back-to-back, looking to get back in the win column against a very formidable opponent.
