Tag Archives: Kevin Love

Cavaliers fall short in Big Easy, lose 108-104

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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.

The Cavaliers road trip continues Thursday in Washington. Cleveland has a chance to win their third of four matchups with the Wizards this season.

Cavaliers get 20th win over replacement Raptors

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to cruise to rather easy 144-99 win over an extremely shorthanded Toronto Raptors squad.

To call this game far from a fair matchup is an understatement. Both teams are impacted with players who are in health and safety protocols, but Toronto was hit harder. Their starting five featured just nine starts combined with five belonging to Chris Boucher and the other credited to Svi Mykhailiuk. While the Cavaliers were still able to start two regulars and two high-use bench players.

After the 1st quarter was surprisingly tight with the Cavaliers leading 35-34 the game got out of hand. Cleveland proceeded to outscore Toronto 109-65 over the remainder of the contest and their 22 made three-pointers helped propel them to their highest point total of the season.

All five of the Cavs starters scored at least 16 points. Darius Garland and Kevin Love led the way with 22 points each, with Garland assisting on eight other baskets and Love grabbing eight rebounds. Lauri Markkanen went 9-13 from the field as he finished with 20 points and seven rebounds. Dean Wade made 7 of 12 field goals as he scored 17 points while Ricky Rubio added 16 points and six assists of his own.

Denzel Valentine turned in a surprising performance off the bench for the Cavaliers, leading the team in bench scoring with 17. Valentine made five of his nine three-point attempts (6-11 overall) in addition to his nine rebounds, two assists, and two steals.

The loudest cheers of the night came with the game essentially put away as Tacko Fall entered the game. Fall would play 11 minutes, scoring three with seven rebounds (three offensive), two assists, and two blocks.

Cleveland now has 20 wins on the season and are in fifth in the Eastern Conference. The Cavaliers have far exceeded their expectations for this season and look to continue being the early darlings of the 2021-22 season as they travel to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans Tuesday. 

Cavaliers take down shorthanded Bucks

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The Cleveland Cavaliers traveled to Milwaukee to take on the Bucks and came away with a decisive 119-90 victory.

There is one thing that the Cleveland Cavaliers must continue to do, win. That is just what they did Saturday night as they took down a shorthanded Bucks squad. After trading leads throughout most of the 1st quarter, the Cavs eventually took the lead and didn’t look back. From the last point Cleveland trailed to the end of the game, the Cavaliers outscored the Bucks 115-75. Cleveland made 50% of their shots including 16 three-pointers en route to the lopsided victory.

Due to various reasons the version of the Milwaukee Bucks the Cleveland Cavaliers faced was not anything resembling the reigning NBA Champions. Milwaukee found themselves without Giannis Antetokounmpo, Khris Middleton, Rodney Hood, Bobby Portis, Done DiVincenzo, Wesley Matthews, and Brook Lopez. The Bucks starting five on Saturday had a total of 20 combined starts this season, 12 of which are credited to George Hill.

Leading the Cavaliers scoring effort was Cedi Osman who finished with 23 points in 27 minutes off the bench, right behind him though was Darius Garland with 22 on an efficient 10-13 from the field. Kevin Love and Ricky Rubio also contributed 15 points each while Jarrett Allen scored 14 of his own.

The Cavaliers are now 19-12 on the season and are far exceeding any realistic expectations for this team. Cleveland will travel to Atlanta Sunday to face a healthier Hawks squad looking for their seventh straight win.

 

Cavaliers demolish Rockets 124-89

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On the strength of 18 three-pointers, the Cleveland Cavaliers destroyed the Houston Rockets by a score of 124-89.

Make it five straight wins for the Cleveland Cavaliers. Even without dynamic rookie Evan Mobley, the Cavs were able to take care of business and hand the Houston Rockets a 35-point loss. Like Cleveland, Houston was also on a hot streak, winning eight of their previous 10 games. Houston was without a few of their key players (Christian Wood, Kevin Porter Jr., Eric Gordon, Jalen Green, John Wall, Daniel House Jr.) which may have played a factor in the final differential.

The major difference between the two teams was three-point shooting. Houston struggled from deep, going just 5-29 while the Cavaliers connected on 18 of 40 attempts. Whenever a team makes 13 more threes than the other it will usually be a lopsided victory and the was the case for the Cavs Wednesday.

It was mostly a group effort scoring wise, but Darius Garland led the way with 21 points.  Garland was 7-11 from the field including being tied for a team-high three makes from deep. Isaac Okoro joined Garland as the only players to score 20 or more points. Okoro made seven of nine field goals (3-3 3PT) as his recent scoring surge continues. Okoro is averaging 18.5 points per game over his last four games while showing signs of improvement offensively.

Since the Cavaliers were without Evan Mobley someone had to step in and that someone was Dean Wade. Wade came through with a 16 point 10 rebound performance and contributed to the downtown onslaught making three of five attempts.

