Cavs routed on the road

By Tom Reed

Cleveland Plain Dealer

PORTLAND, Ore.

Kyrie Irving had about 70 friends and family members in attendance Sunday night as they made the trek from the Seattle area.

Extended relatives were sprinkled throughout the Rose Garden. His grandparents sat so close they could hear coach Byron Scott voice his frustration with wayward small forward Omri Casspi.

Irving’s kin saw again why the Cavs drafted him No. 1 overall with an 11-point, third quarter that kept his team in the game. They also saw why it will take Irving time to become a consistent winner with the modest offensive talent surrounding him.

Stepping up in NBA weight class, the Cavaliers could not execute often enough to hang with the Trail Blazers in a 98-78 loss. Despite a 21-point effort from Irving, the Cavs committed a season-high 24 turnovers and shot 36.7 percent.

The Blazers used a 12-0 run late in the third quarter to take control as they improved to 5-0 at home. They easily represented the Cavaliers’ toughest opponent and, on this night anyway, the visiting team wasn’t up to the challenge.

The Cavaliers defended relentlessly for a half — they trailed by just seven points at the break — but wore down under the Blazers’ pressure and their own mistakes. Irving, fellow rookie Tristan Thompson and Casspi (10 points each) were the only Cavs in double figures. Casspi suffered through another bad start and was pulled in the second half by Scott after failing to hustle back to the defensive end following a missed shot.

The Cavs were 3-of-24 from behind the 3-point arc.

The Blazers didn’t shoot particularly well, especially in the first half. But power forward LaMarcus Aldridge (28 points, eight rebounds) and shooting guard Wesley Matthews (24 points) supplied enough offense to carry them to victory.

The Cavaliers played in the Rose Garden for the first time since losing by 41 points last March.