On January 1, Beijing time, the Cavaliers lost 118-121 to the Hawks, after this game the Cavaliers swallowed a 4-game losing streak, as long as they lose one more game or Philadelphia wins another game, the Cavaliers' fifth place in the East will not be saved. The Cavaliers' recent poor performance is related to the team's extensive injury and health and safety agreements, their backcourt players are already very few, and as a result, Sexton and Rubio are also reimbursed for the season, and they have just traded Rondo, and will enter the rotation after Rondo is released.
In this game, the Cavaliers once led by 16 points and was reversed, if Markkanen played a few minutes less in the third quarter, maybe the Cavaliers won this battle, he was really poor, 31 minutes in the game, 4 of 10, 0 of 3 points, 8 points, 5 rebounds, 2 assists and 1 block, the highest net loss in the game was 11 points. His substitute Love was so good that if Love could play an extra 5 minutes, the ending might have been different.
Love exploded in the first half, scoring 9 points, 2 rebounds and 1 assist on 3 of 4 three-pointers in the first quarter; 2 of 3 in 5 minutes in the second quarter, 7 points, 1 rebound and 1 assist on 1 of 2 three-pointers, 16 points in the half, 6 minutes in the third quarter, 3 of 5, 1 of 3 in three points for 8 points and 3 rebounds, less than 20 points in the third quarter, and the Cavaliers only had 22 points in the third quarter. He scored 11 points, 2-of-5 from three-point range and 5-of-7 from the free throw line for 11 points, five rebounds and two assists, second only to Trae Young's 13 points in the final quarter.
In the whole game, Love had 29 minutes, 10 of 18, 7 of 14 three-pointers, 8 of 10 free throws, 35 points, 11 rebounds and 4 assists, shooting 55.6% from the field and 50% from three-point range. Trae Young scored 35 points and 11 assists on 10-of-28 shooting, far less efficient than Eros.
Eros also set two records: first, he became the first player in Cavaliers history to have 35 points and 10 rebounds on the bench since 1975, and The other was Canby Russell in 1975 who scored 35 points and 14 rebounds against the Thunder.
Second: Love hasn't scored 30+ points since scoring 38 points in 2017, which is the first time Love has scored a 30+ since James left the Cavaliers.
Luck has 59 points and 22 rebounds in the last two games, and he has the longest 20+ season in four consecutive games and the longest in the last four seasons. He's clearly better suited to playing the starting number four than Markkanen, rebounding and three-pointers.
Text/Yan Xiaobai