Cavs Fall Flat in Chicago-Again. And the Pattern’s Getting Hard to Ignore
There’s no panic button being slammed in Cleveland just yet. No full-blown frustration boiling over.
But if you’ve been watching the Cavaliers lately, you know the feeling. That quiet, nagging sense that something’s just… off.
Wednesday night in Chicago was another entry in what’s becoming a concerning trend. The Cavs didn’t get blown out from the opening tip.
They didn’t mail it in. They hung around, kept things close, even teased a fourth-quarter rally.
But the push never came. And once again, the game slipped away.
The Bulls took control late and never looked back, cruising to a 127-111 win that felt heavier than your average mid-December loss. That’s what stings. Not just the final score-but how familiar it all felt.
Cleveland (15-13) went into the fourth quarter down just seven. That’s a spot Donovan Mitchell has thrived in.
But this time, the Cavs couldn’t find the gear they’ve so often relied on. They were outscored 32-23 in the final frame, coughed up five turnovers, and missed makeable shots.
Most concerning? They couldn’t string together stops.
Again.
That’s the part that keeps showing up in losses like these.
Chicago (11-15) isn’t a world-beater. But they know their identity.
They play with pace, they run the floor, and they feast on mistakes. Cleveland gave them plenty of those.
Twenty turnovers. Missed threes that turned into long rebounds.
Live-ball errors that turned into transition buckets. The Bulls didn’t need to draw up anything fancy-they just capitalized on what Cleveland handed them.
And the Cavs’ shooting woes didn’t help. They went 12-of-39 from deep, and when your opponent is looking to turn every miss into a fast break, that’s a recipe for trouble. Until Cleveland finds its rhythm from the perimeter again, games like this are going to keep hanging around like a bad habit.
Mitchell did his part. He poured in 32 points on 11-of-23 shooting, added five assists, and tried to will the team back into it.
He’s been the constant. The problem is, he’s having to do too much, too often.
Jaylon Tyson continues to be a bright spot. The rookie dropped 21 points and looked every bit like a player who deserves a permanent spot in the rotation. Darius Garland added 15 points and six assists, while De’Andre Hunter, now coming off the bench, had a solid showing in his new role.
So yes, there were individual performances to appreciate. But collectively, the Cavs still look like a team trying to find its footing.
That’s why the record-while still above .500-isn’t the whole story. The Cavs have now lost seven of their last ten. One of those wins required a 48-point explosion from Mitchell just to escape against Washington.
And this latest loss? It came against a Bulls team that had dropped eight of nine and was fresh off a home loss to New Orleans. These aren’t the kinds of games a team with playoff aspirations can afford to let slip, especially not when the same issues keep showing up.
To be clear, this isn’t about panic. It’s December.
There are more than 50 games left. Lineups are still in flux, roles are being adjusted, and injuries haven’t helped.
The Cavs aren’t broken. But they’re also not the team many expected to see at this point in the season.
Right now, they look ordinary. Capable, but inconsistent. Flashing moments of real danger, but unable to sustain it long enough on both ends of the floor.
This isn’t a call to blow things up. It’s a call to tighten things up.
The defense-once a calling card-has to travel. The turnovers have to come down.
The three-point shooting has to level out. And the identity that made this team tough to play against last season?
That needs to show up again, with urgency.
The Cavs get another shot at Chicago on Friday, this time at home. It’s not a must-win. But it is another data point.
And right now, Cleveland needs a few better ones.