Dwyane Wade Says Cavaliers Have Had 'Slippage' After Losing 2nd Straight Game

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Dwyane Wade suggested after Wednesday's 109-95 loss to the Sacramento Kings the team has slipped up.

He told ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin: "Sometimes, when you're winning as much as you're winning, you have slippage. We've had some slippage, and we've got to figure out a way to nip it in the bud before it becomes: 'We in a rut, and we've got to get ourselves back out of it.'"

The Cavaliers also fell to the Golden State Warriors 99-92 on Christmas Day. They sit at 24-11 on the season.

Cleveland struggled mightily against a then-11-22 Kings team, allowing 40-year-old Vince Carter to score 24 points off the bench.

The Cavs had just 32 bench points, which Wade believes is a product of the changing dynamic with players returning from injury:

"We're out of rhythm. We had a flow going, we had a rhythm going, but then things changed a little bit. You trying to bring new guys back. Tristan [Thompson] came back, and then the lineup was different. And you try to figure out your game. That's the part of it when you have guys who you know that was out, and then they come back in. So we out of sorts a little bit, we out of rhythm, and we got to find it back. We will."

Another significant player could be on the verge of returning; guard Isaiah Thomas is expected to scrimmage with the team for the first time Friday, per McMenamin.

Even with two consecutive losses, the Cavs are just 2.5 games behind the Boston Celtics for first place in the Eastern Conference. Boston is in the midst of a mini-slump of its own, going 5-5 over its past 10. Meanwhile, the second-place Toronto Raptors have lost two in a row as well after winning 12 of their previous 13.

The Cavs aren't far removed from a hot streak, either; they won 19 of their previous 21 games prior to their two-game slide. Cleveland will have an opportunity to get back on track Saturday when it completes its road trip at Utah.