The Cleveland Cavaliers (10-19) saw their losing streak hit eight games in a row after a 31-point loss against the Golden State Warriors on Monday night. For bettors fading Cleveland, the Cavs are 0-9 against the spread in their last nine games and they have the worst ATS record in the NBA at 10-19.
Cleveland started the season 4-2 and beat writers cranked out numerous click-bait articles on the Cavs turning the corner. That spin didn’t last very long, however. The Cavs lost five out of their next six games and returned to their usual spot at the back of the pack in the Eastern Conference.
The Cavs won three games in a row in mid-January to rise above .500, but that was their high-water mark of the season. Since that 8-7 point, the Cavs went on a 2-12 slide that includes an eight-game losing streak.
“You have to look in the mirror and be honest with yourself and see areas you can improve,” said Cavs coach JB Bickerstaff. “And we’ve got room to grow.”
The Cavs’ previous two victories were against two of the worst teams in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons and Minnesota Timberwolves. If you don’t include wins against those basement-dwelling teams, the Cavs would have a 7-19 record this season.
The downtrodden Cavs got a much-needed respite when the NBA postponed their Wednesday evening game against the San Antonio Spurs due to COVID-19 health protocols after four members of the Spurs tested positive for coronavirus.
Cavs Blowouts
The Cavs haven’t just been losing — they’ve been getting their asses kicked. They had four games in which they lost by more than 30 points, including two games when they lost by 38 points.
| Cleveland Cavs – Losing Streak Blowouts |
| Opponent | Margin |
| vs LA Clippers | -22 |
| vs Milwaukee Bucks | -18 |
| vs Milwaukee Bucks | -25 |
| at Phoenix Suns | -6 |
| at Denver Nuggets | -38 |
| at Portland Trail Blazers | -19 |
| at LA Clippers | -17 |
| at Golden State Warriors | -31 |
At the beginning of February, the Cavs were stuck in a rut with a three-game losing streak. They hit the road for a five-game swing against the Western Conference hoping to change their luck. Alas, they couldn’t catch a break against five potential playoff teams. On the West Coast, the Cavs lost four games by 17 or more points.
Seven out of their last eight losses were by 17 or more points. Their closest game during this stretch was a 6-point loss against the Phoenix Suns, who were sleepwalking through that game.
On Deck: Nugs, Thunder, Hawks, Rockets
Collin Sexton leads the Cavs with 22.8 points per game, but he’s the only bright spot on a banged-up team that’s missing both Kevin Love and Larry Nance, Jr.
The Cavs put big man Andre Drummond on the trading block and will sit him until they find him a new team. They want to start Jarrett Allen, one of the players they acquired in the four-team blockbuster trade when the Houston Rockets sent James Harden to the Brooklyn Nets, at center.
The Cavs play their next four games at home, including three games against losing squads. They have a couple of more days off before the Nikola Jokic and the Denver Nuggets (15-12 SU, 12-15 ATS) visit Cleveland on Friday night.
Only the beat-up Minnesota Timberwolves (7-21 SU, 14-13-1 ATS) have a worse record in the west than the Oklahoma City Thunder (11-16 SU, 15-11 ATS) and the Houston Rockets (11-16 SU and 10-17 ATS). The Rockets are the weakest team that the Cavs will meet in the next two weeks. Houston might be their best bet to finally end this dreadful losing streak.
The Atlanta Hawks (11-16 SU, 13-14 ATS) are no longer the worst of the worst in the Eastern Conference. However, the Hawks are struggling lately, losing seven out of their last eight games.