Final Score: Cavs drubbed by Rockets 120-88

Saturday night could not have gone worse for the Cleveland Cavaliers.

At home against the Houston Rockets, the Cavs were drubbed 120-88 and were never in the game in the first place. By the half, they trailed by 26 points and were described to coach Tyronn Lue by Lisa Salters as “soft, weak, no physicality, no toughness, no grit.” The Cavs trailed by as many as 35 points in the loss.

Among a host of other issues, what didn’t help Cleveland was a poor shooting night from three. As a team, the Cavs finished 8-30 from distance as compared to the Rockets’ 19-51 mark. Isaiah Thomas was 0-4 as he continued to struggle to find a rhythm. J.R. Smith finished 3-9 from three. Kyle Korver and Channing Frye, whose entires roles are to shoot, finished a combined 1-6.

Thomas and Smith co-lead the Cavs with 12 points. LeBron James finished with 11 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. Chris Paul led the Rockets with 22 points and Ryan Anderson added 21 points. James Harden added 16 points.

The Cavs next play on Tuesday against the Magic. The trade deadline is two days later on Thursday. It’s about to get interesting.