Cavaliers booed at home during 'worst' loss this season as Trail Blazers beat Cleveland 103-95
CLEVELAND (AP) Donovan Mitchell heard the boos directed at him and his teammates as the game slipped away in the fourth quarter.
He felt they were warranted.
“If you don’t play well,” Mitchell said, “that’s what you get.”
Cleveland had a major letdown following a solid win with its worst loss this season, 103-95 on Thursday night to the Portland Trail Blazers, who pulled off their second impressive road victory this week.
Shaedon Sharpe scored 29 points, rookie Duop Reath added a season-high 13 and Jabari Walker had 12 rebounds for Portland, which came in just 5-12 overall and 3-7 away from home. On Monday, the Blazers won 114-110 at Indiana.
The Cavs may have been a little overconfident after playing so well in a 23-point win over Atlanta on Tuesday in the NBA's In-Season Tournament. But whatever momentum Cleveland built, in what has been an up-and-down season so far, is gone.
“We’ve said this from the beginning, we want to be a championship-caliber team and we’re not playing like it," said Mitchell, who termed the loss a “turning point.”
“Let’s go,” he said. "This is the worst loss of the season. Let’s go. That’s it and it starts with myself. We’ll be fine. We’ll fix it.”
Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff kept his locker room closed an excessive amount of time before holding a brief postgame news conference during which he seemed in a daze.
What was the message to his players?
“Just trying to get an understanding of where we’re going and how we’re going to get there,” Bickerstaff said.
Sharpe went 11 of 15 from the field and added 10 rebounds for the Blazers, who scored 12 straight points in the fourth quarter to separate from the Cavs. Cleveland went more than five minutes without a field goal.
Sharpe's biggest bucket came with 1:33 left on a driving layup that put Portland ahead 99-91. After it dropped, he stood on the baseline and flexed for the crowd while shooting a glance at Cleveland's bench.
“Shaedon was special tonight and everyone else chipped in,” said Blazers coach Chauncey Billups. "He made big shots and got some grown man rebounds. I got on him at halftime because he was playing like we was in the summertime, playing pickup basketball.”
Mitchell scored 23 and Evan Mobley 20 for the Cavs. Darius Garland had 15 points, but the All-Star point guard was sloppy with the ball, committing eight turnovers.
It was a poor performance for Cleveland, which is finally healthy and looked ready to start stacking some wins.
This is a setback.
Mitchell understood the crowd's damning reaction.
“It’s part of the game," he said of the booing. "I’m not one that's anti that. You come in expecting us to perform a certain way, and we didn’t do that. If you want to prevent the boos, play well and win the game, so that’s part of it.
“I was booing when I was a kid too, so I understand. This city wants a championship and rightfully so, so we’ve got to go continue to strive for and handle our business.”
The Blazers trailed by 12 midway through the third before using a 16-3 run, capped by Matisse Thybulle's short putback, to take a 74-73 lead.
The teams were tied at 83-all before the Blazers went on their game-deciding run, which Reath capped with a 3-pointer from the corner with 6:09 left.
Cleveland appeared on the verge of taking control early, outscoring Portland 15-2 in the first 5:38 of the second quarter to open a 40-24 lead.
However, Billups went back to his starting lineup and his club responded with a 14-2 spurt to pull within 46-40 at half.
The Cavs were guilty of settling for shots, a fact underscored by them attempting just one free throw in the first 24 minutes - on a defensive three-second technical.
“We didn’t play well enough," Bickerstaff said. "We did good things and we created a lead and didn’t do enough to sustain it. We do the right thing and good things happen, and we don’t and they are able to go on those runs.”
UP NEXT
Trail Blazers: At Utah on Saturday.
Cavaliers: At Detroit on Saturday.
