PORTLAND, Ore. -- Cleveland Cavaliers head coach Larry Drew said getting off to a fast start -- similar to what happened in the win Sunday -- was of the utmost importance against the Portland Trail Blazers.
The Cavs did. Sort of anyway. They trailed by just four points at the end of the first quarter and were within single digits at halftime.
But sustaining that effort was once again problematic, as the Blazers began pulling away in the third quarter and then fought off one last Cleveland rally for the 129-112 win.
In that third quarter, Portland outscored Cleveland, 38-30, taking a 15-point edge to the fourth.