After winning two games without Darius Garland or Evan Mobley, the Cleveland Cavaliers fell to the New Orleans Pelicans 123-104 on the second night of a back-to-back at home.
Donovan Mitchell was unavailable for both games in the back-to-back due to an illness, but the Cavaliers managed to withstand the Utah Jazz before falling short to the Pelicans. While Cleveland's inconsistency has been their most telling flaw this season, the Cavs have continually shown determination and a next-man-up mentality. It was no different hosting New Orleans.
The Cavaliers went down fighting
When healthy, the Cavaliers' typical rotation rarely goes beyond the eighth man. Instead, twelve players were called upon, including all three of Cleveland's two-way contracts of Craig Porter, Jr., Isaiah Mobley and Emoni Bates. Porter started for the second consecutive game, taking Garland's place as the primary facilitator with 11 assists and only two turnovers.
Against the Jazz, the Cavs were clearly underperforming without any star power to lead the way. Adding in the component of less than one full day of rest before their next game, the Pelicans entered Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse with the least prepared Cavaliers of the season. A team total of 11 turnovers and 13 fouls gave New Orleans 24 fast break points and 16 free throw attempts compared to Cleveland's 15 fast break points and 8 free throws.
Though the final 19-point deficit left the Cavaliers far from a late-game comeback opportunity, they were far from an unwatchable team. Knowing they were without Mitchell's gravity when driving into the lane, the Cavs played a heavily perimeter-centric offense, launching 44 total 3-point attempts, a number only eclipsed by the previous night's 51 long-range shots this season.
Dean Wade continues to make his impact felt for Cavaliers
Although this season began with the Cavaliers expecting Dean Wade to come off the bench, he has started in 15 of his 22 games played this season due to the non-stop injuries the Cavaliers have endured. In his inflated role, Wade has found a groove and become one of the Cavs' most prominent rotation pieces. With a career-high 126 offensive rating per 100 possessions and a solid 112 defensive rating, Wade is contributing at an impressively high level, given his assumed role as an end-of-rotation option.
Wade notched a near double-double with 9 rebounds and a season-high 20 points, six of which came from beyond the 3-point arc. The stretch four ended the night with a 75 percent 3-point shot, leading the team in scoring, rebounds and 3-pointers made. Although Cleveland ultimately lost, Wade's performance was nothing less than extraordinary.
The 6-foot 9-inches forward joined the Cavaliers as an undrafted rookie, initially playing with the Cleveland Charge until a similar string of injuries gave Wade a chance to prove his value as a legitimate NBA player. Seen as the successor to long-time Cavs legend Kevin Love, Wade was signed to a multi-year contract.
At the end of last season, the Cavaliers doubled down on their faith in Wade, buying out Kevin Love's remaining contract and giving Wade a larger role. Unfortunately, Wade had a lingering shoulder injury that severely affected his shooting form for the rest of the season and postseason. Entering this year, Wade's return to form was a major catalyst for his spot in the rotation to continue improving. With his showing against the Pelicans and consistent defensive effort, Wade has likely secured himself for the foreseeable future as a mainstay in Cleveland.
Where the Cleveland Cavaliers stand going forward
The Cavaliers entered their four-game homestretch on a three-game losing streak, barely staying above .500 in the standings. With Garland and Mobley suddenly announced for prolonged absences, Cleveland basketball was seemingly in a downward spiral with little stopping a full collapse. If the Cavs could not find a spark in this stretch, many media members believed the Cavs could look at drastic measures of change, including a Donovan Mitchell trade.
Following their latest loss, the Cavaliers are 16-13, sitting seventh in the Eastern Conference behind the fifth-seeded New York Knicks at 16-11 and sixth-seeded Miami Heat at 16-12. While Cleveland has regressed in the standings this season, their ability to stay afloat without two more star players has been a miraculous turn of events.
After 29 games, the anticipated starting lineup of Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen has only appeared in 11 games, totaling 145 minutes together. With three of their five starters unavailable in their last two games, staying above .500 signifies the reality of this Cavaliers roster. While last year's biggest flaw was depth and roster versatility, this team is more than capable of finding an extra boost from the end of the roster list.
Craig Porter, Jr. has been the best example of this all season, averaging 6.8 points, 2.7 assists, 2.1 rebounds and half a block per game as an undrafted rookie on a two-way contract. Against the Jazz, Sam Merrill willed the Cavs to victory with a career-high in points (27) and 3-pointers made (8). Veteran big man Tristan Thompson originally returned to Cleveland as the expected third-string center behind Allen, Mobley and Damian Jones. Instead, his tenacity on the boards and constant effort has put him into a larger role, averaging just under 11 minutes per game.
The Cavaliers are not without their flaws, still, as they continue to navigate a redundant frontcourt and backcourt and find themselves inconsistent night to night. While Cleveland officials have reportedly confirmed they are not shopping All-Star guard Mitchell on the trade market, there is no shortage of names on the Cavs that could be moved before the February 8 trade deadline.
Once the Cavaliers finally regain some semblance of health, they may find themselves needing to consolidate their depth to find consistent production out of their nightly rotation. Until then, however, these Cavaliers are not going down without a tooth-and-nail fight every time.
Cleveland's next game will take place on Saturday, December 23 on the road against the Chicago Bulls at 8:00 pm Eastern Time. The Bulls, 13-17, are on a three-game win streak but are still without star guard Zach Lavine as he deals with an ankle injury.