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| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 12:00 |  | Deandre Ayton vs. Jarrett Allen (Toumani Camara gains possession) | ||
| 11:38 |  | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point alley-oop dunk (Malcolm Brogdon assists) | 2-0 |
| 11:20 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Evan Mobley assists) | 2-2 |
| 11:01 | | Shaedon Sharpe misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:55 | | Toumani Camara offensive rebound | ||
| 10:55 | | +2 | Toumani Camara makes two point tip dunk | 4-2 |
| 10:49 | | +2 | Darius Garland makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 4-4 |
| 10:36 | | Jerami Grant misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 10:34 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 10:32 | | Jerami Grant personal foul (Jarrett Allen draws the foul) | ||
| 10:24 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point cutting finger roll layup (Darius Garland assists) | 4-6 |
| 10:10 | | Jerami Grant misses three point jump shot | ||
| 10:07 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 10:02 | | +2 | Max Strus makes two point driving floating bank jump shot | 4-8 |
| 9:42 | | Jerami Grant misses two point driving hook shot | ||
| 9:40 | | Max Strus defensive rebound | ||
| 9:30 | | Evan Mobley misses two point jump shot | ||
| 9:26 | | Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound | ||
| 9:15 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point jump shot (Shaedon Sharpe assists) | 6-8 |
| 8:57 | | Evan Mobley misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:54 | | Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound | ||
| 8:48 | | Jarrett Allen blocks Jerami Grant's two point running layup | ||
| 8:48 | | Cavaliers defensive rebound | ||
| 8:36 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point cutting dunk (Darius Garland assists) | 6-10 |
| 8:15 | | Jerami Grant turnover (bad pass) (Max Strus steals) | ||
| 8:10 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point running layup | 6-12 |
| 8:09 | | Trail Blazers 60 second timeout | ||
| 7:48 | | Toumani Camara misses three point jump shot | ||
| 7:44 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 7:37 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 7:34 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 7:34 | | Jarrett Allen misses two point tip layup | ||
| 7:33 | | Malcolm Brogdon defensive rebound | ||
| 7:31 | | Max Strus personal foul (Toumani Camara draws the foul) | ||
| 7:21 | | +2 | Malcolm Brogdon makes two point driving floating jump shot (Shaedon Sharpe assists) | 8-12 |
| 6:59 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point alley-oop dunk (Darius Garland assists) | 8-14 |
| 6:40 | | Deandre Ayton misses two point jump shot | ||
| 6:38 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 6:31 | | Max Strus turnover (lost ball) (Jerami Grant steals) | ||
| 6:24 | | +3 | Toumani Camara makes three point running jump shot (Jerami Grant assists) | 11-14 |
| 5:59 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point cutting layup (Max Strus assists) | 11-16 |
| 5:47 | | Malcolm Brogdon misses two point driving layup | ||
| 5:45 | | Evan Mobley defensive rebound | ||
| 5:43 | | Jarrett Allen turnover (bad pass) (Shaedon Sharpe steals) | ||
| 5:39 | | Deandre Ayton turnover (out of bounds lost ball) | ||
| 5:14 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point fadeaway jump shot | 11-18 |
| 4:51 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot (Scoot Henderson assists) | 13-18 |
| 4:39 | | Caris LeVert misses two point driving floating bank jump shot | ||
| 4:37 | | Jarrett Allen offensive rebound | ||
| 4:35 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:32 | | Jabari Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 4:23 | | Jabari Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:20 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 4:13 | | Caris LeVert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:08 | | Scoot Henderson defensive rebound | ||
| 4:08 | | Scoot Henderson turnover (traveling) | ||
| 3:56 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point driving finger roll layup (Jarrett Allen assists) | 13-20 |
