Cleveland, OH (92.3 The Fan) – The Cavaliers got off to a rough start and Portland did just enough to pick up the 123-110 win.
The Trail Blazers led by 23 points at halftime and it looked like one of the Western Conference's best teams would coast to an easy win. Portland shot 64 percent from the field in the first half and went 11-of-13 from beyond the arc (84.6 percent).
The Cavs stormed back in a big way, outscoring the Trail Blazers 36-17 in the third quarter. Portland went 0-6 from three in the third frame. Cedi Osman helped spark the comeback. He scored 19 points in a 16-minute stretch, after not scoring at all in the first quarter. He finished with 27 points, seven rebounds and three assists.
"I thought he had a terrific game," head coach Larry Drew said. "He's making shots, but he's doing a phenomenal job making the right decisions, making the right passes and that speaks volumes. We run plays for all of our guys. Just because the play is ran for you doesn't mean that's your time to shoot the basketball."
"He's doing a phenomenal job cycling through when to pass it and when to shoot it."
The Cavaliers got within three in the fourth quarter, but they couldn't close the gap. Larry Nance Jr. appeared to tie the game at 92 with a three-pointer, but officials said the foul occurred before the shot. The game was delayed for a few minutes for replay review.
"It was tough," Kevin Love said. "That would've been a four-point play for us, Delly would've been at the free throw line and we would've had the lead. That would've been huge for us, but sometimes it's like that."
They were looking for their first three-game winning streak of the season. The Cavs’ last win over a winning team was on December 18 in Indianapolis. They finish the five-game home stand with a 3-2 record.
The Loss is a Win-Win
Plenty of fans are focused on the Cavs' lottery position. The 14-47 Cavaliers have third-worst record in the NBA. They did battle back from a 14-0 deficit. Tonight's contest could've been a route, but the Cavs showed how much they care. Tonight was a good loss.
Love Continues to Shine
Love finished with 18 points and 12 rebounds. The Cavs' star continues to play well, despite being on a minutes restriction. He was 5-of-14 from the field, but every player has poor shooting nights. He was 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. It was Love's sixth double-double of the season. He's expected to play 25-30 minutes per game, while his minutes are still restricted.
Delly's Passing
Matthew Dellavedova finished with five points, one rebound and five assists. That's the seventh-straight game he's had five assists or more. He was one of three Cavaliers to have a positive plus-minus tonight (+2). Jordan Clarkson, who finished with 19 points and five rebounds finished with +1 and Marquese Chriss finished +4.
Cleveland hits the road on Thursday to play the Knicks, before returning to Quicken Loans Arena to play Detroit on Saturday.
