Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers will take on the 10-win Milwaukee Bucks and are looking to snap their four-game losing streak. The Cavaliers started the season with a loss to the Toronto Raptors but then went on to win eight straight games after falling to the Los Angeles Clippers and then spiraling out of control shortly after.
With the Cavaliers taking on the second-place team in the Eastern Conference they will have to bring the energy on defense which used to not be a problem but lately Cleveland’s defense has been less than average.
Now with the Cavaliers’ all-star center Jarrett Allen listed as out for the Bucks game with an illness and ankle soreness the defense will have to bring even more intensity to try to fill the void that Jarrett leaves by not playing. Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s main goal on Tuesday was to show the team their decline on the defensive end from their first nine games.
Defense Needs To Step Up
“We need to be better defensively,” Bickerstaff said pointedly following Tuesday’s practice at Cleveland Clinic Courts. “There’s no doubt about it. These last four games, we have not been ourselves defensively and teams have made us pay.” according to Cleveland.com.
The defense is not the only problem as the Cavaliers have struggled in general in the fourth quarter. This is a team that last year should have learned how to close out games but here they are early in the season with several fourth-quarter collapses that led to embarrassing losses.
Many so-called fans were very quick to jump on point guard Darius Garland for his struggles in the second half of some of those losses but we think that is over after his 51-point performance where he scored 27 points in the fourth quarter against the Minnesota Timberwolves.
Donovan’s Return?
With the rumors of Donovan Mitchell returning tonight as he is listed as questionable and will more than likely be a game-time decision hopeful that can give the Cavaliers a spark and remind them who they are and what they play for.
This is a good Cavaliers team that at its best plays for each other and plays to win. The season is still very young so there is no cause for huge freakouts as of yet but if something does not change and soon the Cavaliers will be stuck playing catchup for the rest of the NBA season. Cavaliers at Bucks will tip off at 8:00 pm Eastern Standard time on Bally Sports Ohio.
Image Credits: Flickr.com.