Cavaliers suffer "the worst loss of the season" with few bright spots

Dud: Donovan Mitchell

Donovan Mitchell goes from stud to dud in a matter of one game. After Mitchell erupted for 40 points against the Atlanta Hawks, he followed that up with 23 points on seven-of-20 shooting, and one-of-nine from three. He single handedly dropped the temperature in Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse.

There is no doubt that Mitchell is one of the best players in the NBA, but on a night when your team doesn’t have it, you would expect your superstar to pick up the slack. I know Mitchell can’t be Superman every game, but the Cavs needed him against the Blazers, and he came up small. He was Ant-Man on a night where the Wine and Gold needed Spider-Man.

In his four games since returning from his hamstring injury, Mitchell is shooting an ice-cold 34% from the field. He needs to return to the elite form that we saw at the beginning of the season, where he was being talked about as an MVP candidate. If he doesn’t, things could go from bad to worse quickly for the Cavs.

The hope is that this inexcusable loss will serve as a wake up call for the Cavs. It truly seems like they needed one, as it has looked like they have slept-walked through games at times this season. They need to wake up. We are entering December. If this team wants to achieve their goals, they need to develop better habits.

The Cavs head to Detroit to play the league-worst Pistons on Saturday. This should be a much-needed bounce back for them. Hopefully, they don’t play with their food.