Category Archives: Game Previews

Cavaliers return to action vs. Pelicans

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The Cleveland Cavaliers return to action after the All-Star break and will head to New Orleans to take on the Pelicans.

are in Entering the break at 14-22, the Cleveland Cavaliers are 13th in the Eastern Conference and have an extreme outside chance of playing beyond the regular season. Their quest to get into the playoffs in a post-LeBron era continues Friday as they take on the 15-22 New Orleans Pelicans.

The records of both teams indicate that neither are particularly good, but they have shown the ability to compete with some of the better teams in the league. Zion Williamson (25.5) and Brandon Ingram (23.6) are the Pelicans’ leading scorers. Lonzo Ball is the leading assist man for New Orleans with 5.1 per game while Ingram is second on the list with 4.8.

Cleveland will have a tough task Friday slowing this team down because stopping them is impossible. Add in the fact that the Cavaliers are scoring about 11 less points per game, the offense could have a tough time keeping up with New Orleans.

If the Cavaliers are going to come out of the break with a win, they will need to lean on their key three players. As long as Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen play up to expectations, they have a chance against most teams.

Cavaliers forward Larry Nance Jr. is expected to return Friday and that could also play a huge factor into the final result of this game.

The game is scheduled to start at 8:00 P.M.

Cavaliers host Pacers in search of fifth straight win

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have a chance to enter the All-Star break on a five-game win streak if they are able to defeat the Indiana Pacers.

Wouldn’t this be quite the turn of events considering where the Cleveland Cavaliers were just a few games ago. The team was on a lengthy losing streak and the team was sort of circling the drain. Monday’s 101-90 win over the Houston Rockets has Cleveland’s win streak at four and now they have a chance to go into the All-Star break with a five-game winning streak. That would be if the Cavs are able to defeat the Indiana Pacers at home Monday.

Indiana comes in on a four-game losing streak and have lost five of their last six. In fact, the Pacers are 4-11 in their past 15 games, a trend that is not essentially all that inspiring. Perhaps this trend could continue to the benefit of the Cavaliers. The Pacers have two players who are injured who could play Wednesday, Doug McDermott and Jeremy Lamb. Lamb is likely to play while McDermott is listed as questionable. This is in addition to Caris LeVert and T.J. Warren being out.

Meanwhile the Cavaliers injury situation is pretty much unchanged. Taurean Prince is day-to-day and could play Wednesday, although they could wait until after the All-Star break in an attempt to prevent any further injury. Kevin Love, Larry Nance Jr., and Matthew Dellavedova remain out. Andre Drummond is also out, but that is because the team is trying to trade him and not due to injury.

For the Cavaliers to come out victorious Wednesday they will need their three key players to step up. Those players being Collin Sexton, Darius Garland, and Jarrett Allen. When those three are right, the Cavs usually end up winning or are at least competitive. If that happens there is a good chance their win streak will run to five at the All-Star break.

Cavaliers looking for fourth straight win in Houston

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The Cleveland Cavaliers have a chance to win their fourth consecutive game Monday as they take on the Rockets in Houston.

It was just a few days ago the Cleveland Cavaliers defeated the Houston Rockets 112-96 at home. Now Cleveland is facing Houston again, but this time it will be on the road.

The last time the two teams met the Rockets were on an eight game losing streak, a streak that has since been stretched to 11. Meanwhile the Cavaliers snapped their losing streak the night before after defeating the Atlanta Hawks 112-111.Cleveland’s winning streak is now up to three games and they have a chance to run it to four if they come away with a victory Monday.

The Cavs will still be without Kevin Love as it is unlikely he returns prior to the All-Star break. Matthew Dellavedova, Larry Nance Jr., and Andre Drummond will also not play while Cedi Osman is questionable with a back injury. This time Houston will be a bit more healthy as the only two players listed as out for the Rockets are Dante Exum and Christian Wood.

No matter which team wins a streak will continue and another will end. The question is which is more likely to continue, the Cavaliers winning streak or the Rockets losing streak. Considering the length of Houston’s, it seems like it will end sooner rather than later.

Cavaliers host Houston Rockets Wednesday

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to win their second straight game after ending their 10-game losing streak.

Can the words consecutive wins and Cleveland Cavaliers be used in the same sentence? Yes they can as there is a possibility that the Cavs turn one win into a winning streak Wednesday as they take on the Houston Rockets.

Cleveland came away with a narrow one-point win Tuesday which ended a 10-game losing streak which saw some of the worst basketball the team has played in quite some time. Houston is currently on a long losing streak of their own, losing their last eight games. The Rockets have their fare share of injures they are dealing with which has led to their unimpressive 11-18 record. Houston currently has P.J. Tucker, Eric Gordon, Victor Oladipo, Christian Wood, and Dante Exum on their injured list.

