Thomas Bryant’s persistent consolation prize in the loss to the Blazers

Cleveland Cavaliers a great man Thomas Bryant was one of the few bright spots for wine and gold on Wednesday night. Despite his Cavs’ narrow 122-110 loss to a very short-handed Portland Trail Blazers on the second night of back-to-back games, Bryant provided plenty of pop and battle off the bench in his best outing yet.

“We’re talking about a guy who hasn’t gotten consistent minutes,” Cavs head coach Kenny Atkinson said after the game. “I was putting in his minutes and (Wednesday), I just felt, man, we need his energy, and we just went with it. So that bodes well. You play big games; that guy played in big games. He deserved to play sooner, quite frankly. So I’m glad we went with him. I was more happy than he did on our team.

Bryant didn’t play that much, but when he did, he got physically stronger. Whether it was an intense block, a ferocious dunk or a textbook takedown, he made the most of the little time he was given. On Wednesday, he hit hard on Duop Reath’s dunk attempt and hit timely shots during the return. The big veteran was visibly excited and encouraged the crowd to start the Rocket Arena.

He scored 14 points, pulled down six boards and had two rebounds in 13 minutes.

“I’ve always tried to pride myself on giving that energy, that contagious energy to my teammates in a great way,” Bryant said. “I’m just happy that my guys let me do it for them. When I’m out there, I tell those guys I’ve got their back, and I feel like they trust me, and I feel like they know that for sure.”

Since Larry Nance Jr. sidelined with a right calf strain, Bryant will have opportunities to play more. That will help him find his rebound in extras in addition to goals, which happened against Portland with three 3-pointers in four attempts on the season.

“It gives me energy because I finally saw one come in after being in the gym for hours,” Bryant said. “I think it gives the team some confidence as well, when you have a big number that can get into the paint and also go out and hit the three.”

If it is The Cavs will turn off the cruise controlBryant’s presence can undoubtedly be part of the solution. It starts in huddles during time-outs and in the locker room.

“Just keep playing,” Bryant said of his message. “Sometimes the game won’t be perfect and sometimes there will be ups and downs, but we still have to fight. We still have to keep playing and just try to get that joy back.”

Welcomed with open arms, Bryant appreciates that the Cavs recognize its importance.

“It feels great, especially coming in with a team that had success before I got here,” Bryant said. “For me, I’m just trying to pick myself up and just try to bring some infectious energy and be as effective as I can with a team that has had so much firepower over the years. I’m just trying to find my way to help make it better.”

“It’s very optimistic there. It’s still technically early in the season. We can still figure this out. We’re on the right path. It’s never going to be perfect. We still have to continue on that path right there, an 82-game season. It’s very tough. It’s a long season. But this all builds up to the end of February, and I feel like it’s the end of March. like this is a big battle test for us.”