CLEVELAND, Ohio -- At some point, the Cleveland Cavaliers were bound to lose the battle of attrition.
It finally happened Monday night.
Down four starters for a chunk of the second half, the Cavaliers couldn’t complete another fourth-quarter comeback attempt, falling to the Boston Celtics, 98-92, in the second matchup between the two teams in three days. The loss snaps Cleveland’s two-game winning streak.
The Cavs entered the night without three starters -- Collin Sexton (torn meniscus), Lauri Markkanen (return to competition reconditioning) and Jarrett Allen (illness).
Kevin Love (return to competition reconditioning) and Lamar Stevens (sprained ankle) -- both in the every-night rotation -- were also out. Then star rookie Evan Mobley got tangled up with Boston’s Enes Kanter and suffered a sprained right elbow late in the third quarter. Despite grabbing at his elbow and flexing it over the next few possessions, Mobley was able to finish the third and start the fourth before getting taken out for Dean Wade. Mobley didn’t play the final 11 minutes.
That left the Cavs even more shorthanded than expected on a night they used their fifth different starting lineup in the first 15 games.
Coach J.B. Bickerstaff played nine guys, including backup center Tacko Fall, who was called back up from the Cleveland Charge to provide some interior depth. Fall played eight unexciting minutes.
“If you want to throw excuses out there, we can talk all night about what we’re missing. But I’d rather talk about the players who are ready to play,” veteran Ricky Rubio said. “Hopefully the guys who are out get healthy and recover fast. We are who we are. Tonight, nine players played. If we have to play with five players we will. We can’t be complaining about this guy being out or that guy. At the end of the day, everybody goes through a lot of stuff.”
Despite the many absences, the Cavs fought. They tried to make another late-game surge. They whittled down a nine-point Boston lead to just one in the final minutes. Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse was once again filled with energy. But the Cavs couldn’t finish the rally this time.
“It shows a lot of toughness in us, but at the same time it’s what this league is about,” Rubio said. “Nobody is going to give you anything easy. We’re not going to give anybody nothing easy either. This team has a lot of heart. Showed it tonight again. We didn’t come in being satisfied that we won the game (Saturday) and that’s it. We want to win every single game. Tonight we couldn’t. We have warriors on this team. They go to war and I like it.”
Rubio, who technically started in place of Allen as the Cavs downsized and moved each player over one position, poured in a game-high 28 points, including 26 in the second half and 12 in the fourth quarter. He attempted to rescue an undermanned offense once again, scoring eight consecutive at a time when the Celtics were threatening to pull away around the six-minute mark. During that stretch, Rubio drilled multiple off-balance 3-pointers against Boston’s Al Horford that left Horford perplexed and Rubio chuckling as he went back on defense. It forced the switch-heavy Celtics to adjust their defensive approach against him.
“Ricky’s a winner,” Bickerstaff said. “He’s gonna give you all that he has to help keep you in the game, help you win games. And tonight is another example of it. With all the things that happened, we were still in a tight game and had a shot at it. All the guys who played tonight just did a little bit more. They fought. They scrapped. So my hat’s off to our guys fighting kind of shorthanded.”
Cedi Osman scored a season-high 26 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.
Darius Garland also reached double figures, tallying 17 points. Isaac Okoro had 12, the first time this season hitting double-digits.
Mobley, the No. 3 pick in the draft who was instrumental in Saturday’s win over the Celtics, had his worst game yet. He scored one point and missed all 11 of his shot attempts before leaving for the locker room. All eyes will be on his status. Bickerstaff said he needed to consult with the team’s medical personnel before elaborating on the injury. But the Cavs can’t afford to lose another body, especially the Rookie of the Year frontrunner -- and one of the team’s defensive anchors.
Without Mobley and Allen manning the middle late in the game, Boston was able to exploit Cleveland’s typically-stingy defense. The Celtics, winners of three of their last four games, erupted for 33 points in the fourth quarter. Jayson Tatum had a team-best 23 points. Horford, whose strength and savvy bothered Mobley, added 17 points and nine rebounds. Marcus Smart and Dennis Schroder each had 14.
The Cavs have already overcome plenty during this surprising start. They don’t make excuses, preaching a next-man-up mentality. But sometimes it’s too much. The injuries caught up with them Monday.
Getting closer
Love, who has missed eight straight games, went through a morning workout at the team facility on Monday. Now in the conditioning phase connected to the league’s health and safety protocols, the veteran seems to be getting closer to a return.
“He’s doing well,” Bickerstaff said prior to the game. “We have to go through the proper steps and all that. We’d like to get him a practice, obviously, and tomorrow will be a good day for that. Then we will see how he responds to that and then whether we can get him on the floor this week.”
Markkanen has also been out for the same reason. Cleared to return to the bench area, Markkanen joined his teammates for the second half. Like Love, Markkanen needs to go through conditioning before the Cavs allow him to play in a game.
Up next
The Cavs will head to Brooklyn for a matchup against the Nets on Wednesday night. Tipoff is set for 7:30 p.m.
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