<
        >

          Cavs won't use coach Tyronn Lue's illness as excuse for loss

          play
          Drew says Lue looked better at halftime (0:19)

          Larry Drew, who filled in for Tyronn Lue after he went to the locker room, says the Cavaliers head coach looked better when he saw him but still was not ready to return to the bench. (0:19)

          • Dave McMenamin, ESPN Staff WriterFeb 6, 2018, 08:39 PM ET
            Close
            • Lakers and NBA reporter for ESPN.
            • Covered the Lakers and NBA for ESPNLosAngeles.com from 2009-14, the Cavaliers from 2014-18 for ESPN.com and the NBA for NBA.com from 2005-09.
            Follow on X

          ORLANDO, Fla. -- Cleveland Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue left Tuesday's 116-98 loss to the Magic early with an illness and didn't return.

          Lue retreated to the locker room during a timeout with 8:02 remaining in the second quarter, accompanied by team trainer Steve Spiro and security personnel.

          The Cavaliers were outscored 65-31 in the second half with Lue in the locker room.

          "[Lue] being out is an excuse, and I've been around too long to make excuses like that," Dwayne Wade said of the Cavs' poor second half. "We're the ones playing, and we just got our [butts] whipped. Plain and simple as that. We got our [butts] whipped."

          LeBron James said the struggling Cavaliers have to keep pushing through adversity, saying losing Lue was a lot like losing a player to injury or illness.

          "He's definitely the captain of our ship, so it's definitely a tough blow for us," James said of Lue. "But we have to have an opportunity to step up. We played some good ball for a short amount of time but couldn't sustain it while he was absent."

          Associate head coach Larry Drew coached the Cavs for the remainder of the game.

          "[Lue] said he wasn't feeling well and was going to go back [to the locker room] for a second and he would be back," Drew said. "We went in at halftime and checked on him, and he seemed to be doing a little better, but I guess he just wasn't feeling well enough to come back for the second half."

          Lue also missed a game Dec. 21 against the Chicago Bulls with an undisclosed illness, needing to stay in the locker room after already arriving at the arena and going through his pregame media duties because he was not feeling well.

          Over the weekend, ESPN cited an anonymous Cavs official in a report that stated Lue's job is not in jeopardy despite the Cavs having lost 12 of their past 18 games since Christmas Day.

          "That's not my focus," Lue said when asked about the endorsement on Monday. "My focus is to try to get the guys to win and playing better. That's my focus, and after that, whatever happens happens."

          Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.