What We Learned About Cavaliers After Loss To Celtics

The Cleveland Cavaliers prove their contenders, despite losing to the Boston Celtics.

Nov 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Cleveland Cavaliers guard Sam Merrill (5) shoots the ball while Boston Celtics center Al Horford (42) defends during the second half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

The Cleveland Cavaliers suffered their first loss of the season on Tuesday, losing to the Boston Celtics. After 15 straight games, the Wine and Gold's historic winning streak is officially over.

While it was disappointing to see this record-setting run come to an end, this loss still provided many learning points for Kenny Atkinson, his coaching staff, and everybody watching.

The Evan Mobley Affect

Evan Mobley is making steady improvements in his game this season. One of those is his usage when the Cavaliers are on offense.

However, it took Mobley a while to establish himself against the Celtics, and Kenny Atkinson takes responsibility for this.

However, once Mobley did find his rhythm, the Cavs took off.

Cleveland outscored the Celtics 40-28 in the third quarter. Mobley, who had 14 points and was a +11 when on the floor in that quarter, was at the center of that run.

Nov 19, 2024; Boston, Massachusetts, USA; Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown (7) shoots the ball past Cleveland Cavaliers forward Evan Mobley (4) during the first half at TD Garden. Mandatory Credit: Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images / Bob DeChiara-Imagn Images

Cavaliers Depth Still A Strength

The Cavaliers were missing three key rotation pieces against the Celtics: Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, and Isaac Okoro. Four players, if you count Max Strus, who hasn't played a game this season.

Still, Cleveland's depth shined, with the Cavaliers' bench outscoring Boston's 36-20.

Sam Merrill (who started the game) connected on a pair of threes. Craig Porter Jr. stepped up and scored 15 points, dished out three assists, and grabbed four rebounds, too. Georges Niang scored 10 points in his 29 minutes of work. Ty Jerome was solid again, finishing with 10 points and five assists.

Cavaliers Are Still Contenders

The Cavaliers may come up short in this game, but they ceritainly put up quite a fight given the circumstances.

Darius Garland had his worst game of the season and only scored eight points. Also, Cleveland's roster remains decimated with injuries to key defensive players. Still, the Wine and Gold nearly came back from a 21-point deficit.

There's a lot Cleveland still needs to sort out, such as their three-point defense, but this shorthanded game against the Celtics proves they're one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference.