Mobley – “We got stagnant and let them back in the game”
(Cleveland, Ohio) The Cavs fell to the Portland Trail Blazers 103-95 on Thursday night in the final game of their 5 game home stand.
The Cavs jumped ahead of the Blazers early and established a 12-6 lead to start the game. The opening quarter saw 3 Cavalier players score 6 points, Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. The Cavs finished the game with only 3 players (Mobley 20, Mitchell 15, Garland 12) scoring double digits in points.
Notwithstanding, the Cavs ended the 1st period giving up 7 unanswered points as the Blazers who were once down by 10, ended the quarter down only 3 points.
The 2nd quarter saw the Cavs push their lead to as much as 16 after they began the quarter on a 15-2 run. The Wine and Gold turned 10 Blazers turnovers into 15 points.
However, the Cavs didn’t play mistake free basketball themselves. They committed 5 turnovers in the 2nd quarter alone, which allowed the Blazers to go on a 16-4 run to end the quarter and cut the Cavs lead to 46-40 going into halftime.
The Cavs came out of halftime on a 11-5 run and extended their lead to 14. From there the Blazers slowly chipped away at the Cavaliers lead. The struggle to close out quarters followed them into the 3rd quarter as the Blazers ended the quarter only trailing by 1, 75-74. The Blazers outscored the Cavs 29-16 for the final 9 minutes of the quarter. The Blazers shot 50% from behind the arc in the 2nd half.
During postgame availability Evan Mobley when asked how to avoid performances like this, he pointed out they need to be more consistent.
“Just being consistent, not really playing the score. Just playing basketball how you know how to play. Playing hard regardless of what’s going on and playing the way you know how to play.”
The 4th quarter started out as a disaster for the Cavs. The Blazers opened the final period with a 21-6 run and led the Cavs 95-83 halfway through the quarter.
The Cavs went down as much as 12 and they didn’t get any closer than 4.
When asked how to prevent performances like this in the future Darius Garland said, they have to keep their foot on the competition’s neck.
“Step on people’s necks and keep our foot on their necks. Play for 48 minutes really hard and Cavaliers basketball. Keep the ball movement. Don’t get stagnant with switching teams and move the ball. Keep the ball moving, bodies moving. Defensive stops, transition, open layups, open threes. That’s basketball.”
One bright spot for the Cavs, Evan Mobley had a very efficient night offensively. He scored 20 points on 9-13 shooting with 6 rebounds, 2 assists and 2 steals.
The Cavs (10-9) finished their 5 game home stand 2-3. The Cavs travel to Detroit to take on the Pistons (2-17) Saturday December 2nd.
