SAN ANTONIO -- LeBron James used to say that experience was the greatest teacher. That belief has now been adopted by the Cavaliers’ leaders -- holdovers from the James era who have accepted a more vocal role during this rebuild.

Experience -- or a lack thereof -- proved to be the difference between the Cavs and Spurs Thursday night. Especially in the closing moments.

“We had some mental lapses toward the end of the game,” Larry Nance Jr. said. “Defensive lapses. ATOs (After Timeout plays). Coach drew up a play and (players) forgot the play so just some mental errors. Things that you look back on and they make you realize that we could have -- maybe should have -- won this game.”

After taking a two-point lead with 5:13 remaining, Cedi Osman canning another clutch 3-pointer off Collin Sexton’s third assist, Cleveland was outscored 14-6 the rest of the way. The Cavs went 3-of-13 and committed a pair of costly turnovers. Consider that another lesson on what not to do in a hostile environment that was even more revved up because of Manu Ginobili’s postgame jersey retirement.

“We keep preaching experience,” Nance said. “Have some guys on the team who haven’t been in these situations before so it’s all something that you learn from and hopefully the next time you see it, you improve upon it.”

Starting March 6 in Brooklyn, the Cavs have played in five games decided by two possessions or less over the last three weeks. They are just 1-4. The one win came against short-handed Milwaukee, when both Sexton and Osman delivered in crunch time, but the Bucks desperately missed MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo.

As Thursday proved, the Cavs still don’t have all the answers. They shouldn’t be expected to with a young, inexperienced roster. During the fourth quarter, Sexton was held scoreless, missing all five shots. Osman went 2-of-5. Jordan Clarkson, who has been a reliable fourth-quarter scorer at times this season, went just 1-of-2. Kevin Love took a pair of shots, both of which came in the final two minutes.

After the 116-110 loss, head coach Larry Drew praised San Antonio’s defensive approach.

“We did (try to go to Love). But they defended it well so we took the other option,” Drew said. “We got some good shots, but down the stretch, when we needed to execute, we just didn’t make the plays.”

At one point late in the game, Drew designed a play for Love during a timeout. It didn’t go as planned -- one of those lapses Nance pinpointed.

“We ran to the wrong spot and we did not execute,” Drew said. “Forced us to take a tough, ill-advised shot.”

So much of this season is about learning. As Drew said recently, this is not the same team from the beginning of the year. This is a group filled with hope, one that believes a promising future lies ahead. That’s a positive sign.

But every now and again, Cleveland’s youth shows. The Cavs aren’t the Spurs. San Antonio’s knowledge and chemistry were both on display in late-game execution. The Spurs are in line for another playoff appearance while the Cavs are hoping for some good lottery fortune. The Spurs have an established winning culture. The Cavs are trying to rebuild theirs.

Cleveland doesn’t back down from anyone. Despite a lousy record, the roster has been competitive against some of the best, earning the respect of numerous opposing coaching staffs. But winning is habitual. It takes time to get there, sometimes needing to learn from the failures first.

All-Star DeMar DeRozan led the way for San Antonio, scoring four points and dishing out three assists in the fourth quarter. Veterans Rudy Gay, Marco Belinelli and Patty Mills hit big shots. Meanwhile, with Love neutralized -- both by the Spurs and occasionally his own teammates -- the Cavs were relying on rookie Sexton, second-year man Osman, and a pair of 26-year-olds (Nance and Clarkson) who don’t have much experience in winning environments.

“For all of our young guys, it’s important that they do learn in these situations, particularly going down the stretch against a good team,” Drew said. ”(Collin), Cedi and Larry, they are our future players and guys that need to understand and need to be a part of these situations to learn from it. Hopefully we can be in more of these types of situations where they can learn.”

Thursday’s loss drops the Cavs to 19-57. Thirteen wins have come at home. No team has fewer road wins. That setting provides a different test. It’s one the Cavs haven’t yet figured out. That’s the next step.