(Photo credit: Stephen Lew/USA Today Sports)
The Cleveland Cavaliers lost to the New Orleans Pelicans 108-104 despite leading by as many as 23 points. The Cavs led 39-20 after the first quarter, but were outscored in the next three. Up 95-83 with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, the Cavs allowed the Pelicans to engineer a 21-6 run to take the lead and to hold on for the win – mainly behind Garrett Temple who scored 17 of the Pelicans’ 32 fourth quarter points.
The Cavs did not have Darius Garland after placing him in health and safety protocols. Evan Mobley returned after spending four games in protocols with 22 points in 30 minutes, and Kevin Love added 24 from the bench. Ricky Rubio scored 27 points, collected 13 rebounds, and had nine assists before suffering an apparent non-contact let knee injury in the fourth quarter. He was not able to bear weight on his left leg and needed assistance from teammates to exit the court. The team is expecting to give an update today.
The Cavs were seeking their first win in New Orleans since 2010. At 20-14 the Cavs will stay on the road and face the Washington Wizards (17-17) on Thursday at 7:00 PM. The teams have split the first two meetings this season with each team winning on the road.