By Reuters
Published: 17:01 EST, 21 January 2018 | Updated: 17:01 EST, 21 January 2018
Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said Sunday he would not change the starting lineup a day after the team's blowout loss to Oklahoma City Thunder.
Lue also decided against showing his players the game tape after the Cavaliers were embarrassed 148-124 at home Saturday by the Thunder.
"I just didn't want to (change the lineup)," Lue told reporters. "Looking at film and what we're trying to do, it's not the best thing right now."
The Cavs have won just three times in 12 games since Christmas and are the NBA's worst defensive team and 23rd-ranked offense during that stretch.
Lue will go with the same lineup for Cleveland's next game Tuesday night at the San Antonio Spurs.
"It's the same group we won 18 out of 19 with also," Lue said. "We've just got to play better. We've got to play better, we've got to be sharper and that's what we continue to keep working on. It's the same team that won 18 out of 19 and 13 in a row."
The Cavs are currently sitting in third place in the Eastern Conference with a 27-18 record, six games behind the first-place Boston Celtics.
LeBron James has been supportive of Lue through the team's struggles.
"It is what it is. I can't break," James said. "I'm the last one that can break at this point. I'm the leader of this team. Hopefully we can get some wins and that definitely helps, but I'm going to stay as positive as I can be. You guys know me, patience is not always been a thing for me, but knowing the rough patch that we're in right now, that's what I'm going to give to this team, just stay positive.
"We got a lot of things going on. It's not 1. It's 1, 2, 3, 4, 5. We got some searching to figure out how we can be better."
The 33-year-old James entered the fourth quarter of the demoralizing loss to the Thunder within reach of 30,000 career points. But after he missed two shots, James was replaced with 6:37 remaining and the Cavs trailing 128-101.
James was hoping to make history in front of his home fans and family at Quicken Loans Arena. He finished with 18 points and remains seven shy of becoming the seventh player in NBA history to reach the 30,000-point plateau.
"I've never in my basketball life gave up 148 points, not even probably playing video games," James said after the game. "They got everything that they wanted. Inside, outside — they had it moving. … It's just a really bad, really bad loss on our part."
–Field Level Media
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