CAVALIERS TRY TO REMAIN CALM
Clarkson, Randle give Lakers a lift
The Cavaliers are mired in a bewildering midseason slump.
INDEPENDENCE, Ohio — As LeBron James and some teammates practiced free throws at a nearby basket, coach Tyronn Lue addressed questions about the troubling state of the Cavaliers while sitting in a highbacked, cushioned chair.
While he was cool, Lue’s seat has warmed up.
With the Cavs mired in a bewildering midseason slump and less than 24 hours after a historically embarrassing loss to Oklahoma City, Lue said he has no immediate plans to change his starting lineup or rotations. Cleveland fans may be panicking, Lue’s not nervous. At least not publicly. The Cavs are just 4-10 since Dec. 19, and in the past two weeks they’ve lost by 28 at Minnesota, 34 at Toronto and 24 to the Thunder, who scored 148 points and tied a record for the most points allowed by Cleveland in a regulation game — a mark that went unmatched since 1972.
It’s a mess, and it’s a mystery the way James and the Cavs have collapsed. They’ve slipped in the past, but this slide feels much more ominous than in the previous three years when Cleveland stumbled but reached the Finals.
“This is kind of just my experience with this team, to be honest,” said forward Kyle Korver, acquired last January in a trade. “The year that I’ve been here, we’ve been really good and we’ve been really bad. It seems to come still in waves, so, hopefully there’s a good wave coming soon.”
With all that’s wrong, changes would seem to be in order. Lue, though, believes the Cavs can solve their problems without any major alterations.
“It’s the same group we won 18 out of 19 with also,” he said, referring to Cleveland’s stretch from Nov. 11 to Dec. 19. “We’ve just got to play better. We’ve got to play better, we’ve got to be sharper and that’s what we continue to keep working on.”
“We’re just figuring out our team,” Korver said. “Ty’s got a tough job. He’s trying to find lineups that are working and he’s trying to find minutes for everybody. I think he’s doing a great job in that regard, as far as getting everybody in the game. Maybe not Channing (Frye), we’d like to get Channing out there a little more but it’s a numbers thing right now.
“It’s tough. There’s a numbers thing right now. Definitely I’ve been a part of that, too. It’s a long season. We’re riding a bad wave right now, but hopefully we’ll find some things that will start working again.”
Sunday
LAKERS 127, KNICKS 107: In Los Angeles, Jordan Clarkson had 29 points and 10 assists, Julius Randle added 27 points and 12 rebounds, and the Lakers earned their sixth win in eight games. PACERS 94, SPURS 86: In San Antonio, Victor Oladipo scored 19 points and Indiana defeated San Antonio, snapping the Spurs’ 14-game home winning streak. MAGIC 103, CELTICS 95: In Boston, Elfrid Payton had 22 points and the Magic won for just the third time in their last 20 games, overcoming Kyrie Irving’s 40 point. NETS 101, PISTONS 100: In Detroit, Spencer Dinwiddie’s jumper with 0.9 seconds left lifted Brooklyn over the Pistons who have lost five straight.