Kevin Love also made three shots from deep as he finished with 15 points, his six straight game with 10 or more points off the bench. Love has made just over 50% of his three-point attempts in December and has been a valuable player off the bench.

The Cavaliers are 18-12 and now sit in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will be off for two days before beginning a road trip Saturday in Milwaukee.

Cavaliers cool Heat, win fourth straight

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The Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the visiting Miami Heat by a score of 105-94 as they won their fourth consecutive game.

It’s time to start taking the Cleveland Cavaliers seriously. The Cavs controlled their Monday night contest with the Miami Heat for the majority of the game and were able to avoid the usual pitfalls they found themselves into in previous seasons. Miami battled and were keeping up with Cleveland for most of the contest until the Cavaliers put the game away midway through the 4th.

With the win Cleveland did something that they have not accomplished since February 4, 2010. The Cavaliers defeated the Heat in two straight games with one of those games taking place in Miami for the first time since the first LeBron James era. The Cavs have defeated the Heat in consecutive games prior to Monday, but that elusive win in Miami did not happen until earlier this season.

Game Notes

A major reason for why the Cavaliers were able to beat the Heat was the difference at the free throw line. Miami went 5-9 while Cleveland was 17-18, being able to get shots at the charity stripe and converting them at a high rate more often than not will lead to a win.

Leading Cleveland’s scoring attack was none other than Kevin Love. Coming of the bench, Love scored 23 points on the strength of making five of eight three-point attempts and all six free throws in just 24 minutes. Love’s 23 points was tied for a game high with Miami’s P.J. Tucker.

Isaac Okoro had his third straight impressive scoring night, finishing with 18 points with most of his damage coming from deep (4-8 3PT). Okoro’s effectiveness from deep certainly played a part in the Cavaliers win.

Jarrett Allen finished with 17 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and one block. While Allen’s double-double streak came to an end, the double-digit scoring streak continues as he scored 10 or more points in 19 straight games. Prior to this streak beginning on November 1st, Allen scored just 14 points combined in the previous three games.

It was an all around solid game for rising star Darius Garland. Garland had 16 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals for the Cavs. While it was not a great shooting night for Garland, (5-16 FG, 3-7 3PT), the fact he can impact in the game in other areas separates him from others.

With the win the Cavaliers are now 17-12 on the year and are in fourth place in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland’s current four game winning streak is tied with two other streaks earlier in the year for longest of the season. The Cavs can make it five in a row as they take on the Houston Rockets Wednesday at 7:00 P.M.

Cavaliers topple Timberwolves 123-106

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The Cleveland Cavaliers took a trip to Minnesota and took care of business at the Target Center, defeating the Timberwolves 123-106.

From the start it was clear the Cleveland Cavaliers were going to cruise to a victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Cavs built an early 14 point lead at the end of the 1st quarter and continued to create separation between themselves and the T’Wolves. Eventually Cleveland would hold a 33 point lead in the contest as they proceeded to continue their scoring barrage into the second half and claim the inevitable double-digit victory.

It was one of the better shooting nights for the Cavaliers, conversing 46 of their 85 field goal attempts, good for 54.1%. 13 of their made field goals were of the three-point variety and the Cavs also went 18-22 at the free throw line. Only two of their made two-point field goals did not come in the paint, as Cleveland scored 62 points in that area compared to Minnesota’s 42. This differential certainly played a factor in the final outcome.

Leading the way for the Cavaliers was Jarrett Allen, finishing with an easy 21 points and 10 rebounds in addition to his two blocks, two assists, and one steal on the night. This was the ninth double-double in 10 games for Allen as he has proven to be quite a force this season.

It was also a productive night for Kevin Love off the bench, scoring 18 points and grabbing 13 boards in 23 minutes. Love made all seven free throws and went 3-7 from deep. Love has shown that he can be a valuable player off the bench at times this season.

Perhaps one of the more shocking shooting performances came from Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen went 4-5 from three-point range and 7-8 overall as he scored 19 points in 22 minutes.

The Cavaliers are now 15-12, good for sixth in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland will take on the Sacramento Kings Saturday night as they look to win their third straight game. 

Cavaliers fall short in Milwaukee, lose to Bucks

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to keep things competitive in Milwaukee, but ultimately the Bucks came out on top.

It was always going to be an uphill battle for the Cleveland Cavaliers in Milwaukee. While the Cavs have played above expectations up to this point, the fact of the matter is that they do not have the same star power as the reigning champs. The difference in overall talent ultimately made the difference as the Cavaliers found themselves on the wrong side of a 112-104 final score.

It was not a great night for Darius Garland to have a bad night. After two straight games scoring 30+, Garland only managed 10 points on a 3-12 shooting effort. While expecting Garland to continue to score in that range is not realistic, somewhere between 10 and 30 is more than reasonable.

