The Cavs lost this game in a very strange way.
The Cleveland Cavaliers couldn’t complete a fourth-quarter comeback as they fell 131-122 to the Minnesota Timberwolves.
We can split this game into two distinct winners and losers.
LOSER – The Starting Lineup
You never want to pin an entire loss on one lineup. But this starting unit really made a case.
Kenny Atkinson threw a curveball with Cleveland’s starting lineup tonight. He inserted Craig Porter Jr. next to the usual core four, giving us our first minutes of the season featuring those five players. It turns out, there’s a reason those five haven’t shared the court together before tonight.
There are obvious issues that emerge when you play three undersized guards together. It becomes more questionable when one of those guards, Porter, is a non-shooting threat who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. Putting CPJ in the starting lineup takes the ball out of his hands and neutralizes his strengths.
The results were immediate.
Minnesota jumped out to an early 17-5 lead. The Cavs had zero momentum on either end of the floor. It wasn’t until the Cavaliers turned to their bench that they regained control of the game. Cleveland actually led at halftime.
But, for some reason, Atkinson went back to his starting lineup to open the third quarter. Cleveland was once again run off the floor during those minutes, giving up an immediate 7-0 run. It’s hard to beat a team as good as the Wolves when you give them free money like that.
Cleveland’s starting five finished with a minus-19 in less than 10 minutes of playing time. The Cavs won the other 38 minutes of this game by 10 points.
Tough.
WINNER – Everything else
The Cavs showed some really good stuff in this game. Other than the starting five, this was one of their stronger performances of the season.
Seriously, I can argue that the Cavs played their best basketball of the season for long stretches of this game.
They were flawless offensively in the second quarter, generating quality looks every time down the court. It was a balanced approach, feeding the bigs and moving the ball with purpose. Jarrett Allen was featured prominently and that might be the greatest sign that the team is operating at full force.
Donovan Mitchell had his best playmaking half of the year. His underhand lob to Evan Mobley was just one of a few impressive deliveries to the bigs. He continued to shine in the second half, turning into more of a scorer to help lead a comeback in the fourth quarter.
Overall, this team was clicking in a way they haven’t for most of the season. It felt like glimmers of last year’s Cavs were shining through during this game.
I know it’s hard to accept any more moral victories with the season this team has had so far. Losses are stacking up quickly. But I have to judge this game on its own merit. The Cavs fought hard against a Timberwolves team that is top-10 in offense and defense. That’s at least somewhat encouraging.
Category: General Sports
