The Cleveland Cavaliers dropped a 123-112 contest to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday, giving the Cavs their second straight loss to start the season.
Turnovers were a massive problem for the Cavs throughout the game, with the team committing 18 in total.
Veteran point guard Ricky Rubio was responsible for six of them, and after the game, he took full responsibility.
“It was all on me,” Rubio said after the loss. “It was bad passes. There’s nothing to blame on them. It was all on me and I take that blame and I take this loss. It’s something that, as a veteran, I have to lead the way and know that if there’s one or two turnovers, the next play you can’t really rush it. I pushed it too much. Something I will learn and it won’t happen again.”
Despite the turnovers, Rubio’s night wasn’t all bad. He finished with 15 points and 10 assists. However, it’s clear that he was unhappy with the way he played.
Cavs youngster Collin Sexton had Rubio’s back after the game. The 22-year-old explained that “it’s not just on Ricky,” and he added that “it’s all of us as a team.”
“Not at all,” Sexton said when he learned that Rubio took the blame for the defeat. “At the end of day, we got to have his back. He might turn the ball over, I might turn the ball over, whoever turns that ball over, has to just continue to get back and we have to help that person and get a stop. It’s not just on Ricky. It’s all of us as a team, as a group. I know he’s probably really hard on himself, but I know he’s gonna be better tomorrow.”
Sexton had a great night against Charlotte. The former first-round pick racked up 33 points on 13-for-21 shooting from the field and 2-for-7 shooting from deep.
Moreover, by having Rubio’s back after the game, Sexton made it clear that he’s ready to emerge as a leader on this team. An anonymous scout recently ripped Sexton for allegedly having bad relationships with his teammates, but Sexton seems to be proving that scout wrong.
The Cavs will be back in action on Saturday for a meeting with the Atlanta Hawks. Cleveland is looking to grab its first win of the season.
