The Cleveland Cavaliers have been sliding recently, losing the last six out of nine games, and they hit a new low against the Minnesota Timberwolves Monday night.
The Cavaliers were blown out by 28 points by the Timberwolves, falling behind by as many as 36 points during the third period. To make matters worse, isaiah thomas was ejected from the game after receiving a Flagrant 2 for smacking Andrew Wiggins across the face during the second quarter. It wasn’t done intentionally, but it was a very hard hit to the face, nonetheless.
Isaiah Thomas ejected for E. Honda Street Fighter chop on Andrew Wiggins pic.twitter.com/iXyeuurENP
— Rob Perez (@World_Wide_Wob) January 9, 2018
Isaiah Thomas’ fine
Thomas finished the game with just nine points and three assists on 3 of 11 shooting. Fortunately for him, the NBA will not suspend him for his actions, but he has received a $20,000 fine, the league announced Wednesday afternoon.
Thomas will enter Thursday’s marquee matchup against the Toronto Raptors with $20,000 less than what he had, but he will be the starting point guard for Cleveland. The Raptors, however, may be without their starting point guard Kyle Lowry, who suffered a bone bruise in his tailbone Monday night after taking a hard spill to the ground.
The Cavaliers are 2-1 with Thomas in the lineup, as the 28-year-old made his return on January 2nd against the Portland Trail Blazers and has tallied two solid outings in the games Cleveland won.
Cleveland’s latest meltdown
As for the game against the Timberwolves, everybody struggled for the Cavaliers with the exception of Jeff Green.
LeBron James had merely 10 points but did add eight rebounds and five assists in 27 minutes. Kevin Love was absolutely blanketed, scoring just three points and grabbing two rebounds.
James and the Cavaliers need Thomas and Love to consistently play well together for them to be successful. Their latest slide is troublesome, but it’s going to take a while for the Cavaliers to incorporate Thomas into their offense, so the recent struggle is understandable.
The defensive end has been the biggest issue, though. With Thomas being an undersized point guard, the Cavaliers must play better team defense. They allowed the Wolves to score 127 points on 52 percent shooting from the field.
The Cavaliers are hoping to turn things around and shake off this mid-season meltdown. They can start by beating the Raptors in a crucial game on Thursday. The Raptors are currently the second seed in the East, two and a half games ahead of the Cavaliers. It will be a good measuring stick for Thomas and the Cavs.
