PORTLAND, ORE.: The same team that set an NBA record for consecutive games with at least 10 3-pointers now can’t seem to get to double figures at all. The Cavs were buried twice Wednesday in the frigid Northwest, first by record snowfall and then by their own inept shooting.
The Cavs shot 34 percent and made just nine 3-pointers in their lopsided 102-86 loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. It capped a strange 24 hours when the Blazers didn’t even land in Portland until about 5 1/2 hours before tip-off.
It didn’t matter. The Cavs have built an impressive record outshooting teams all season, but not lately. They failed to make at least 10 3-pointers for the fifth time in six games since the start of the New Year.
LeBron James scored 20 points and grabbed 11 rebounds and Kevin Love scored 17 points, but was shut out in the second half. Kyrie Irving scored 11 points on 4-of-16 shooting and finished the back-to-back 9-of-34. Not surprisingly, the Cavs dropped both games.
It’s difficult to register assists when shots aren’t falling, but the simple fact remains that the 14 assists Wednesday marks the third consecutive game with less than 15 and the sixth time in the last seven games with 17 or fewer. The loss was their fourth straight at Moda Center and the last three since James returned haven’t been close.
The Cavs had their own problems getting into Portland following their loss at Utah on Tuesday. They sat on the tarmac for more than two hours and didn’t get to their Portland hotel until about 4 a.m.
As a result, Lue wanted to lengthen his rotation, which he did, but with little success. Kyle Korver looked out of rhythm again in his second game with his new team. Korver has yet to make a 3-pointer in two games with the Cavs and looks like someone who could really use a practice with his new teammates.
In fact, that goes for all of them. The Cavs haven’t practiced in more than two weeks and look like a disjointed unit. They failed to close out to Portland shooters in a game that could’ve been far more lopsided, but the Blazers missed plenty of open looks.
Canton’s C.J. McCollum scored 27 points and Allen Crabbe, who always seems to play well against the Cavs, scored 24 off the bench. McCollum scored 21 points in the second half, including five 3-pointers.
The Cavs will stay over in Portland Wednesday before flying to Sacramento on Thursday. They’ll take Thursday off following the back-to-back and play the Kings on Friday. Their first chance at a practice will come this weekend. It will be their first full practice since Dec. 28.