Final Score: Cleveland Cavaliers embarrassed by Houston Rockets 117-103

THE Cleveland Cavaliers might have celebrated Tristan Thompson’s birthday too much the night before. It was that or something else that took all the juice out of them.

They fell face down against the Houston Rockets. Let’s recap what happened:

Short

There’s not much good to write about. The Cavs were blown out from the jump, giving up 70 points in the first half and falling behind by more than 20 points early in the third quarter.

Little resistance was offered on the perimeter or interior. Houston made 15 three-pointers and outscored Cleveland 56-46 in the paint.

Fred VanVleet absolutely took the defense apart. He dished out 11 assists in the first half and finished with 15 on the night. Jalen Green and Jabari Smith combined for 46 points while Amen Thompson scored 18 points, just four shy of a career high.

For Cleveland, only Caris LeVert deserves a mention. He was one of the only Cavaliers who looked like he cared tonight, scoring a team-high 21 points coming off the bench. Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen only had 35 points between them.

Well, it happened…

Thompson didn’t do much in his first game back from a 25-game suspension. But it was still nice to see Thompson back on the field. It didn’t take long for him to get an extra possession from Cavalier – even though it meant nothing.

Big picture

A loss like this seems inexcusable at this point in the season. As the playoffs approach, Cleveland should take every opportunity to prepare. An embarrassing loss to a sub-.500 team isn’t exactly the way to tell everyone you’re serious about making the playoffs.

Still, a loss in the regular season can’t mean much. The Cavs remain in tight competition for the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference. But at this rate, Milwaukee will get the better of them.

One would have to hope that this loss sparks a fire under the Cavaliers. Because once the playoffs start, they’re going to need it.