Cavaliers slip into play-in territory as woes continue against the Bulls

Cleveland Cavaliers’ skid continues with third-straight loss

The Cleveland Cavaliers squandered a golden opportunity after surrendering a 98-94 loss to the Chicago Bulls. A win would have put the Cavs in a tie for fifth, instead, they slid down to the dreaded seventh spot following three straight defeats.

All-Star guard Darius Garland led the Cavaliers offensively with a game-high 28 points, while Lauri Markkanen and Caris LeVert added a combined 31 as the team collectively struggled to hit the mark at home against their Central Division rivals.

While Cleveland’s defense has been much improved against Chicago, limiting their opponents to score below 100 for the first time in the last 10 assignments, a sluggish start offensively put the team in a deep hole that eventually proved too much to overcome.

Down by as much as 19, the Cavs went on one of their patented comeback attempts in the second half but simply did not have enough firepower remaining to get over the hump.

Cavs are now hard-pressed to avoid the play-in

Defensive wing Lamar Stevens (13 points against Chicago) once again helped pick up some slack offensively, but the Cavs need consistent production from not only the other starters such as Isaac Okoro and Even Mobley but also super-sub Kevin Love and Cedi Osman, who have curiously fallen out of coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s rotation.

Cleveland has now tallied a disappointing 6-10 record since hosting the successful All-Star festivities at the Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse in February, a stark contrast to the fiery start to the season that propelled two of their young stars to be selected to participate in that weekend’s main event.

A return from the team’s other All-Star and primary defensive anchor Jarrett Allen (broken finger) during this final stretch of the regular season would be undoubtedly vital to the young team’s postseason aspirations, as they have now gone 6-12 during his absences thus far.

Now 41-33, the Cavs have been knocked off by the new sixth-seed Raptors, whom they now trail by one full game but still hold a head-to-head advantage over in the event of an eventual tie.

A pair of victories in the upcoming matchups at home against the Orlando Magic and the Dallas Mavericks, on March 28 and 30, would be paramount for the Cleveland Cavaliers if they are to compete for that final spot.