"This Wasn't About Offense:" Cavs Can't Overcome Poor Defense Against Kings

The Cleveland Cavaliers allowed the Sacramento Kings to shoot 47 on three-point attempts in their 120-132 loss.

The Cleveland Cavaliers pulled off a gritty, hard-fought win over the Golden State Warriors on Saturday and were looking to build on that against the Sacramento Kings. However, the Cavs fell 120-132 on Monday night as they continued their West Coast road trip.

All things considered, Cleveland didn't play horrendous overall. They scored 120 points while shooting 50% from the floor and 45% from behind the arc. 

The Cavs looked like a collective unit on offense and played with much more consistency in all four quarters which is something that has been stressed since the start of the season.

Nov 13, 2023; Sacramento, California, USA; Sacramento Kings guard De'Aaron Fox (5) stands next to Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell (45) in the second quarter at the Golden 1 Center. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports / © Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

But you still have to play defense. That's the Cavs didn't do that well which cost them against the Kings.

The area that specifically hurt Cleveland was their three-point defense. 

Sacramento finished the game shooting 20-for-47 (47%) from three. Keegan Murray and Kevin Huerter led the way as they combined to go 11-for-17 from behind the arc while Malik Monk added on three more threes of his own.

Every time Cleveland cut the lead to six or five points, the Kings would respond with a deep shot to extend the lead right back to a three or four-possession game. 

Head coach J.B. Bickerstaff perfectly summed Cleveland's struggles and is clearly frustrated with how the team has played to start the season. 

"They were obviously energized playing here at home. But that's no excuse for us to defend the way that we defended tonight ... I mean, we scored 120 points. This wasn't about offense for us. We've got a decision to make as a group: Is the defense going to be our priority? We've got to commit to that side of the ball. Too many of our losses, we come in here and it's the same thing, it's the question about our defense, commitment to our defense, and execution of our defense. Again, 120 points is plenty to win a basketball game."