Cavs keep sputtering along as losses hit new low

The Cavaliers talked themselves into believing Christmas Day meant something. Turns out, it didn’t travel.

Cleveland followed up its gut-punch loss to the Knicks with a no-show in Houston, getting run off the floor in a 117-100 loss that felt over long before the horn. The final score flattered them.

This wasn’t a blowout early. The Cavs even held a brief lead in the first quarter. Then the usual pattern set in.

A sloppy close to the opening frame, an eight-point hole. By halftime, it was 14. Still manageable. Still technically a game.

And then came the third quarter. Again.

No urgency. No edge. No shots. No resistance. Houston ripped off a 15-0 run in the middle of the quarter, ballooning a 12-point lead into 27 in about four minutes.

That stretch ended it. Not just the game, but any illusion that this group was building off anything from New York.

Once things tilted, the Cavs folded. That’s been the season.

Donovan Mitchell tried to force his way out of it, just like he did late at Madison Square Garden. Same result. Bad shots. Tough reads. Empty possessions.

He finished with 16 points on 7-of-17 shooting, plus six assists, but the game never bent his way.

Cleveland had no answer for Kevin Durant, who carved them up for 30 points on 11-of-17 shooting while also handing out seven assists.

Houston played with purpose. Cleveland played like a team waiting for the clock.

That third-quarter avalanche looked a lot like the bigger picture. When momentum turns, the Cavs don’t stop the bleeding. They free-fall. It turns into 15 guys playing separately, without joy, without connection, and without any real belief that this version of the team can matter in the postseason.

If this week was supposed to be a measuring stick, the answer is uncomfortable.

The Cavs competed in New York. They didn’t belong in Houston. Same old flaws, same old response.

At some point, the front office has to decide what this actually is. If there’s no single fix, no obvious tweak, then the smarter play may be clearing flexibility, ducking under the second apron, and resetting in the summer instead of pretending this core is one move away.

Cleveland wraps up the trip Monday in San Antonio. Another test. Another chance to show something. Right now, the benefit of the doubt is gone.