Undermanned Cavaliers lose two straight games after falling short against the Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers drop back-to-back games

The Cleveland Cavaliers fell against a conference rival once more, bowing to the Chicago Bulls on the road, 101-91. Doing much better defensively, the Cavs managed to keep up but just didn’t have enough ammunition in the second night of a back-to-back.

After a closely-contested opening quarter, Chicago jumped the gun in the second period and never looked back. Known for their knack to overcome huge deficits, the Cavaliers tried to pull out a few rallies but never caught up as the Bulls eventually erected an 18-point advantage in the final canto.

Cavaliers All-Star Darius Garland once again led the way with 24 points, seven rebounds, and 10 assists, but continued to shoot poorly (9-24 from the field). Appearing gassed with the increased workload, he also gave the ball up over to the Bulls six times.

Star rookie Evan Mobley also continued to step up, tallying 17 markers, seven boards, and two blocked shots in the absence of Jarrett Allen, as well as Lauri Markkanen, who did not play in the loss to rest a sore ankle.

Cavs slowly slipping down to play-in territory

After dropping to 38-29 with the loss, Cleveland’s position in sixth place becomes in jeopardy, dangerously close to falling into the play-in territory. Fortunately, the team can get some reprieve as they travel back home to host the next few games.

Winning games without defensive anchor Allen has already been markedly harder, but losing Markkanen (day-to-day), a nearly 15-point per game scorer, makes it even more difficult for Cleveland to cross the finish line in crucial games like this one.

Until Allen and Markkanen become available, the Rookie of the Year frontrunner Mobley will have to keep lifting the weighty load in the frontcourt. A potential return for Caris LeVert nearing could also help shift some of the responsibility off of Garland on the offensive end.

With the surging Toronto Raptors now trailing them by just one full game, the Cleveland Cavaliers will need to secure a couple of wins as they return home to host an extended five-game homestand, the first of which coming against the Los Angeles Clippers on March 14.