The Cleveland Cavaliers weren’t able to string together back-to-back wins as the Portland Trail Blazers were able to pull away with a 129-112 victory.
This game felt closer at times than the final score indicated. The Cleveland Cavaliers played well in the first half and went into the locker room trailing by only seven. The game got away from them in the second half, though, as the Portland Trail Blazers exploded with a 38-point third quarter which sealed the game.
Three-point shooting was the difference in the game. The Blazers outscored the Cavs by 30 from behind the arc as they went 16 of 29 (55.2 percent) from three, per ESPN. Portland’s starters shot 10-of-15 from three-point range, and that put the Cavs in a tough spot.
Cleveland, on the other hand, shot just six-of-19, which was good for 31.6 percent. The Cavs’ starters made just one single three-point shot, with that coming from Alec Burks.
Jordan Clarkson was the Cavaliers’ most consistent offensive player once again. He notched his 5,000th career point in the loss and lead the team with 22 points on nine-of-17 shooting.
Congratulations to @JordanClarksons on joining the 5,000 point club!#BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/NEkY73ivtW
— Bally Sports Cincinnati (@BallySportsCIN) January 17, 2019
Rodney Hood had another solid outing following up a good performance against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night after returning from reported Achilles soreness. He finished the night with 20 points on seven-of-15 shooting with four rebounds and two assists, per ESPN.
The Cleveland Cavaliers fought hard, but just fighting hard isn’t enough to beat an elite player in Damian Lillard and a good team like the Portland Trail Blazers on the road.
Here’s what we learned from the Cavs’ 36th loss of the year.