The Cavaliers have their fair share of injuries as well with Larry Nance Jr., Matthew Dellavedova, Kevin Love, and Tauren Prince listed as injured. This is in addition to essentially exiling Andre Drummond until a trade is found. A combination of injuries, Drummond, and poor play has led to Cleveland’s 11-21 record.

Neither team has been impressive lately and a case can be made for each team to come away with a win. If Houston wins it would end an eight game losing streak. If Cleveland ends up victorious it would be their first time winning consecutive games in a month.

Tipoff between the Cavaliers and Rockets is scheduled for 7:30 P.M.

Cavaliers look to snap four-game losing streak

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The road trip continues for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they look to snap their current four-game losing streak in Denver.

It was a close game last time out for the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they were not able to come away with a win against the Phoenix Suns. The now 10-15 Cavs will take on the 12-11 Denver Nuggets as they look to snap their four-game losing streak. The Nuggets are on a losing streak of their own with three straight losses and losing four of their previous five .While this does seem similar to the Cavs, the Nuggets won the previous five games prior to this stretch. Cleveland is currently 2-8 in the last 10 games as their slide continues to get worse.

There is one player to instantly talk about when it comes to the Nuggets, Nikola Jokic. Jokic is Denver’s leader in points (27.5), rebounds (11.5), assists (8.5), steals (1.6), and blocks (0.7) per game. If the Cavaliers are going to have any chance in this game they will need to slow down Jokic, as stopping him simply will not happen.

Cleveland does have a combination that could give Jokic some problems. In the absence of Larry Nance Jr., the Cavs will be deploying both Andre Drummond and Jarrett Allen in the starting lineup.

As far as other players go Jamal Murray will also provide problems for Cleveland. Murray is averaging 18.6 points, 4.4 assists, and 3.9 rebounds per game. Like Jokic, Murray is more than capable of leading the team to victory and the Cavaliers must be prepared for that.

Cavaliers begin road trip in Phoenix

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The Cleveland Cavaliers begin a five-game road trip against the Phoenix Suns.

It was not a great outing for the Cleveland Cavaliers Saturday as they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks at home, but they will be looking to change their fortunes as they head out on the road to take on the Phoenix Suns. It will be a matchup of two teams heading in opposite directions as the Cavs are 3-7 in their past 10 games and the Suns are 6-4.

Cleveland has a negative scoring differential on the season at -6.4 while Phoenix sits at 2.6. The surprising Suns are led by Chris Paul, Devin Booker, Deandre Ayton, and Mikal Bridges. Booker leads the Suns in scoring with 22.8 points per game while Paul, Bridges, and Ayton average 16.4, 14.1, and 14 respectively. Paul is far and away the assist leader for Phoenix as he averages 8.2 per game. Ayton is the leading rebounder with 12.7, including 3.7 offensive boards per game.

The Cavaliers are going to have to hope everything comes together just right as it will be a tough contest from start to finish. Larry Nance Jr.’s absence will only make things a bit more difficult as he will be out for up to six weeks. This will result in Taurean Prince and Cedi Osman playing more prominent roles for Cleveland. Prince has been playing better than expected while Osman continue this mixed bag performances.

Cleveland will need to lean on Collin Sexton and Darius Garland to make their offense work. If SexLand can get going it can make things a bit easier for everyone else. Things become open for players which should give them a good chance to score. If not, a third straight double-digit loss could be in their future.

The game is scheduled to begin at 9:00 P.M.

Cavaliers have shot at redemption vs. Bucks

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After a not all that surprising loss to the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday, the Cleveland Cavaliers have a shot at redemption Saturday night.

When an individual or team ends up losing to another individual or team the first thought that crosses their mind is usually something along the lines of wanting another shot or redemption. Under normal circumstances the chance for redemption does not usually present itself this quickly in the NBA. Due to scheduling that is mindful of COVID-19, there are many built-in back-to-backs in the schedule. Saturday night the Cleveland Cavaliers have another shot at taking down the Milwaukee Bucks after their loss Friday night.

The Cavaliers have faced the Bucks twice so far this season and have lost both times. It was a 100-90 loss to Giannis-less Bucks team in January and a 123-105 loss Friday. The Cavalier were without Darius Garland and Collin Sexton in their first game and Larry Nance Jr. in their most recent matchup. None of the missing Cavs have the same impact as the Bucks missing Giannis, but the games could have been a little bit closer at full strength.

