A series of injuries has collided with one of the busiest stretches in their schedule, and the Cavaliers lost to the Brooklyn Nets Sunday (26-39) Sunday night.
Despite missing Donovan Mitchell , Evan Mobley and Max Strus , the Cavs beat the No. 1 teams in both the Eastern and Western Conference, both of them in thrilling fashion . But Sunday night, it looked as though the attrition finally caught up with Cleveland .
Dean Wade stepped up with an incredible 20-point fourth quarter to beat the Boston Celtics , and Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen teamed up to take down the Minnesota Timberwolves Friday night. Though, Wade was out Sunday with a personal issue.
The Cavs (41-23) playing so many games in such a short period of time as the season winds down has left them in a bind when it comes to fighting for the No. 2 seed while also trying to return the startling lineup to full strength .
Check back here during the game, which has a 7 p.m. tip, for updates and analysis.
It's possible the attrition of the Cavs has caught up with them, which isn't a great sign considering they play the Phoenix Suns in less than 24 hours.
The Cavs' defense fell apart in the second half, which isn't entirely surprising with four key rotational players out Sunday night.
Craig Porter Jr. was needed for 24 minutes. Isaiah Mobley played 18 minutes. Damian Jones clocked in for 19 minutes. Emoni Bates even got plenty of run with 11 minutes on the floor.
The Cavs, to a degree, need fresh legs right now, having to play so many games in such a short period of time. Georges Niang had a quality night with a team-high 20 points on 8-for-12 shooting. Jarrett Allen finished with 15 points and nine rebounds. Porter Jr. scored 13 points and had four assists.
For the Nets, all five starters finished in double figures, led by Cam Thomas , who had a game-high 29 points.
The Nets obliterated the Cavs defense for 44 points in the third quarter. At one point, it was tied 67-67, and the Nets then went nuts with an offensive barrage.
The Cavs might not get some minutes for the end of their bench to try and catch their breath for the Suns tomorrow night.
Emoni Bates, the Cavs' second round pick in last year's draft, has checked into the game. At the very least, it's an opportunity for the Cavs to let guys like Bates get a little experience on the floor.
The Cavs ended the second quarter on a nice run and enter halftime down just one, 52-51, at the half.
When he's not pushing Nic Claxton to the ground, Georges Niang has had a great night thus far with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Darius Garland is still stuck on nine points. Craig Porter Jr. has seven points on 3-for-4 shooting.
The Cavs are shooting 44 percent from 3 point range, which is a necessity with so much firepower missing tonight.
At some point, the Cavs were going to have to start giving more and more minutes to the end of their bench with so many injuries colliding with a high-volume stretch in their schedule.
It looks like that time has officially arrived Sunday, the first of a back-to-back (the Cavs will play the Suns Monday night).
In addition to the new-look starting five all of course receiving heavy minutes, Isaiah Mobley (eight minutes), Damian Jones (seven minutes) and Craig Porter Jr. (six minutes) are all seeing semi-regular time on the floor.
The trio of starters being out were enough, but Dean Wade missing Sunday night's game with a personal issue left even more minutes on the table.
It's the type of attrition the Cavs knew they'd have to deal with eventually with so many injuries popping up at once.
Darius Garland had a stellar night (34 points and eight assists, albeit with a few too many turnovers) in Friday night's win over the Timberwolves, and he's off to a hot start again tonight, already with nine points with 4 minutes left in the first quarter.
The Cavs, of course, need all the production they can get from Garland with Mitchell, Mobley and Strus all out.
For the third time this season, the Cavs and Nets have gotten into a scuffle.
In the first quarter Sunday night, Georges Niang swung Nic Claxton to the floor and then stepped over him. Claxton got up, and two began shoving one another, leading to an altercation.
It isn't the first time Claxton has had an isue with the Cavs. Earlier this season, Tristan Thompson was ejected after an altercation with Claxton in Paris. And around the trade deadline, Ben Simmons threw Jarrett Allen to the ground. Allen got up with a level of emotion rarely seen from him.
As for Sunday night, both Niang and Claxton were called four technicals. With 8:42 left in the quarter, the Nets lead the Cavs 9-6.
Here is some pregame information.
The Cavaliers lineup remains shorthanded without the trio of Mitchell, Mobley and Strus. Ty Jerome (ankle surgery) and Tristan Thompson (suspension) remain out as well.
But as an addition to the injury report, Dean Wade is out with a personal issue.
The Nets will be without Cameron Johnson (ankle), in addition to Ben Simmons and Dariq Whitehead , who are out for the season. Lonnie Walker IV is questionable with an illness.
The Cavaliers-Nets game will be televised locally on Bally Sports Ohio and broadcast on the radio via WTAM (1100-AM), WMMS (100.7-FM) and WNZN (89.1-FM).
Ryan Lewis can be reached at rlewis1@gannett.com. Follow him on Threads at @ByRyanLewis .
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Cleveland Cavaliers Brooklyn Nets live score updates
