Jokic was suspended, and the Cavaliers ultimately failed to hold their second home court.
Despite Hansen scoring 36 points in three quarters, the Cavaliers trailed the Warriors by double digits by the end of the third quarter.
Cole started playing like a snowball, putting the Splash Brothers on at the start of the fourth quarter to force Hansen onto the court early.
With 5 minutes left on the clock in the game, and the Cavaliers still trailing by double digits, Malone preemptively substituted Hansen out.
His actions were deemed as giving up on the game, leading to some Cavaliers fans questioning him post-match.
However, Malone also provided his explanation at the post-game press conference.
The possibility of the Cavaliers catching up at that point was already minimal, and exhausting Hansen's stamina in a game they couldn't win was not a rational move.
