1 stud, 1 dud from Cavs collapse vs Kings Friday night

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Caris LeVert, Cleveland Cavaliers. Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images /

1 dud from Cavs loss to Kings: Starting Backcourt

If you want to point a finger at a player for performing poorly, good luck deciding between Darius Garland and Caris LeVert. The Cavs’ All-Star guard was wildly inconsistent on the night, scoring 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting, with a decent-enough six assists but a brutal six turnovers (part of 19 total turnovers for the team). Against a middling defensive team Garland was unable to overcome the extra attention the Kings showed him.

That should have meant openings for LeVert, who started in the place of Donovan Mitchell last night. Instead, LeVert showed once again why he isn’t a great fit on this team. He scored a game-high 22 points, but he needed 21 shots to get there. He was 9-for-21 from the field, including 2-for-7 from outside the arc. He grabbed six rebounds and dished six assists, but he was also a mess defensively and finished as a game-worst -21.

Garland and LeVert should have been better than a backcourt of Davion Mitchell and Kevin Huerter, but they were not. Especially on a team starting Lamar Stevens at the 3, the Cavs need more from their backcourt, and without Mitchell the Cavs just couldn’t deliver.

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This was a game the Cavs should have won, but too many turnovers and poor shooting were overwhelmed by great shooting (the Kings went 16-for-33 from deep) and an offensive attack that is maximizing the Kings’ talent. Losing a game on a 19-0 run is a gut punch, and the Cavs need to channel that and never let it happen again.