| 3:44 | | Scoot Henderson misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:40 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 3:34 | | Caris LeVert turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:22 | | +2 | Deandre Ayton makes two point hook shot (Toumani Camara assists) | 15-20 |
| 3:02 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point driving floating jump shot | ||
| 3:00 | | Donovan Mitchell offensive rebound | ||
| 2:58 | | +3 | Isaac Okoro makes three point jump shot (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 15-23 |
| 2:53 | | Malcolm Brogdon turnover (lost ball) (Georges Niang steals) | ||
| 2:48 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point running dunk (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 15-25 |
| 2:48 | | Trail Blazers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:36 | | Scoot Henderson turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 2:15 | | Darius Garland misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 2:11 | | Jabari Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 1:48 | | Scoot Henderson misses three point pullup bank jump shot | ||
| 1:44 | | Duop Reath offensive rebound | ||
| 1:43 | | +2 | Duop Reath makes two point putback dunk | 17-25 |
| 1:30 | | Evan Mobley misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 1:28 | | Jerami Grant defensive rebound | ||
| 1:11 | | +3 | Duop Reath makes three point jump shot (Jerami Grant assists) | 20-25 |
| 0:57 | | Evan Mobley offensive foul (Jerami Grant draws the foul) | ||
| 0:57 | | Evan Mobley turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 0:43 | | +2 | Scoot Henderson makes two point pullup jump shot (Duop Reath assists) | 22-25 |
| 0:29 | | Evan Mobley misses two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 0:27 | | Jerami Grant defensive rebound | ||
| 0:07 | | Jerami Grant misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 0:05 | | Darius Garland defensive rebound | ||
| 0:01 | | Jerami Grant blocks Darius Garland's two point running layup | ||
| 0:01 | | Jabari Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | Jabari Walker misses three point jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Trail Blazers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | | End of period |
| Time | Team | Play | Score | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 11:46 | | Trail Blazers technical foul (Defensive three second) | ||
| 11:46 | | +1 | Darius Garland makes technical free throw 1 of 1 | 22-26 |
| 11:33 | | Darius Garland misses two point driving layup | ||
| 11:31 | | Evan Mobley offensive rebound | ||
| 11:28 | | +3 | Caris LeVert makes three point jump shot (Darius Garland assists) | 22-29 |
| 11:02 | | Scoot Henderson turnover (bad pass) (Isaac Okoro steals) | ||
| 10:47 | | Evan Mobley turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 10:40 | | Jerami Grant offensive foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 10:40 | | Jerami Grant turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 10:22 | | Scoot Henderson personal foul (Darius Garland draws the foul) | ||
| 10:14 | | Georges Niang misses two point turnaround bank jump shot | ||
| 10:09 | | Caris LeVert offensive rebound | ||
| 10:09 | | +2 | Caris LeVert makes two point tip layup | 22-31 |
| 9:54 | | Shaedon Sharpe offensive foul (Charge) (Isaac Okoro draws the foul) | ||
| 9:54 | | Shaedon Sharpe turnover (offensive foul) | ||
| 9:33 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point layup (Georges Niang assists) | 22-33 |
| 9:21 | | Shaedon Sharpe misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 9:14 | | Jabari Walker offensive rebound | ||
| 9:14 | | +2 | Jabari Walker makes two point tip layup | 24-33 |
| 9:06 | | Scoot Henderson personal foul (Evan Mobley draws the foul) | ||
| 8:56 | | Caris LeVert turnover (bad pass) (Malcolm Brogdon steals) | ||
| 8:51 | | Duop Reath turnover (lost ball) (Georges Niang steals) | ||
| 8:46 | | +3 | Georges Niang makes three point running jump shot (Evan Mobley assists) | 24-36 |
| 8:31 | | Shaedon Sharpe misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:27 | | Darius Garland defensive rebound | ||
