Cavs’ defense indefensible against Pelicans
NEW ORLEANS— Derrick Rose is not known for his defense.
So the utter failures the Cavs have suffered on that end while Rose sits with a sprained left ankle can’t reasonably be expected to disappear once he returns.
But in these four games without Rose, the Cavs haven’t guarded anyone and lost three times, including a 123-101 shredding by the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Anthony Davis returned from his brief absence (knee/quad injury, one game) to lead all scorers with 30 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter. DeMarcus Cousins posted a triple-double with 29 points, 12 rebounds and 10 assists. Jrue Holiday scored 29 and E’TWaun Moore finished with 24 points. They outscored the Cavs’ starting backcourt of Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith 53-8.
Kevin Love paced the Cavs with 26 points and 11 rebounds. LeBron James added 18 points and eight assists, and Dwyane Wade contributed 15 points and four assists off the bench.
This was the Cavs’ fourth starting lineup in six games, but not the one coach Tyronn Lue intended. He was counting on Rose to return at point guard, but the sprained ankle he suffered in the second game against Milwaukee was sore Saturday morning.
Rather than re-insert Crowder into the lineup one day after announcing Crowder was a reserve now, or pushing Wade back with the starters after moving him to the bench earlier this week, Lue went with Shumpert.
Not that it was all Shumpert’s doing, but the five players the Cavs had out there when the game began were routed. Again.
The Cavs were again shredded in the first quarter— a common theme these days. The Pelicans led 35-22 when it was over with 12 points off turnovers and 20 points in the paint. Cleveland is a minus-44 in the first quarters of their last four games.
The Pelicans scored however they wanted. They ran up 25 points off turnovers and 64 points in the paint.
Crowder was brutal in his first game off the bench. He scored five points on 2-of-7 shooting. But the bench, which has been strong for Cleveland all season, was again good overall. The Cavs outscored the Pelicans’ reserves 42-9.
Smith shot 1-of-3 for three points and his slump continued. He’s 9-of-37 shooting in his last five games.