Even without Damian Lillard, Portland spanked Cleveland, 105-76 on Saturday, one day after the Cavaliers fell to the defending champion Warriors on Christmas. It was 34-12 after the first quarter (in which Allen Crabbe himself had 13 points for the Blazers), and it was basically over after that.
LeBron James only played 26 minutes, as Cleveland conceded the L early in the second half. After the game, LeBron wasn’t sweating the loss too much, though. From Dave McMenamin of ESPN.com:
“Throw it in the trash,” James said. “Throw it in the trash.”
It matched Cleveland’s 29-point home loss to Atlanta last season as the worst regular-season loss of James’ career since the Miami Heat were beaten by 30 by the San Antonio Spurs on March 4, 2011.
“I don’t think you should overreact to it,” James continued. “In my career, I’ve never tried to look too far into losses like this. I’m actually a lot more angry after losing a tough one like [Friday’s], than I am this one.”
The Cavs dropped their Finals rematch with the Golden State Warriors on Christmas Day, 89-83.
