The New Orleans Pelicans defeated the Cleveland Cavaliers 124-122 on Monday night.
Anthony Davis did not play and for two quarters, it seemed like none of the Cavs did, either.
New Orleans (18-27) had their highest-scoring half of the season, jumping out to a 70-50 lead, thanks to a combination of great shooting and a Cavs team that seemed to want no part of the game.
Whatever was said in the locker room, the Cavs showed up for the second half and managed to bring the game within reach in the final minute.
This game featured of one of the worst teams in the NBA missing their All-Star starter, going against the defending champions, who owned the third-best record in the NBA and had all three of their stars healthy.
On paper, there was no reason New Orleans should have been expected to win.
But the Pelicans treated it like their championship, as many teams do against the Cavs, and were rewarded for their effort.
The Cavs have now lost five of seven games, their worst seven-game stretch with a healthy LeBron James, since his return in 2014.
LeBron was asked about the loss, and gave more reason to indicate the team is going to address holes on the roster.
LeBron on whether team relying too much on he and Kyrie: "We got what we got. … Right now we're just trying to get out of the hole." #Cavs
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) January 24, 2017
However they get out of that hole, and whatever pieces they have, it’s hard to imagine LeBron and company would let that happen again.
Kyrie Irving scored a season-high 49 points, 35 of which came after the Cavs apparently woke up from their slumber.
Irving said he was “pretty pissed off,” coming out of halftime and still felt the same way after the game.
Also lost in the fog, LeBron posted a triple-double.
Terrence Jones scored 36 points and Jrue Holiday scored 33 in the win, both of which were season-highs.
The Cavs’ rough stretch has included a blowout at Oakland, a nailbiter against the Spurs, and two losses against teams with losing records.
This point of the schedule has not been kind to the Cavs, who haven’t won in New Orleans, Salt Lake City or Portland since 2014.
If the games were more significant than December and January, it’s safe to say the Cavs would be just fine, but for teams like Golden State and San Antonio, the Cavs won’t be able to slide by on talent, alone.
Is this recurring theme going to continue when the Cavs return to Cleveland for a three-game homestand?
Probably not.
But this stretch of games has exposed some vulnerability in the Cavs’ armor.
In other news, Dion Waiters scored 33 points to lead the Heat past the Warriors, 105-102.
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