With Garland struggling someone had to pick up the scoring load and that someone was Jarrett Allen. Allen scored a team-high 25 points while making 10 of 12 shots from the field and all five free throws. Although Allen’s double-double streak came to an end at seven after only collecting nine rebounds.

The second-highest scorer for the Cavaliers was Lauri Markkanen with 20 points on 7-15 from the field (4-9 3PT). When an opponent can force Markkanen to be the second-highest scorer that is not a good sign. Markkanen is a fine player, but should not be leading the team in field goal attempts.

Kevin Love was the highest-scoring bench player in the contest with 15 points. Love only attempted three-pointers and went 5-11 from deep.

Now losers of two straight, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now 13-12 on the year and are in ninth in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is averaging just 104.6 points per game, which is the third-fewest in the conference and could be a sign of things to come moving forward. The Cavs have a chance to end their losing streak Wednesday at home as they take on the Chicago Bulls.

Cavaliers defeat Heat 111-85 in Miami

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were able to end their 20-game losing streak in Miami with a 26-point victory over the Heat.

The last time the Cleveland Cavaliers came away with a victory in Miami it was the first LeBron James era. Since then it was 20 consecutive losses to the Heat while visiting FTX Arena. That streak has now ended with a much overdue victory Wednesday night.

It was pretty comfortable win for the Cavs, leading for the majority of the game and holding a 31-point lead in the contest. Cleveland was able to take care of business against a Heat squad that was missing Jimmy Butler and Bam Adebayo.

Leading the way for the Cavaliers was Kevin Love, scoring 22 points in 21 minutes off the bench. Love made six of his eight three-point attempts and all four free throws in addition to finishing with six rebounds, three assists, two steals, and one block.

Another Cavaliers big man was a major presence in the win, Jarrett Allen. Allen filled the stat sheet with 19 points, 11 rebounds, five blocks, and one assist. Like Love, Allen was incredibly efficient shooting the ball, going 7-8 from the field and going 5-5 from the charity stripe.

Rookie sensation Evan Mobley continued his run of impressive play, scoring 17 points, grabbing 11 boards, and blocking four shots. Mobley is proving to be a valuable piece to the Cavaliers future with these types of performances night in and night out.

The Cavaliers are now 12-10 on the year and are currently in sixth place in the Eastern Conference. Cleveland is off on Thursday before returning to action in Washington as they take on the Wizards. 

 

Cavaliers fall flat in 4th in loss to Warriors

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were outscored by 28 points in the 4th quarter during their 104-89 loss to the Golden State Warriors.

It was a 13-point lead for the Cleveland Cavaliers as the 4th quarter began, but as everyone knows it is not safe when facing the Golden State Warriors. Golden State proceeded to outscore Cleveland 36-8 as the Cavs dropped their second straight game when shorthanded.

While the Cavaliers were in position to come away with a surprise win, making only two field goals is not going to get it done. The ability to close out games usually separates the contenders from pretenders and the Cavs are certainly not a contender.

Even though Cleveland did not win, it was a valiant effort from Darius Garland. Garland, the Cavaliers only starter playing in the contest, finishing with 25 points, five assists, two steals, and one rebound.

Dean Wade started again, scoring 17 points on 7-13 from the field including 3-6 from deep. Wade also had nine rebounds and five assists.

Kevin Love scored 17 points in 22 minutes off the bench. Love made four three-pointers in addition to grabbing seven rebounds.

The Cavaliers are now 9-8 on the year after lost three straight games. Cleveland will host the Nets Monday as they look to get back on track. 

 

Injuries piling up for the Cavaliers

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Even though the Cleveland Cavaliers are exceeding expectations early on in the year, a growing injury list could derail their success.

At 9-6 the Cleveland Cavaliers have far exceed anyone’s realistic expectations for this team. A team that has struggled to find an identity over the past few seasons combined with a roster that does not appear to be constructed properly has outperformed the wildest dreams of even the most optimistic fan thus far. Unfortunately the Cavs are seeing more players end up on the injury report and that could result in a change in fortune.

The Cavaliers will be without Evan Mobley, Collin Sexton, Lauri Markkanen, Lamar Stevens, and Jarrett Allen Wednesday night in Brooklyn. Kevin Love is provable to return, but that is not guaranteed.

The biggest loss for the Cavs is obviously Mobley. Mobley is the clear Rookie of the Year frontrunner and losing such a dynamic unique player is huge, even without missing everyone else.

Cleveland has mostly won this season due to a sum of their parts and not necessarily one player in particular. As more players are removed from the equation in addition to a schedule which has them facing Brooklyn twice, Golden State, and Phoenix in the next seven days, things could change really quick for the Cavaliers if players do not start returning sooner rather than later.