If the Cavaliers want a shot at ending their two-game losing streak everything is going to have to be perfect. Even then it may not be enough to take down a vastly superior Bucks squad. All it will take is Giannis going on a run and the game is pretty much over. While the Cavs have a shot at redemption, it doesn’t seem likely they will get the outcome they’re looking for.

The Cavs host the Bucks at home Saturday at 8:00 P.M.

Cavaliers to take on division leading Bucks

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The Cleveland Cavaliers (10-12) will play host to the Central Division leading Milwaukee Bucks (13-8).

Last time out it was not great for the Cleveland Cavaliers as they lost 121-99 to the Los Angeles Clippers. A major concern came out of that game and that was the disparity between the three-point shooting of the Cavs and Clippers. Things will not get any easier in that department as the Milwaukee is near the top in three-point attempts, makes, and conversion percentage.

Milwaukee gives up 3.5 points more per contest than the Cavaliers, but scores 17.3 more than Cleveland. This is not to say that defense doesn’t matter, just that it matters less for the Bucks. The Cavs have a much smaller margin for error and that has been apparent all season.

The Bucks are 3-2 in the last five games, averaging 123.8 points per game and giving up 116.8, pretty much on par for their season totals. Meanwhile, the Cavaliers are 2-3 over that same timeframe and are averaging 101.2 points per game and give up 107.4, also pretty close to their average on the year.

What it will come down to is how much they can slow down Giannis Antetokounmpo, that is if they can slow him down. Giannis leads the Bucks in PPG (27), RPG (11.1), and APG (5.9). Jrue Holiday leads Milwaukee in steals with 2 per game and Brook Lopez is their blocks leader with 1.5 .

The stars will just have to align for the Cavaliers in order to come out victorious Friday. Milwaukee is clearly the better team, but this Cavs team has shown they can beat some of the better teams in the league this season.

Cavaliers to play host to Clippers

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The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Los Angeles Clippers.

There is a possibility that the Cleveland Cavaliers can get back to .500 on the season, but the Los Angeles Clippers stand in their way. The Clippers are a team with a ton of talent, yet sometimes the chemistry just doesn’t seem to be there. Cleveland will have a solid chance to come out on the right side things considering Los Angeles will be on the back end of a back-to-back.

Cleveland will be without the services of Larry Nance Jr. and Andre Drummond remains questionable for the matchup.

This is the second straight missed game for Nance and would be the same for Drummond if he is unable to go.

The two players to key in on for the Clippers are Kawhi Leonard and Paul George. Leonard and George are going to give the Cavaliers problems from start to finish and they will have to do their best to weather the storm. Leonard averages more than 25 points per game with 5 assists and rebounds with just under 2 steal per game. George averages almost 24 points per game with a little bit more than 6 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 steal per game.

There are two other players who average 10 or more points per game for Los Angeles, Serge Ibaka and Marcus Morris. Morris comes off the bench and is the leading scorer for their second unit while Ibaka is in the starting lineup.

The Clippers are one of the better offensive teams in the NBA while the Cavaliers are on the opposite side of the spectrum. Cleveland has had moments where their offense appears to better than what they actually are, but in the end they usually revert back to their true form.

While the possibility does exist that Cleveland can win their second straight game, it is going to be a difficult task. Perhaps everything can align correctly for one night and the Cavaliers end up with an upset win.

Cavaliers look for better outcome against T’Wolves

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking for a different outcome as they take on the Minnesota Timberwolves for the second time in as many nights.

Dwelling on Sunday night’s loss is not something that can be done for very due to the fact the Cavaliers host the Timberwolves Monday night. Cleveland will be looking for a much different result as they can avenge their loss from the night before.

There are two clear areas that the Cavs can focus on coming into Monday night, three-pointers and turnovers. Minnesota made four times as many shots from deep (16-4) than Cleveland and turned the ball over nearly half as much (10-19). Closing the gaps in these areas, if not being on the winning end of both of those statistics.

As far as how these teams have performed this season, both give up more points per game than they score and that is part of the reason both have losing records. The Cavaliers score 104.2 and give up 108.7 and the Timberwolves score and give up 106.7 and 116.4 respectively. It seems like Minnesota slightly outperformed their performance in the three-point shooting department Sunday as they average 11.1 makes on 34.1% shooting. It is more than possible that the Timberwolves revert back in this area and that could play into Cleveland’s favor. The Cavs could also see an increase on their end back to their 9.5 three-pointers made and 35.7% shooting.

All in all the Cavaliers just need to have a bounce back performance on both ends of the court. The offense needs to be a little more efficient while the defense needs to make things difficult for Minnesota. This is a scenario that is more than possible and would get the Cavs one game closer to .500 on the year.