January 27, 2021; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; The Cleveland Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton (2) and Darius Garland (10) against the Detroit Pistons in the fourth quarter at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Mandatory Credit: Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
Cleveland Cavaliers manager JB Bickerstaff isn’t interested in overreacting to his team’s worst offensive performance this season.
Indeed, Bickerstaff is confident the Cavaliers will bounce back after their third loss in four games on Sunday night when they open a home series against the Minnesota Timberwolves in Minneapolis. The teams will meet in Cleveland the following evening to open the Cavaliers’ homestand for four games.
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“Not at all,” Bickerstaff said when asked if Friday’s 102-81 setback at the New York Knicks was a significant step backwards in terms of team growth.
“We’re better on Sunday. We have to pass the basketball on to the open man much better. It’s a simple thing. It’s an easy customization. It is easy for us to fix the problem. “
Darius Garland scored 16 of his 24 points of the season after a break on Friday. He highlighted the night with 4-of-6 shots from 3-point range.
“Sometimes we’re definitely ahead of ourselves,” said 21-year-old Garland. “But we’re growing into a really good team. We just have to lock ourselves in at both ends and play with each other. This is the only way we can win games when all five are just playing together on the floor. “
This season, Collin Sexton achieved the team’s best results on average in points (24.6) and assists (4.3). He averaged 18.5 points in a two-game season split against Minnesota in the 2019-20 period.
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However, Sexton only took 6 of 18 shots from the ground on Friday and failed on all four of his 3-point attempts.
Andre Drummond increased his industry-leading rebound average to 14.7 after picking up 15 boards on Friday. In the 2-of-7 shooting against the Knicks, however, he scored a season low of four points.
Not only has Cleveland committed a sputtering crime this season, but they have also committed significant problems on the road. Boston celebrated a 141-103 win over the Cavaliers last Sunday before New York’s runaway win brought the club down 6-3 from the Quicken Loans Arena.
While Cleveland struggled on the road, Minnesota fell headlong regardless of the venue. The Timberwolves have lost a total of three straight and 14 of their last 16 games since winning the first two competitions of the season.
Malik Beasley scored 22 points and D’Angelo Russell added 14 in Minnesota’s 118-94 shellacking by the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday.
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Russell (20.1 points per game) and Beasley (20.0) pave the way for the Timberwolves as there are no two-time All-Star Karl Anthony cities that are seven games in a row due to COVID-19 protocols missed.
Injuries and absences forced Minnesota to use their 10th grid in 18 games on Friday.
Top overall winner Anthony Edwards was added to the line-up, scoring 15 points on Friday, two days after breaking 25 with five 3-pointers in a 123-111 loss at the Golden State Warriors.
“As a professional, you have to be ready no matter what,” said Beasley. “If it was a ballboy with us, you have to stay ready.”
–Field level media
