Cavs News: Nuggets loss, contending now, grading the bigs

The big scary headline for the Cleveland Cavaliers is that they lost yet another close game. After a back-and-forth contest against the Denver Nuggets, the Cavs let yet another one slip through their fingers with poor late-game execution. That is technically correct. After leading with just over five minutes to go, the Nuggets went on a 13-4 run to take a lead they would never relinquish. They won, 115-109.

Let’s try it another way. The Cavs played the MVP-favorite, leading the best team in the Western Conference, and completely held their own. Denver shot 47.2 percent from 3-point range, while Cleveland shot only 23.1 percent, and were still close enough to win. They forced 16 turnovers and committed just ten, and dominated the best center in the league to the tune of 68 points in the paint to Denver’s 38.

The late-game execution was troubling. After scoring 31 points in the first three quarters, Evan Mobley barely touched the ball in the fourth — in part because of hos Denver adjusted defensively, but in part because the guards were largely trying to create. The Cavs will watch the tape and talk about loosening up the late-game offense.

But this wasn’t some big-picture indictment loss. The Cavs have been exceptionally good this season, and when they lose it tends to be because the other teams shoots better than they do from 3-point range. That happened, and they lost a close game.

The real takeaway should be how Mobley absolutely dominated the Nuggets, scoring fluidly from all over the court. He is coming into his own offensively, and if he continues that ascension he will demand the ball late in games. For now, having three go-to players is a good problem to have to sort out.

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The talk of the NBA town yesterday was about which teams were truly contenders. There are obvious candidates, like the Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Nuggets, but the discourse allowed discussions on more polarizing teams. Are the LA Clippers contenders? The Golden State Warriors? The Philadelphia 76ers?

What about the Cleveland Cavaliers? The metrics scream yes, while the lack of experience says no. Kirk Goldsberry over at ESPN said that their “combination of elite defense and incredible young guards is a sustainable formula for success in the postseason” and that they could “shock the world this season.” The Ringer introduced an NBA Odds Machine and it says that the Cavs are tied with the Celtics with a 19 percent chance to win the title. That’s impressive stuff.

The path to the Cavs winning in the postseason is their elite defense, and yesterday on the website Dan Gilinsky evaluated how the Cavs’ bigs have played this season. Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley are the best defensive frontcourt in the league, and Dan gives them their flowers and some passing grades.

NBA news

The Philadelphia 76ers put a little breathing room in between them and the Cavaliers, winning a hard-fought battle with the Memphis Grizzlies. The Boston Celtics also won in overtime over Indiana, with Myles Turner putting up the most efficient 40-point game in NBA history.

Meanwhile, the middle of the West continued to be shaken up like a snowglobe. The Los Angeles Lakers clobbered the Golden State Warriors, the Utah Jazz won in overtime over the Oklahoma City Thunder in the game of the night, and the Portland Trail Blazers and New Orleans Pelicans both lost. Six teams have either 30 or 31 losses in the West.

Coming up: The Cavaliers turn right back around and play again tonight, facing the Atlanta Hawks on the road at 7:30 PM ET.