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Riding high on a four-game win streak the Cavs touch down in the Big Easy for a rematch with the Pelicans, who they defeated in Cleveland on Jan. 16 by a 113-103 score. The Pelicans were missing two of their three stars in Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram that night. Zion is still out but Ingram is back. Dean Wade missed the first game but is back for the Cavs.
Neither Darius Garland nor Donovan Mitchell is listed on any injury reports I’ve seen, so I assume they will be back in the lineup tonight. cleveland.com is reporting that Rubio will be rested, but the Cavs did not play last night so I’m skeptical about that. They play tomorrow so maybe they've elected to have him play against the Bulls and sit out this one instead of vice versa.
This game will be on ESPN and starts at 10:00 p.m. Eastern (9:00 p.m. in New Orleans). ESPN needs it to start at 10 because they are televising the Celtics/Hornets game at 7:30. The Hornets are 15-41 and they’re playing in Boston. Sounds like a game nobody will want to miss.
That screws the Cavs over because they play at home against Chicago tomorrow night and with a 10 p.m. start this game won’t be over until after midnight Eastern time. They probably get into Cleveland about 5 a.m. The Bulls, of course, are off tonight. Thanks, ESPN and NBA.
The Pelis are 29-27 overall and 20-9 at home. The Cavs are still underwater on the road but have improved lately, winning three of their last four away games. They've been throwing the first punch, getting out to a lead, and maintaining the intensity.
Zion, battling injuries as usual, has played in 29 of the Pelicans’ 56 games this year. They are 17-12 with him and 12-15 without him. Ingram missed two months and returned on Jan. 25. They lost the first four games he was back but have won the last two with Ingram scoring 35 and 30 points. The Pelis have won three in a row, all at home, and have had two days off. Even without Zion they should be tough to beat with Ingram back and fully up to speed.
In addition, the Pelicans just added wing Josh Richardson from the Spurs at the trade deadline. Richardson scored 24 points in 27 minutes against the Cavs in the Spurs 112-111 win in December.
The Pelis actually led the Cavs after three quarters in Cleveland but the Cavs dominated the 4th by a 35-22 score to put it away. Garland and Allen led the way with 30 and 24 points. Mitchell clearly was not 100% (11 points) and the bench only contributed 19 points, but the Cavs turned it on when they needed to.
Ingram averages 22/5/5 on 46% from the field. CJ McCollum has a line of 21/4/6 and is hitting a solid 39% from deep. Jonas Valanciunas averages 15 points and 10 boards while shooting guard Trey Murphy averages 13 points on 49% and 40%. SF Herbert Jones averages 10 points. Former Cav Larry Nance Jr is shooting 62% and averages 8 points and 6 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.
At home the Pelicans are averaging 116 points per game, good for 14th. They hit 37.3% of their 3’s. In terms of offensive efficiency they rank 16th so they are an average offensive team. Without Zion, who is their leading scorer at 26 ppg, they are probably a little below average, although adding Richardson should help.
The Cavs held them to 103 points in Cleveland but playing at home and with the additions of Ingram and Richardson I expect they’re score at least 110.
The Pelicans are 4th in the NBA in percentage of shots at the rim and 27th in percentage of 3-point attempts, so they are all about the inside game, which should be good for the Cavs since they have elite rim defenders. The Pelis are 5th in points in the paint, although with Zion out they may rank somewhat lower as he takes 75% of his shots at the rim. Ingram takes 58% of his shots in the mid-range which puts him in the top 1% in the league in that category among wings.
Actually with Ingram back, the addition of Richardson, and with Zion out I expect the Pelicans' offense will be much more balanced with more outside shooting.
The Pelicans are 4th in second chance points per missed shot so a big key for the Cavs is to prevent put-backs. With Zion out that will be easier. Vala is their best offensive rebounder, ranking in the 84th percentile among bigs. In the Cavs’ win last month they had the Pelicans to only 3 offensive rebounds - an impressive performance against a team that averages 11. They’ll need something similar tonight.
In terms of defensive efficiency the Pelts rank 8th, but only 19th over the last two weeks. The Pelicans rank 1st in opponents’ 3-point percentage (34.2%) and 26th in opponents’ 2-point percentage so it’s clear the Cavs should get into the paint and attack the rim. The Pelicans are the worst team in the Association at rim protection as opponents’ are shooting just under 72% in the restricted area.
In the first game Allen and Mobley were a combined 17-for-22. The Cavs should go to those two as much as possible and avoid 3’s unless they are uncontested. The Cavs shot 33 free throws in the first game, making 26, which was probably a season high. Attack the rim, score in the paint, and draw fouls is the formula to beat the Pelis.
The Pelis are below average in shot blocking, but they excel in steals, ranking 3rd, and defensive rebounding percentage, ranking 6th so it’s about protecting the ball, getting into the paint, and making your first shot. This should be favorable for the Cavs with Mobley and Allen scoring inside while Mitchell and Garland get dribble penetration for layups and lobs.
With Ingram back this will be a tough game against a team that is 3-0 at home over the last week. The Pelis have good shooters in Ingram, McCollum, Murphy, and Richardson and a lot of length in Ingram, Nance, and Murphy (6’8”), Jones and Naji Marshall (6’7”), Vala and Hernangomez (6’11”), and Jaxson Hayes (7’0”). No wonder they’re great at contesting 3’s. The Cavs need Garland and Mitchell to get consistent blow-bys against their taller wings and dish off in the paint for dunks. Garland had 11 assists in addition to his 30 points in the first game, hitting 5-for-10 from deep. In his last three games Darius is 13-for-21 (62%) on 3’s so hopefully he can knock down a few more tonight.
Neither Darius Garland nor Donovan Mitchell is listed on any injury reports I’ve seen, so I assume they will be back in the lineup tonight. cleveland.com is reporting that Rubio will be rested, but the Cavs did not play last night so I’m skeptical about that. They play tomorrow so maybe they've elected to have him play against the Bulls and sit out this one instead of vice versa.
This game will be on ESPN and starts at 10:00 p.m. Eastern (9:00 p.m. in New Orleans). ESPN needs it to start at 10 because they are televising the Celtics/Hornets game at 7:30. The Hornets are 15-41 and they’re playing in Boston. Sounds like a game nobody will want to miss.
That screws the Cavs over because they play at home against Chicago tomorrow night and with a 10 p.m. start this game won’t be over until after midnight Eastern time. They probably get into Cleveland about 5 a.m. The Bulls, of course, are off tonight. Thanks, ESPN and NBA.
The Pelis are 29-27 overall and 20-9 at home. The Cavs are still underwater on the road but have improved lately, winning three of their last four away games. They've been throwing the first punch, getting out to a lead, and maintaining the intensity.
Zion, battling injuries as usual, has played in 29 of the Pelicans’ 56 games this year. They are 17-12 with him and 12-15 without him. Ingram missed two months and returned on Jan. 25. They lost the first four games he was back but have won the last two with Ingram scoring 35 and 30 points. The Pelis have won three in a row, all at home, and have had two days off. Even without Zion they should be tough to beat with Ingram back and fully up to speed.
In addition, the Pelicans just added wing Josh Richardson from the Spurs at the trade deadline. Richardson scored 24 points in 27 minutes against the Cavs in the Spurs 112-111 win in December.
The Pelis actually led the Cavs after three quarters in Cleveland but the Cavs dominated the 4th by a 35-22 score to put it away. Garland and Allen led the way with 30 and 24 points. Mitchell clearly was not 100% (11 points) and the bench only contributed 19 points, but the Cavs turned it on when they needed to.
Ingram averages 22/5/5 on 46% from the field. CJ McCollum has a line of 21/4/6 and is hitting a solid 39% from deep. Jonas Valanciunas averages 15 points and 10 boards while shooting guard Trey Murphy averages 13 points on 49% and 40%. SF Herbert Jones averages 10 points. Former Cav Larry Nance Jr is shooting 62% and averages 8 points and 6 rebounds in 23 minutes off the bench.
At home the Pelicans are averaging 116 points per game, good for 14th. They hit 37.3% of their 3’s. In terms of offensive efficiency they rank 16th so they are an average offensive team. Without Zion, who is their leading scorer at 26 ppg, they are probably a little below average, although adding Richardson should help.
The Cavs held them to 103 points in Cleveland but playing at home and with the additions of Ingram and Richardson I expect they’re score at least 110.
The Pelicans are 4th in the NBA in percentage of shots at the rim and 27th in percentage of 3-point attempts, so they are all about the inside game, which should be good for the Cavs since they have elite rim defenders. The Pelis are 5th in points in the paint, although with Zion out they may rank somewhat lower as he takes 75% of his shots at the rim. Ingram takes 58% of his shots in the mid-range which puts him in the top 1% in the league in that category among wings.
Actually with Ingram back, the addition of Richardson, and with Zion out I expect the Pelicans' offense will be much more balanced with more outside shooting.
The Pelicans are 4th in second chance points per missed shot so a big key for the Cavs is to prevent put-backs. With Zion out that will be easier. Vala is their best offensive rebounder, ranking in the 84th percentile among bigs. In the Cavs’ win last month they had the Pelicans to only 3 offensive rebounds - an impressive performance against a team that averages 11. They’ll need something similar tonight.
In terms of defensive efficiency the Pelts rank 8th, but only 19th over the last two weeks. The Pelicans rank 1st in opponents’ 3-point percentage (34.2%) and 26th in opponents’ 2-point percentage so it’s clear the Cavs should get into the paint and attack the rim. The Pelicans are the worst team in the Association at rim protection as opponents’ are shooting just under 72% in the restricted area.
In the first game Allen and Mobley were a combined 17-for-22. The Cavs should go to those two as much as possible and avoid 3’s unless they are uncontested. The Cavs shot 33 free throws in the first game, making 26, which was probably a season high. Attack the rim, score in the paint, and draw fouls is the formula to beat the Pelis.
The Pelis are below average in shot blocking, but they excel in steals, ranking 3rd, and defensive rebounding percentage, ranking 6th so it’s about protecting the ball, getting into the paint, and making your first shot. This should be favorable for the Cavs with Mobley and Allen scoring inside while Mitchell and Garland get dribble penetration for layups and lobs.
With Ingram back this will be a tough game against a team that is 3-0 at home over the last week. The Pelis have good shooters in Ingram, McCollum, Murphy, and Richardson and a lot of length in Ingram, Nance, and Murphy (6’8”), Jones and Naji Marshall (6’7”), Vala and Hernangomez (6’11”), and Jaxson Hayes (7’0”). No wonder they’re great at contesting 3’s. The Cavs need Garland and Mitchell to get consistent blow-bys against their taller wings and dish off in the paint for dunks. Garland had 11 assists in addition to his 30 points in the first game, hitting 5-for-10 from deep. In his last three games Darius is 13-for-21 (62%) on 3’s so hopefully he can knock down a few more tonight.
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