Cedi Osman scored 27 points in the loss against the Portland Trail Blazers. (Gus Chan, The Plain Dealer)

CLEVELAND, Ohio -- The Cleveland Cavaliers had their two-game winning streak snapped on Monday night, unable to complete a second-half rally against the Portland Trail Blazers in a 123-110 loss.

Here are five observations.

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Kevin Love plan

Despite a third-quarter surge that saw the feisty Cavs trim a one-time 23-point Blazers lead to just four heading into the fourth quarter, head coach Larry Drew resisted the temptation of going to Kevin Love to open the final frame -- the strategy used during Saturday’s win against the Memphis Grizzlies.

This time, Drew staggered Love, saving him for the final push.

With 7:41 remaining, Drew signaled for his All-Star. The Cavs were trailing by seven.

“That will be the plan moving forward," Drew said following the 123-110 loss. "He will be able to play down the stretch in the fourth quarter. He may be minus some minutes in between those quarters, but want to make sure we get him to the closing moments where he’s able to be out on the floor.”

Love couldn’t put his imprint on this one. He scored just four of his 18 points in the fourth quarter, shooting 1-of-5 from the field and 1-of-3 from 3-point range. In all, Love logged 28 minutes, the most since his return from foot surgery on Feb. 8. The other night against Memphis, Love played 26 minutes, about two more than what the Cavs had planned.

So what should be expected in upcoming games?

“He’s on a minute restriction, so as far as juggling his minutes it’s whatever the flow of the game is,” Drew said. “We may be in a rhythm where we are going through him and he’s making plays or making shots, but when it’s time for him to come out of the game he has to come out of the game. That could disrupt our flow and rhythm but right now because he is on a minutes restriction that’s the game we have to play."

Drew said somewhere between 25 and 30 minutes is the proper range.

That kind of limit can make it tough for players to find a rhythm. Love doesn’t think that’s the case. He felt good against the Blazers. Just missed some shots. His wind is getting better as he fights through the fatigue to stay on the court -- even when his shot is not falling.

“Just by spacing the floor, the other team has to react to that,” Love said. “Being able to play inside out, being able to pass the ball. I think all of us have been jelling in practice, and the more time out there together the better we’re going to get.”

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Cedi Osman's growing confidence

Osman knew the importance of this season. At the start of training camp, he could recognize the enormous opportunity coming his way. He was going to be a full-time starter for the first time in his NBA career, playing in LeBron James’ old spot. During the summer, he invited player development coach Mike Gerrity to Istanbul, Turkey for about a week. The two went to work.

Ball-handling. Outside shots. Mid-rangers. They worked on catch-and-shoot jumpers and on-the-move tries. They also worked through how best to navigate pick-and-rolls.

One of the hardest-working guys on the team, it’s starting to show.

“Work and reps. It’s a really important year for me. It just pays off right now. I know that I have a lot of room to improve and that’s one thing I’m excited about.”

Yes, there’s plenty of room for improvement. Heck, in the first quarter, Osman didn’t register a single stat in eight minutes. His outside shot can get better, as he’s hitting 34.5 percent of his long-range bombs. His playmaking can be boosted, averaging 2.3 assists against 1.6 miscues.

But for a player who averaged 3.9 points in 11.0 minutes, lost the trust of the coaching staff late in the season and wasn't part of the postseason rotation, Osman has made a big leap. His teammates have noticed.

“He’s been doing really well,” Jordan Clarkson said. “He’s really slowed down a lot in terms of him getting into the paint, making finishes as well as having the confidence shooting 3. Somebody leaves him some space, he’s going to fire it up. He’s done a good job since the All-Star break, even before he got hurt you could see his game start to fall into place. He’s definitely getting better and it’s good to see that.”

So impressed with Osman's improved handle, especially in transition, Clarkson thought the surging sophomore did extra ball-handling work during All-Star break, allowing him to bust out a few new tricks.

That wasn't the case. After playing in the Rising Stars Challenge, Osman rested. He enjoyed the break. He earned that time off.

After going scoreless in the first quarter Monday night, Osman finished with a team-high 27 points on 10-of-16 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. He added seven rebounds and three assists. Fourteen points came in the second half, as the Cavs rallied, getting as close as three before fizzling in the final few minutes.

