The Clippers’ 15-0 in the “money time” and this frustrating defeat in Los Angeles, after having had a twelve-point lead with four minutes remaining, did they deeply mark the Cavaliers?
The question deserves to be asked because the start of the match in Sacramento was missed. By conceding 69 points in the first period, the Cavaliers have again (for the third time in a row) joined the break with at least 60 points taken.
“We did not play with will”regrets JB Bickerstaff for the Plain Dealer. “We got into this bad habit, and it’s my responsibility, to let the opponent play as he wants at the start of the game, and to believe that we can reverse things after the break. It’s arrogant to think like that. You can’t survive in the NBA playing like this, because opposite, it’s too strong. If you want to be good, you have to play the style of the Cavaliers. Otherwise, we will live evenings like that. »
There was then an 11-point lead for the Kings after 24 minutes. As the coach notes, in the third quarter, Donovan Mitchell and company finally wake up. The fullback scored 15 of his team’s first 21 points, and 17 in total, in the quarter.
“If we play like that against Golden State, it’s not going to be pretty”
But this burst will not last until the end. Kevin Love will certainly give the advantage at the start of the last act, but in attack, there are inaccuracies, and Sacramento takes advantage of the poor defense to win.
“We are disappointed, there is no other way of seeing things”, laments JB Bickerstaff, who hoped that his troops were not going to be too affected by the end of the failed meeting in Los Angeles. “We can’t expect things to go our way. We have to make the effort collectively,” continues Donovan Mitchell, author of 38 points. “It’s about our defense, not the attack. We haven’t been solid defensively for two games. We rely too much on our attack, we hope it will do the job. That’s not us. »
After 119 points against Paul George and the Clippers, the Cavaliers therefore left Sacramento with 127 points in their teeth. And the Warriors, even sick, are looming this Friday with their 117 points per game and a Stephen Curry coming out of a 47-point performance…
“If we play like that against Golden State, it’s not going to be pretty,” warns the All-Star. “I’m going to keep saying it’s early in the season, but that can’t happen again either. The group knows it, we are going to be better. »
| Shots | Bounces | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Players | GM | Minimum | Shots | 3 points | LF | Off | Def | Early | pd | bp | Int | CT | party | Points |
| Donovan Mitchell | 9 | 39.3 | 50.5 | 45.1 | 86.2 | 0.9 | 3.2 | 4.1 | 6.0 | 3.4 | 1.3 | 0.7 | 3.2 | 31.2 |
| Darius Garland | 4 | 33.1 | 41.3 | 33.3 | 82.4 | 0.5 | 2.3 | 2.8 | 8.5 | 4.0 | 1.5 | 0.3 | 2.3 | 19.0 |
| Evan Mobley | 10 | 33.4 | 55.4 | 18.2 | 76.5 | 1.7 | 4.9 | 6.6 | 2.1 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 1.6 | 3.0 | 15.2 |
| Jarrett Allen | 10 | 32.4 | 53.3 | 0.0 | 76.7 | 3.9 | 8.3 | 12.2 | 1.2 | 1.4 | 0.5 | 1.4 | 2.1 | 13.5 |
| Caris Levert | 10 | 35.2 | 36.5 | 43.8 | 78.4 | 0.8 | 3.7 | 4.5 | 5.8 | 2.0 | 0.8 | 0.1 | 2.8 | 13.4 |
| Kevin Love | 10 | 20.4 | 46.0 | 42.2 | 82.6 | 0.8 | 6.9 | 7.7 | 2.6 | 1.1 | 0.1 | 0.3 | 1.1 | 12.6 |
| Cedi Osman | 10 | 21.4 | 45.2 | 38.1 | 81.3 | 0.3 | 2.0 | 2.3 | 1.9 | 0.9 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 2.2 | 9.5 |
| Dean Wade | 10 | 23.6 | 52.0 | 48.6 | 72.7 | 0.5 | 2.9 | 3.4 | 1.1 | 0.4 | 0.6 | 0.4 | 2.4 | 7.7 |
| Robin Lopez | 6 | 9.3 | 78.6 | 0.0 | 60.0 | 1.0 | 0.7 | 1.7 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.7 | 4.2 |
| Raulzinho Neto | 7 | 12.2 | 41.7 | 33.3 | 100.0 | 0.3 | 1.4 | 1.7 | 1.9 | 0.6 | 0.6 | 0.0 | 0.9 | 4.1 |
| Isaiah Mobley | 1 | 4.1 | 100.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 3.0 |
| isaac okoro | 10 | 15.1 | 29.6 | 0.0 | 85.7 | 0.1 | 1.4 | 1.5 | 0.4 | 0.9 | 0.4 | 0.1 | 1.9 | 2.2 |
| lamar stevens | 3 | 7.6 | 40.0 | 0.0 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 0.3 | 1.3 | 2.0 |
| Mamadi Diakite | 2 | 2.7 | 100.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 0.0 | 0.5 | 1.0 |
