The Cavaliers had Dec. 22 off after completing a four-game homestand at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. To say they needed a breather is the understatement of the season so far.
“We just ran out of steam,” Coach J.B. Bickerstaff said Dec. 21 after a 123-104 loss to the Pelicans. “You can’t knock the effort of what our guys have been doing, how they’ve been competing. Bodies are down, and everybody has had to step up and do a little more. We just ran out of steam.”
The Cavaliers were 16-13 and seventh in the NBA East before playing the Bulls in Chicago on Dec. 23.
Evan Mobley has missed eight straight games. The Cavaliers on Dec. 16 announced Mobley had arthroscopic knee surgery and will out six to eight weeks. In the very same news release, the Cavs announced guard Darius Garland suffered a fractured jaw Dec. 14 when the Cavs played the Celtics in Boston. He is expected to be sidelined another three weeks or more.
As if losing Mobley and Garland wasn’t bad enough, Donovan Mitchell missed the last two games with an illness. And it doesn’t end there.
Sam Merrill, who scored a game-most 27 points Dec. 20 when the Cavs beat the Jazz, had to leave the Pelicans game in the second quarter when he aggravated a wrist injury. Merrill was 8-for-14 on 3s against the Jazz and 0-for-4 from the field against the Pelicans.
Players such as Dean Wade, Craig Porter Jr, Georges Niang and Merrill have had their workloads increased because of the injuries. The experience could prove beneficial once the injured return.
“We had a great week,” Bickerstaff said. “To go 3-1 on this homestand and battle the things we’ve had to battle, this has been a successful week for us. Now we have to continue to put it together and hold down the fort.”
The Cavs went 1-3 on a road trip prior to going 3-1 at the FieldHouse.
