CLEVELAND, Ohio — Cavs coach Kenny Atkinson tried to warn his team.
They didn’t heed his message.
Cleveland got blasted by the Houston Rockets, 114-104, on Wednesday night at Rocket Arena. The loss snaps the Cavaliers’ two-game winning streak.
“I don’t want to blame it on missed shots,” Atkinson said following the loss. “I didn’t really feel like we were in the game until that third quarter. The rest of the game they kind of dominated us.
“I’d say they really mucked the game up. They play off shooters and leave their bigs at the rim and you gotta make them pay when they sit in the paint on you. We didn’t really make them pay.”
Seeing some troubling trends of late — even in the face of victories — Atkinson said late Monday night that the Cavs couldn’t bring their “B” game against upper-echelon opponents.
The Rockets — now 10-3, winner of five straight and with championship aspirations following the summer acquisition of future Hall of Famer Kevin Durant — are part of that exclusive group.
Wednesday wasn’t even Cleveland’s B game. No matter the grade, it simply wasn’t good enough.
Playing without rotational regulars Darius Garland (toe injury management), Jaylon Tyson (concussion), Sam Merrill (right hand sprain) and Max Strus (foot surgery), the undermanned Cavs allowed Houston to score the first seven points. Four of those came on second-chance opportunities, an area of concern for Atkinson going into the night.
While Cleveland temporarily settled in, it took just 10 minutes for Houston to create a double-digit advantage — the kind of hole the Cavs have been digging too frequently the last few weeks.
By the end of the first quarter, stifling Houston had limited Cleveland to just 19 points and a ghastly 80.4 offensive rating. It’s the second-lowest scoring quarter all season.
The Cavs finally found their rhythm in the third quarter. During that turnaround period, they limited the league’s top-ranked offense to just 17 points and outscored them by 13. Suddenly, the scrappy Cavs were within four points — the closest margin since the midway point of the first quarter.
That turned into just one point after Donovan Mitchell answered an early-quarter Houston bucket with a pair of triples — the kind that typically deflate lesser foes.
Not The Rockets. Houston didn’t have a problem.
It extended the lead to 11 just under the four-minute mark, causing some in the sellout crowd to exit early.
In all, the Rockets led for more than 45 minutes, by a game-high 22 at one point. Houston was in front for the final 41:51. And the final score doesn’t reflect its dominance.
Houston All-Star center Alperen Sengun led all scorers with 28 points to go with 11 rebounds and seven assists in 38 forceful minutes. Durant added 20 points. Veteran reserve guard Aaron Holiday chipped in with 18 on 5-of-7 shooting and 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
The Cavs got 25 points from De’Andre Hunter in a losing effort. Mitchell finished with 21, including 19 in the second half as he started to find more holes in Houston’s smothering defense. The Rockets pressured him with multiple bodies, out toward halfcourt, trying to keep the ball out of his hands.
“I knew something was coming. I didn’t know to what extent. It’s a sign of respect,” Mitchell said. “I mean, obviously they see who I am and the threat that I am and I think that’s the ultimate sign of respect you can get from a coach. It was unique. It was different. I don’t think every team has the personnel and size to do that.
“Took us a little bit to adjust and then once we got adjusted, we figured it out and that’s the biggest thing. We found a way to continue to just keep doing what we do and made it a game for ourselves.”
Evan Mobley tallied 18 points and six rebounds.
Cleveland shot 36 of 81 (44.4%) from the field, 12 of 39 (30.8%) from deep and 20 of 32 (62.5%) from the foul line. Mobley was the biggest culprit at the free-throw stripe, going just 4 of 10.
“Gotta make your free throws,” Atkinson said. “Fourth quarter. End of game. It’s tough. It’s such an important part of the game. Especially when you get 32 attempts, you gotta knock them down. We haven’t been good since preseason shooting free throws. We practice them like everybody does. It’ll turn though. It’ll turn. We’re just not making them right now — and it’s hurting us.”
With rebounding a point of emphasis pregame for the Cavs, tall and burly Houston outrebounded them, 51-39, including 16-10 on the offensive glass.
“Got to rebound the ball better,” Atkinson said. “That’s obviously their strength. We’re not built that way. Just got to focus a little more. We obviously hit the team on it tonight, but they hammered us. I’m a little disappointed. We got some there at the end, but too little, too late.”
For days, Atkinson could sense this kind of performance coming. His team got away with a substandard effort against Memphis, Milwaukee, Miami, Chicago and other lesser opponents.
Can’t try to flip the proverbial switch for one half and expect to beat one of the league’s elite.
Time to raise the standard.
“They enforced their identity more than we did, and that’s what this league comes down to,” Atkinson said. “You have your identity, and you’ve got to go with it. It was the third time they beat us, three in a row. They’ve done a better job.
“Credit to them. Heck of a team. Contender. Tonight, we couldn’t stand toe to toe with them. Just wasn’t there.”
Up next
The Cavs will continue their homestand on Friday night in an Eastern Conference semifinals rematch against the Indiana Pacers. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
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