Tag Archives: Los Angeles Clippers

Cavaliers defeat Clippers 92-79

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The Cleveland Cavaliers managed to come away with a 92-79 win over the shorthanded Los Angeles Clippers.

On the surface the Cleveland Cavaliers 92-79 victory against the Los Angeles Clippers is a bit of surprise. Upon realizing that the Clippers played without Kawhi Leonard, Serge Ibaka, and Marcus Morris it becomes quite less of a shock. The Cavs took advantage of Los Angeles being without three key players and handed them their third loss of the season.

Leading the way for the Cavaliers was Collin Sexton with 26 points, seven rebounds, three steals, and one assist. Sexton made 12 of 16 field goal attempts from two-point range while missing all four three-point attempts. Not everything about his performance was dynamic as he finished with a season high five turnovers.

Darius Garland was Cleveland’s assist leader with six and second-leading scorer, finishing with 16 points on 5-8 from the floor (2-3 3PT) and making all four free throw attempts. Garland also finished with a season high in turnovers with six.

Evan Mobley struggled from the field, going just 3-10. Mobley did make all six free throws as he finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, the second of his young career.

Ricky Rubio continues to do Ricky Rubio things. Rubio finished with 15 points and three assists in 28 minutes off the bench.

The Cavaliers have now won three straight games and will remain in Los Angeles to face the other tenant in Staples Center, the Lakers, Friday at 10:30 P.M.

Cavaliers struggle in second half, lose 121-99 to L.A.

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The Cleveland Cavaliers were outscored 69-50 in the second half as the Los Angeles Clippers ran away with a 22-point win.

Things appeared to be going fairly well in the first half for the Cleveland Cavaliers Wednesday night. Cleveland was only down 3 points going into the half against a superior Clippers team on the second half of a back-to-back. There was hope that the Cavs could pull off the upset and get back to .500 on the season. Once the second half began it was a different story. The Clippers extended their lead to double-digits and stayed at or above that number for the remainder of the half. As the 4th quarter progressed the lead only grew to 20+ and the final score read 121-99.

Besides a shockingly low amount of three-pointers taken (10), there was not an area Cavaliers clearly struggled in. Cleveland made 44.6% of their field goal attempts, had double the amount of steals (8-4), half the turnovers (8-16), and had 22 more points in the paint than the Clippers (58-36). What this came down to yet again for the Cavs is three-point shooting. Los Angeles went 20-34 from deep while Cleveland was 4-10, completely erasing any advantage that the Cavaliers had down low. This game should be a wake up call for their offensive strategy as playing like the three-point line doesn’t exist simply isn’t getting it done.

Collin Sexton led the Cavs scoring effort with 27 points on 11 of 21 from the field. Sexton made his only three-point attempt and all four shots from the free throw line. Darius Garland added 23 points of his own on a 11-18 shooting night, also making his only attempt from deep. Andre Drummond was the only other Cavs player to crack the 10 point scoring mark, finishing with 13 points on a lackluster 4-13 shooting effort. Cedi Osman also added 9 points while Jarrett Allen and Lamar Stevens both had 7 points each.

Things will not get any easier for the Cavaliers as they will host the Milwaukee Bucks Friday.

Cavaliers to play host to Clippers

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The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Los Angeles Clippers.

There is a possibility that the Cleveland Cavaliers can get back to .500 on the season, but the Los Angeles Clippers stand in their way. The Clippers are a team with a ton of talent, yet sometimes the chemistry just doesn’t seem to be there. Cleveland will have a solid chance to come out on the right side things considering Los Angeles will be on the back end of a back-to-back.

Cleveland will be without the services of Larry Nance Jr. and Andre Drummond remains questionable for the matchup.

This is the second straight missed game for Nance and would be the same for Drummond if he is unable to go.

The two players to key in on for the Clippers are Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Leonard and George are going to give the Cavaliers problems from start to finish and they will have to do their best to weather the storm. Leonard averages more than 25 points per game with 5 assists and rebounds with just under 2 steal per game. George averages almost 24 points per game with a little bit more than 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal per game.

There are two other players who average 10 or more points per game for Los Angeles, Serge Ibaka and Marcus Morris. Morris comes off the bench and is the leading scorer for their second unit while Ibaka is in the starting lineup.

The Clippers are one of the better offensive teams in the NBA while the Cavaliers are on the opposite side of the spectrum. Cleveland has had moments where their offense appears to better than what they actually are, but in the end they usually revert back to their true form.

While the possibility does exist that Cleveland can win their second straight game, it is going to be a difficult task. Perhaps everything can align correctly for one night and the Cavaliers end up with an upset win.

NBA practice facilities continue to be shut down

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More and more NBA teams have shut down their practice facilities due to members of the organization testing positive for COVID-19.