“I thought Cedi really played exceptional,” Love said. “I told him he’s free flowing, either he’s playing downhill, he has his shot, or he gets off the ball and gets it back -- that’s really helping us, you know, movement and having constant flow.”

Osman has tallied double figures in nine straight games, the longest streak of his career. During that stretch, Osman is averaging 16.0 points on 55.4 percent from the field and 52.0 percent beyond the arc.

“I’m feeling much more comfortable,” Osman said. “I’ve learned how the games go right now. It was always a learning process for myself and right now I’m feeling really comfortable.

“I know that we’re in a good way, we just have to be patient, everybody, and we’ll be a good team.”

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Jordan Clarkson describes his on-court chemistry with Larry Nance Jr.#CavsBlazers | #BeTheFight pic.twitter.com/gZZ615klgK — FOX Sports Ohio (@FOXSportsOH) February 26, 2019

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Clarkson-Nance chemistry

Cleveland’s starters scored two points during an awful first quarter. Yes, that’s right, two.

Luckily for the Cavs, the bench provided a spark. Clarkson popped off the bench for nine quick points. Larry Nance Jr. brought his usual energy and playmaking. Matthew Dellavedova got the ball popping, dishing out four assists in the period after checking in at the 7:03 mark.

“It was tough but we were resilient in coming back from such a large deficit,” Love said of the bench impact. “We dug ourselves a hole early in the game, so that’s on the starters. Our second unit came back in and really fought to get us back.”

Clarkson finished with 19 points, his most since the All-Star break. Nance tallied 10 points, five assists and five rebounds in 28 minutes.

That tandem has become quite effective. Of Cavaliers duos with more than 300 total minutes together, the Clarkson-Nance combo has the fifth-best net rating on the team.

“I’ve played with Larry for what, four years, five years now? We’ve kind of got this thing going,” Clarkson said, adding a joke. “It’s kind of the girlfriend that you want to get away from that keeps coming back.

"Naw, I love playing with Larry. We get to our spots. He knows what I’m trying to do and I know what he’s trying to do. I know he’s going to roll, he’s going to try to make plays for others and crash the glass, rebounding and pushing the pace. Definitely we’ve got a good chemistry and we always kind of had it since we’ve been together in LA and now here.”

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Collin Sexton absorbs some contact from Portland's Damian Lillard. (John Kuntz, cleveland.com)

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Collin Sexton working to be great

After getting thumped in his first matchup with fellow rookie Luke Doncic a few weeks back, Collin Sexton didn’t go home. He went straight to the practice facility, putting up about 700 shots, according to a source.

Clearly unhappy with his performance -- 13 points on four of 17 shooting -- he felt the extra work was needed.

Since that clunker, Sexton has been on a bit of a heater. Over eight games, he is averaging 19.1 points on 41.1 percent from the field and 42.6 percent from beyond the arc to go with 3.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds in 35.9 minutes.

Safe to say that late-night shooting session worked -- Monday night excluded.

The Sexton work ethic tales are making the rounds. Before the All-Star break, one of his teammates told him to stay out of the gym. No one wanted Sexton to burn himself out with extra work during that needed time off.

Typically one of the first to arrive and last to leave the court, Sexton showed up more than two hours before Monday's tipoff for his pre-game workout -- a usual occurrence. The night before the draft, he called his agent to find a New York gym so he didn't miss a workout after a long day of other responsibilities.

At Alabama, head coach Avery Johnson had to call security to keep Sexton from being in the gym so much. When Sexton couldn’t get his buddies to go work out with him, he would ride his bike there.

A true gym rat, this is one of the things the Cavs like most about him. Who knows what Sexton will ultimately become. It’s too soon to make declarations either way. On Monday night, Portland’s star-studded backcourt gave him another lesson. But the Cavs are trying to build this franchise with players who want to be in Cleveland, who work hard, have the right attitude and are accountable. Those things matter. They can be controlled. If the Cavs remain a sinking ship, they will gladly go down with guys who possess those qualities.

I wrote earlier this season that the Cavs have tried to rein Sexton in, even talked to him a handful of times about how much rest and recovery are both part of the journey.

But Sexton just keeps going. He wants to be great.

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Stat of the night

The Cavs made 13 triples against the Blazers. It’s the seventh straight game with at least 10.

In part because of this recent stretch, the Cavs have risen to 24th in 3-point frequency. They are tied for 11th in 3-point percentage.