The Cleveland Cavaliers got one of their best players back on Sunday.
Ty Jerome made his return after a five-game absence with some knee tendinitis, and he picked up things right where he left off.
Unfortunately, his 20 points weren’t enough to lead the team to success.
The Cavs dropped a 120-113 game to the Sacramento Kings when they were just one win away from clinching the No. 1 seed in the Eastern Conference.
When asked about this setback, Jerome blamed their lax defense for it (via Evan Dammarell):
“We can’t let three of their guys score 30 points,” he said.
#Cavs guard Ty Jerome said that the team’s defense was the reason why Clevleand lost to Sacramento tonight.
“We can’t let three of their guys score 30 points.”
— Evan Dammarell (@AmNotEvan) April 7, 2025
Jerome chipped in with 20 points on 9-of-13 shooting in just 23 minutes.
He added one three-pointer, and he scored ten in the fourth quarter when the Cavs were trying to erase a 12-point deficit.
Then again, just like he said, they allowed DeMar DeRozan (28), Zach LaVine (37), and Domantas Sabonis (27) to combine for 92 points, and that’s rarely a recipe for success.
The Cavs can do a lot better on defense.
They’ve had a top-ten defense all year long, and they have the personnel to match up with virtually any team in the league.
It seems like things have been a matter of effort – or lack thereof – lately.
This team knows they will most likely have homecourt advantage through the Eastern Conference Finals, and it’s been weeks since they played their usual brand of basketball.
Hopefully, they will be able to pick the intensity up and get things going when it matters the most, as this is not where they want to be come playoff time.
NEXT: Fans React To Cavs’ Loss Against Kings
