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Wrap-Up -- Right now, the Wine & Gold seem a long, long way from the squad that won 18 of 19 games in mid-December, taking another nationally-televised inter-Conference loss on the chin.
Saturday’s marquee matchup never lived up to the billing – with Houston jumping out to a double-digit lead just over five minutes into the contest and never looked back, handing the Cavaliers a lopsided 120-88 loss on the corner of Huron and Ontario.
The Cavaliers shot under 40 percent for the second straight game – and while that might be enough to get a win over Miami, the high-octane Rockets are another story.
Offensively, Houston had no much problem – scoring at least 30 points in each of the first three quarters, splashing home 19 triples in the win. Adding insult to injury, the Cavs fell by 32 points with James Harden – who came in averaging 44.0 points over his previous two games – finished with just 16 points on 5-for-16 shooting, including 1-of-11 from long-range.
Cleveland has now dropped 12 of their last 18 games and have looked bad doing so – including falling to the last two Western Conference opponents at The Q by an average of 28.0 points per.
JR Smith and Isaiah Thomas led the Cavaliers with 12 points each.
Smith hit his first three shots, but went downhill from there – finishing 4-for-12 from the floor, including 3-of-9 from deep, adding seven boards and a block. Thomas didn’t fare much better – going 5-of-13 from the field, 0-of-4 from three-point range, adding five boards and three assists.
LeBron James wasn’t exempt from Saturday night’s funk – notching just 11 points on 3-of-10 shooting. He still flirted with a triple-double, leading Cleveland with nine assists, nine boards, two steals and a block.
Cleveland got a pair of double-digit scoring performances off the bench – with Dwyane Wade and Derrick Rose notching 10 points apiece.
Isaiah Thomas tallies 12 points, five rebounds and three assists in Saturday's loss to Houston.
All five Rockets starters tallied double-figures – with Chris Paul doubling-up with 22 points and 11 assists (adding a +47 mark when he was on the floor). Gerald Green brought major energy and production off Houston’s bench – finishing with 17 points in 30 intense minutes of work.
Turning Point -- Unfortunately, Saturday’s loss was never a contest and the Cavaliers never led at any point.
Chris Paul put the Rockets up 11 – 15-4 – when he canned a 30-foot triple with 6:54 to play in the first quarter, dazing the Wine & Gold for what was to come. In the second period, Houston extended its lead to three touchdowns at the 9:17 mark.
Paul put an exclamation point on matters just over three minutes into the second half – drilling a 34-foot bomb this time, putting the Rockets up 31 and keeping the Cavaliers reeling.
By the Numbers – 27 … games this season that Dwyane Wade has netted double-figures, including Saturday’s affair against Houston – averaging 17.6 points per in those 27 contests. With his third bucket, Wade passed Gary Payton for 31st on the NBA’s all-time scoring list.
Quotable – Coach Tyronn Lue, on his team’s recent struggles …
”I think our mindset has to change who we’re really playing for. Are we playing to win or are we playing to look good? We have to be tougher. It’s tough for me because that’s how I got here. But we just have to be tougher with this thing, mentally and physically. When things get tough, we just have to be tougher.”
Up Next -- After falling to the Rockets on Saturday night, the Wine & Gold play four of their last five games before the All-Star Break on the road – beginning with a Tuesday night meeting with the Magic in Orlando. They return the following night for a showdown against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Timberwolves at The Q before embarking on a three-game roadie. On Friday night, they face off against the Hawks in Atlanta, travel to Boston for a nationally-televised Sunday afternoon contest and wrap up the season’s unofficial first half the following Tuesday night in Oklahoma City.