WRAP-UP
After leaving so much on the floor in Tuesday night’s overtime thriller against the Suns, the shorthanded Cavaliers just didn’t have enough in the tank for the Blazers.
Cleveland stuck with Portland through much of the first half and were within striking distance late in the third quarter, but the Blazers went on a big run to close the period and cruised to the finish line in the fourth – handing the Cavs their seventh straight loss, 141-105, and sending them back on the road following a winless homestand.
The Blazers – who wrapped up a six-game trip with five wins – scored 30-plus points in each of the final three quarters, shot 58 percent from the floor and produced 70 points off their bench.
The Cavaliers, playing again without starting point guard Darius Garland, simply never found their offensive rhythm on Wednesday night.
Kevin Love led the Wine & Gold with 18 points, going 7-for-14 from the floor, including 4-of-10 from deep, adding eight boards, two assists and a steal.
Dean Wade followed up with 15 points on 5-of-6 shooting, including 3-of-4 from long-range, to go with five boards and a steal.
Collin Sexton had his streak of 20-point games snapped at 15 on Wednesday – finishing with 15 points on 6-for-15 shooting, adding four assists and a pair of steals. Cedi Osman was the only other Cavalier in double-figures, netting 14 points in the loss.
Jarrett Allen led Cleveland with 13 boards – five off the offensive glass – adding nine points, a pair of assists and a block.
With the game out of reach midway through the fourth quarter, Coach J.B. Bickerstaff rewarded the fans – inserting Cavalier legend, Anderson Varejao, into the game at the 6:37 mark to a big ovation. The Wild Thing didn’t look bad after a catching his wind – finishing with six boards and a single point, splitting a pair of free throws.
Damian Lillard led all scorers with 32 points, going 10-for-17 from the floor, including 6-of-10 from long-range to go with a game-high nine assists. Enes Kanter doubled-up with 18 points and 13 boards for Portland.
Miss any of the action? Find all the highlights and photos in the Game Tracker.
FEATURED HIGHLIGHT
Collin Sexton drives to the hole, double-clutches in mid-air, and scores a tough lay-up through a Trail Blazer defender early in the first.
TURNING POINT
The Blazers extended their lead to 17 midway through the third quarter before the Cavs whittled it down to 10 – 90-80 – when Issac Okoro split a pair of free throws at the 2:24 mark.
But things spiraled quickly from there. Anfernee Simons drilled a triple to open the scoring, and Damian Lillard picked it up from there – as Portland closed the quarter on a 15-3 run, taking a 22-point edge into the fourth quarter and not looking back from there.
BY THE NUMBERS
By the Numbers - 14.8 … Cedi Osman’s scoring average over his last six starts – shooting 43 percent from the floor while averaging 4.2 boards and 4.8 assists per over that stretch.
QUOTABLE
Anderson Varejao, on making his appearance with the Cavs on Wednesday night …
"It means a lot to be back with the Cavs after so long. This franchise trusted me from the beginning – since 2004 when I got to Cleveland. And all the support I got from everyone; not just the organization, but the fans and everyone that works at the arena. It’s amazing. It feels special. Cleveland is home for me. I kept my house here, this is where I live. My family was at the game, and that was very special for me. I’m not going to forget this day."
CALLS OF THE GAME
Enjoy the best broadcast calls of the night from Cavaliers Radio Network's Tim Alcorn and Rafa Hernandez-Brito from Power 89.1.
UP NEXT
With the recent five-game homestand now in the rearview mirror, the Wine & Gold have just a half-dozen games remaining in the 2020-21 regular season – three more at home, three more on the road.
One of those remaining road games is a Friday night matchup in Dallas – taking on Luka Doncic and the Mavericks in the first of a home-and-home series, with Rick Carlisle’s squad returning Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse for a Sunday night rematch.
The Cavs welcome the Pacers to town the following night and wrap up the home portion of the schedule two nights later when Jaylen Brown, Jayson Tatum and the Celtics visit on Wednesday evening.