Cavaliers Collapse, Lose Massive Lead Against Clippers

The Cleveland Cavaliers blew a 26-point lead to the Los Angeles Clippers to come back from a 26-point lead.

Apr 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

What once looked like the biggest win of the year quickly turned into the worst loss of the season for the Cleveland Cavaliers. They scored 80 points in the first half and climbed up to a 26-point lead against the Los Angeles Clippers, but blew it all in the second half.

The Cavs only managed to score 38 points in the second half after scoring 40 in the first quarter. They allowed the Clippers to climb back into the game and take the lead in the final minute securing a 118-120 victory. On the bright side, at least the loss didn’t come by double-digits breaking a worrisome trend for Wine and Gold. 

J.B. Bickerstaff preached after their loss to the Los Angeles Lakers on Saturday that his team had to play with more consistency. Just 24 hours later Cleveland played one of their most inconsistent games of the season.

The Wine and Gold shot 60 percent from the floor and 50 percent from behind the arc in the first half. More importantly, they held the Clippers to just 46 percent shooting. Everything flipped in the final 24 minutes as Cleveland’s offense fell off and they couldn’t stop Los Angeles.

Apr 7, 2024; Los Angeles, California, USA; Los Angeles Clippers guard Russell Westbrook (0) drives past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Isaac Okoro (35) in the first half at Crypto.com Arena. Mandatory Credit: Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports

Darius Garland played a solid game scoring 28 points along with eight assists and five rebounds. The frontcourt of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen combined for 37 points and 16 rebounds. Max Strus shot 44 percent from behind the arc.

The problem was a majority of this production came in the first half and no one was able to carry it over when it mattered. It's hard to pinpoint just one thing that went wrong for the Cavs in the second half. Los Angeles was just the better team and played a full 48 minutes, Cleveland did not.

After this loss, the Cavs have dropped to the fifth seed in the East. If they can’t figure it out in the final three home games then Cleveland could even drop to the Play-In Tournament at this rate.