This is something that seemed inevitable. NBA teams having to shut down their practice facilities before their restart set to take place in Orlando. Even with potential Bio-Domes in Orlando and possibly Chicago, nothing seems as safe as they may seem.

The Milwaukee Bucks, Sacramento Kings, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, Denver Nuggets, Phoenix Suns, and Brooklyn Nets have shut down their practice facilities at one point or another. The fact that members of these organizations are testing positive now means that others could later, possibility infiltrating the Bio-Dome in Orlando or Chicago.

The problem is that no matter how careful they are no bubble is secure. There will always be issues with keeping everything contained. No matter how hard the NBA tries, the Bio-Dome is not the solution that everyone hoped it would be. Even Bud and Doyle found a way in and out and they were morons. (Yes, I know it was a movie, but you get the idea).

The closer the NBA gets to returning and more organizations are having positive COVID-19 tests they must ask themselves one thing. Should they even bother coming back? As time goes on it seems like that answer should be no.

Cavaliers suffer worst home loss in team history

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The worst home loss in Cleveland Cavaliers history. That is what happened in Andre Drummond’s Cavs debut. A 133-92 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse keeps Cleveland winless at home to start this decade. “The Morgue” nickname is alive and well, as contradictory as that may seem. 

The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard and Pat Beverley and still blew out the Cavaliers. Losing to the superior Clippers is not all that surprising, but the worst home loss ever to a team without two of their best players is just plain embarrassing.

One would think that a loss like this would be a direct result of Cleveland missing all of their better and veteran players. Well, that’s untrue. The Cavaliers had their best players available to them and still lost by a margin so large that it only occurs when being on the right side of a lopsided win in NBA2K on rookie. Cleveland’s full compliment of players was no match for the Clippers, even without Leonard and Beverly.

The fact Cleveland got better at the trade deadline and still lost by 40+ is a lot of things. Confusing, irritating, inexcusable, perplexing, mind-numbing, frustrating, and yet still expected. The team seems unable to put together 48 consecutive minutes of quality basketball and the blame for that is squarely on John Beilein. Sure the team has flaws, but they are in no way this bad. At some point the future of Beilein as the coach of this team must be questioned and that point appears to be coming sooner rather than later. 

New-look Cavaliers host Los Angeles Clippers

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The new-look Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Los Angeles Clippers Sunday in search of their first home win in 2020. The two teams last met on January 14th in Los Angeles with Cleveland on the wrong side of a 128-103 final score. 

Sunday night will be the Cavaliers debut for the newly acquired Andre Drummond and he could pay dividends fairly early. Although, there could be some issues with chemistry and communication. This will be the first game for Drummond with Cleveland and there is usually an adjustment period when a new player is added for any team.

The last time Cleveland and Los Angeles met, the Clippers absolutely dominated down low. Leading in the rebounding (58-48) and points in the paint (58-44) departments. Things could very well be different this time around. Drummond is a presence that could alter things in favor of Cleveland. 

The Cavaliers being able to stagger the minutes of two of the best rebounders in the league could lead to Cleveland closing the gap when it comes to rebounding differential. Andre Drummond and Tristan Thompson are excellent at rebounding on both sides do the floor. In fact, they are two of the top three offensive rebounders in the league. Keeping possessions alive against a clearly superior team could help them keep this closer this time around. 

Andre Drummond could help the performances of Darius Garland and Collin Sexton. Having a prototypical big man can help the development of the Cavs young guards. The impact may not be immediate, but could appear sooner rather than later.

Tip-off is 7:30 P.M. at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. 

Kevin Love to the Los Angeles Clippers?

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The Los Angeles Clippers are reportedly interested in Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love. Will the Cavaliers backtrack and trade Love?

The Los Angeles Clippers have expressed interest in acquiring Kevin Love.

The Cleveland Cavaliers have been hesitant to deal the five-time All-Star during this season, having said so fairly recently. 

The Cavs prefer to hold on to Kevin Love for the time being. Cleveland is willing to wait until the season is over before evaluating a trade for Love. That’s what they are saying at least. This could all be posturing on Cleveland’s part. Attempting to artificially inflate his value by saying he’s not available. It’s really the only way to increase the value of player that is not related to on-court performance. 

Love is averaging just under a double-double this season. It is entirely possible that in the right situation that his rebounding numbers see a slight increase, leading to a potential double-double average. Health is always a concern when it comes to Love. His injury history can be a cause of concern for potential suitors. The Cavaliers big man only appeared in 22 games last season. Although he has appeared in 44 out of a possible 51 games so far this season.

It is not know what the Clippers are willing to offer to acquire Kevin Love. Unless it is a mind-blowing offer it does not seem to be all that likely that Love ends up in Los Angeles. Of course things could always change before Thursday’s trade deadline.