What Went Wrong In Cavs 29-Point Loss To Nuggets?

The Cleveland Cavaliers' defense struggled in their loss to the Denver Nuggets.

Mar 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) in the first half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

The Cleveland Cavaliers started off strong against the defending NBA Champion Denver Nuggets. Cleveland trailed by just four points after the first quarter with a manageable deficit heading into halftime. However, that promising start turned into an all-out route for Denver by the end of the game with the Wine and Gold falling by 29 points.

This is what J.B. Bickerstaff attributed the loss to:

“We could have been better defensively. Obviously, they are a dynamic, high-powered, and offensive team, but we weren’t physical enough to start the game. We allowed guys to get to their spots, develop their rhythm, and we didn’t interrupt their rhythm at all … This is an area where we’ve got to be better and we just can’t allow people to be so comfortable.”  

The Nuggets were certainly comfortable playing against the Cavs and shooting from their favorite spots on the floor. Denver finished the game shooting 57% (50-87) from the floor and 63% (21-33) from behind the arc. 

Mar 31, 2024; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Nuggets guard Christian Braun (0) shoots over Cleveland Cavaliers guard Darius Garland (10) in the first half at Ball Arena. Mandatory Credit: Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports / Ron Chenoy-USA TODAY Sports

Cleveland’s offense on the other hand fell off in the second half as they only managed to score 45 points in the second half shooting just 39% from the floor.

Bickerstaff also mentioned after the game that his team plays their best basketball when the ball is moving and finds the open man. But Cleveland finished with 26 assists which is below their season average. The Cavaliers' offense looked flat with that key piece missing from the gameplan

Consistency continues to be an issue for Cleveland and trying to predict which version of the Cavs will play on any given night feels like an impossible task. Whatever the issue may be, the Cavaliers are going to need to figure it out in their final seven regular-season games.