The wounded Cavaliers faced arguably they're toughest challenge of the season as the Houston Rockets traveled to Rocket Arena on Wednesday night. The venue name was fitting as Houston looked right at home throughout most of their 114-104 win over the Cavs, dominating for three out of four quarters to improve to 10-3 on the season. 

Cleveland, meanwhile, dropped to 10-6 as injuries continue to hold them back from realizing their full potential. Sam Merrill was unable to go in this game due to a hand injury, while Jaylon Tyson, Darius Garland and Max Strus all remain sidelined as well.

With so many injuries, it's still difficult to evaluate this Cavaliers team completely, but we'll try. Here's what stood out from Wednesday's loss to the Rockets. 

Donovan Under Duress

Houston executed an aggressive game plan to get the ball out of Mitchell's hands on the offensive end. Just about every time he touched it two defenders would blitz him and force a pass to someone else. It was a smart tactic by the Rockets to ensure Michell couldn't really get himself going and to force anyone else to beat them.

The results spoke for themselves, as Mitchell had just two points in the first half – tied for the fewest he's scored in a half since joining the Cavs. Cleveland also scored a season low 19 points in the first quarter and 37 points in the first half. 

Mitchell ultimately finished with 21, but it took shooting 7-of-10 from the floor and 3-of-6 from three in the fourth quarter to get there. Houston had him out of sorts for most of the night.  

Mobley on the Move

Everyone knows Kenny Atkinson is trying to get Mobley initiating the action on the offensive end more, but I think Wednesday continued to show just how great he is off ball. Because the Rockets were selling out to take away Mitchell, it was on Mobley to move and create scoring opportunities off ball.

When Mitchell and others found him cutting to the basket or outside where he could then attack on his own, he looked as comfortable as he as all season and finished with 18 points and six rebounds. 14 of his points came in the paint. 

Big Problems

The Rockets big tandem of Alperen Sengun and Steven Adams are a legitimate problem. On so many occasions in this game, Adams would tip the ball out for second chance looks. Sengun, meanwhile, is nearly impossible to defend, granted Mobley held his own against him quite a bit.

Still, they are a very physical duo and I think the concerns over the Cavs not being able to play a more physical style of basketball were valid tonight. Adams and Sengun combined for 34 points and 22 rebounds. In total, Houston out rebounded the Cavs 51-39. 

The Lonzo and Craig Show

After trailing by 17 points at the break, the wine and gold put together an incredibly gritty third quarter to scratch and claw their way back into the game. It was Lonzo Ball and Craig Porter Jr. leading the surge.

That duo combined for 13 points, as Ball knocked down two threes and scored seven points in total. They also contributed 13 of the team's 14 bench points in that stanza, which outscored Houston's bench by 12. Cleveland also found a ton of success attacking the rim during the third quarter, where they scored 14 points in the paint. 

While the Cavs scored 30 points, the Rockets mustered only 17. and they started the fourth down only four, 74-70. 

Picking Up the Slack

On an off night for Mitchell, De'Andre Hunter served as a critical offensive threat for Cleveland, in what was his best shooting night of the season. Hunter dropped a team-high 25 points, while shooting 54.5% from the floor and a red hot 62% from three. He knocked down five of eight shots from long range. If he can contribute at or around that level consistently once this team is healthy, they're going to be a wagon offensively.