| 8:21 | | Darius Garland turnover (lost ball) (Malcolm Brogdon steals) | ||
| 8:09 | | Matisse Thybulle misses three point jump shot | ||
| 8:05 | | Malcolm Brogdon offensive rebound | ||
| 8:03 | | Malcolm Brogdon misses three point fadeaway jump shot | ||
| 8:01 | | Cavaliers defensive rebound | ||
| 7:47 | | Jarrett Allen misses two point hook shot | ||
| 7:45 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 7:40 | | Caris LeVert personal foul (Shaedon Sharpe draws the foul) | ||
| 7:33 | | Malcolm Brogdon turnover (bad pass) (Donovan Mitchell steals) | ||
| 7:21 | | +2 | Jarrett Allen makes two point cutting dunk (Donovan Mitchell assists) | 24-38 |
| 7:05 | | Malcolm Brogdon turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 6:47 | | Caris LeVert misses two point pullup jump shot | ||
| 6:43 | | Jabari Walker defensive rebound | ||
| 6:28 | | Shaedon Sharpe turnover (bad pass) (Max Strus steals) | ||
| 6:22 | | Isaac Okoro misses two point running dunk | ||
| 6:22 | | Donovan Mitchell offensive rebound | ||
| 6:22 | | +2 | Donovan Mitchell makes two point tip layup | 24-40 |
| 6:22 | | Trail Blazers 60 second timeout | ||
| 5:59 | | +3 | Jerami Grant makes three point jump shot (Malcolm Brogdon assists) | 27-40 |
| 5:37 | | Caris LeVert misses three point jump shot | ||
| 5:34 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 5:27 | | +2 | Shaedon Sharpe makes two point cutting dunk (Malcolm Brogdon assists) | 29-40 |
| 5:01 | | +2 | Max Strus makes two point turnaround fadeaway jump shot | 29-42 |
| 4:43 | | +2 | Shaedon Sharpe makes two point pullup jump shot (Deandre Ayton assists) | 31-42 |
| 4:23 | | Max Strus misses three point jump shot | ||
| 4:21 | | Toumani Camara defensive rebound | ||
| 4:16 | | Jarrett Allen shooting foul (Malcolm Brogdon draws the foul) | ||
| 4:16 | | +1 | Malcolm Brogdon makes regular free throw 1 of 2 | 32-42 |
| 4:16 | | +1 | Malcolm Brogdon makes regular free throw 2 of 2 | 33-42 |
| 3:59 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:55 | | Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound | ||
| 3:46 | | Donovan Mitchell personal foul (Jerami Grant draws the foul) | ||
| 3:38 | | Malcolm Brogdon misses two point floating jump shot | ||
| 3:38 | | Malcolm Brogdon offensive rebound | ||
| 3:38 | | Max Strus personal foul (Malcolm Brogdon draws the foul) | ||
| 3:33 | | Deandre Ayton misses two point jump shot | ||
| 3:31 | | Donovan Mitchell defensive rebound | ||
| 3:24 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point jump shot | ||
| 3:21 | | Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound | ||
| 3:16 | | Deandre Ayton misses two point alley-oop layup | ||
| 3:11 | | Jarrett Allen defensive rebound | ||
| 3:10 | | Darius Garland misses three point running pullup jump shot | ||
| 3:03 | | Donovan Mitchell offensive rebound | ||
| 3:03 | | Donovan Mitchell misses two point tip dunk | ||
| 3:03 | | Deandre Ayton defensive rebound | ||
| 3:03 | | Jerami Grant turnover (out of bounds bad pass) | ||
| 3:03 | | Cavaliers 60 second timeout | ||
| 2:41 | | Darius Garland turnover (bad pass) (Jerami Grant steals) | ||
| 2:17 | | +3 | Shaedon Sharpe makes three point jump shot (Jerami Grant assists) | 36-42 |
| 1:55 | | Max Strus misses two point driving finger roll layup | ||
| 1:52 | | Shaedon Sharpe defensive rebound | ||
| 1:49 | | +2 | Toumani Camara makes two point running layup (Shaedon Sharpe assists) | 38-42 |
| 1:23 | | Darius Garland turnover (lost ball) (Toumani Camara steals) | ||
| 1:17 | | Jerami Grant misses three point jump shot | ||
| 1:14 | | Darius Garland defensive rebound | ||
| 1:11 | | Darius Garland turnover (out of bounds step) | ||
| 0:59 | | Malcolm Brogdon turnover (lost ball) (Evan Mobley steals) | ||
| 0:57 | | +2 | Max Strus makes two point running dunk (Evan Mobley assists) | 38-44 |
| 0:43 | | Shaedon Sharpe turnover (bad pass) (Evan Mobley steals) | ||
| 0:40 | | +2 | Evan Mobley makes two point running dunk | 38-46 |
| 0:17 | | +2 | Shaedon Sharpe makes two point driving floating jump shot (Malcolm Brogdon assists) | 40-46 |
| 0:00 | | Donovan Mitchell misses three point stepback jump shot | ||
| 0:00 | | Cavaliers offensive rebound | ||
| 0:00 | |