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Game Thread | 2020-21 Season | Game #55 | Warriors @ Cavs | April 15, 2021

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Wham with the Right Hand

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The Warriors, having played in Oklahoma City last night, arrive in Cleveland to face the Cavs, who are also flying in from Charlotte. The Dubs are 27-28 and tied for 9th place in the West, just two games away from 11th place and missing the play-in. They need every win they can get.

The Dubs are hot lately, having won four of five, but they're only 10-18 on the road. They're coming off a 147-109 win against the Tanklahoma City Tankers last night. Stef Curry led the way with 42 points, including 25 in the 3rd quarter. "I felt invincible out there", he said after the game. Curry is better than ever at age 33. In his last seven games he scored 37, 41, 32, 38, 53, and 42 points. The 53-point game came in a win over Denver three days ago. The W's are playing their third game in four nights. Curry is averaging 35 minutes a game in April and carrying the Warriors on his back.

The Cavs have a chance for some payback for the 129-98 thumping the W's administered on Feb. 15. Curry went 13-for-19 and hit seven 3's, finishing with 36 points. Draymond Green played point forward and sliced the Cavs defense up with 16 assists. The W's overwelmed the Cavs defensively as the Cavs shot 38.9% and 26.7%. It was no contest. However, the Cavs did not have Love, Prince, Delly, or Hartenstein, so we'll see if that makes a difference tonight.

James Wiseman, Eric Paschall, and Kelly Oubre are out for the W's. That group averages a combined 35.3 ppg, so it makes sense that Stef is putting up so many shots. Paschall and Oubre combined for 28 points in the first game against the Cavs. Three of tonight's starters (Green, Bazemore, and Looney) are averaging under 7 ppg, but the W's still scored 147 last night. Wiggins is averaging 18.0 and Curry 30.7.

The W's are pretty small, as usual. Looney, the center, is 6'9", 222. Wiggins is the next tallest at 6'7" and a svelte 197 pounds. Green is 6'6", Bazemore 6'4", and Curry 6'3". They rank last in offensive rebounding and 25th in defensive rebounding. If nothing else the Cavs should dominate the glass with Allen, Hartenstein, Love, Wade and Nance.

The Dubs are 14th in scoring and 21st in scoring defense. They shoot a lot of 3's (7th most) and are above average in making them (12th in 3-pt percentage). They move the ball (4th in assist rate) but turn it over (22nd). Basically the key is to force turnovers and defend their 3-point shots because they're not an inside scoring team (20th in points in the paint). With Allen or Hartenstein in the middle it will be harder than usual for the shorter W's to score in the paint.

The Cavs need to make them miss their 3's because the Warriors get very few second shots. I would also recommend the Cavs making Curry play defense on every possession. He's 33 years old and playing heavy minutes. He's also on the second night of a back-to-back coming off a long flight and playing his third game in four days. The Dubs have few other scoring options. Garland should make Curry chase him all over the floor when the Cavs have the ball. Don't let Curry rest on defense.

If Sexton is available tonight that would be a big boost for the Cavs because he could also run Curry around.

Offensively the Cavs have a big height advantage and they should probably try to post up with Allen, Hartenstein, and Love. They should spread the offense and make Curry chase the ball as much as possible.

The Warriors are not a good road team, they should be tired, and the Cavs have a huge advantage on the glass. This should be a winnable game, especially if Curry has to chase Garland and Sexton around on every Cavs possession. Don't let him rest on D.

For the Cavs to win they need to:

1. Dominate the glass on both ends.

2. Run Curry ragged on defense and make him work hard to get his shots off on offense. Keep switching on him with Garland, Sexton, Nance, and Okoro. Put fresh bodies on him and make him work his butt off on every shot attempt. No easy 3's in transition. Don't foul and let him get easy points while taking a breather.

3. Pound the ball inside on offense and take advantage of the W's short and slender (except for Draymond) front line. Muscle Wiggins and Looney down low.

4. Win the battle of the benches. The W's are missing some players so their bench should be depleted. The Delly, Hartenstein, Nance, and Prince grouping should win against the W's bench.

5. Protect the ball. The W's rank 9th in steals per possession. They know they lack size and are weak at defensive rebounding so they go for steals. The Cavs need to be prepared for an aggressive, gambling defense looking to jump passing lanes and strip the ball from penetrators.

The W's will trot out essentially the same team that thrashed the Cavs two months ago, only without Oubre. The Cavs are significantly different. Cedi, Stevens, McGee, and Dotson combined to play 90 minutes. Love, Delly, Hartenstein, and Prince did not play. It will be interesting to see how the Cavs do with this new lineup.
 

Collin Sexton (strained left groin) is listed as questionable for Thursday's game against the Warriors.​

Sexton did not play in Wednesday's game against the Hornets, as he was listed as questionable before ultimately being scratched. If Sexton has to sit out Thursday's matchup with the Warriors, Dean Wade will remain in the starting lineup for at least one more game. Wade, who doesn't offer consistent fantasy value, is the player among Wednesday's first five who will be impacted the most by Sexton's status.
 
I’m antI-tank generally but I really want to win this game tonight. Screw the GSW.
 
Dubyas are 24th in scoring defense and 28th in points allowed in the paint over their last 12 games. Pound it inside. But don't underestimate Draymond, though, he's an exceptional defender.
 
The ball is moving and the Cavaliers are getting down the court
 
That’s what they’re doing. Not sure I like it.
Curry: three missed threes, one of them blocked by Okoro, each of the attempts he was on him close. Okoro got caught on a cut, but other than that, he's been more than good. As the game goes on, I'm interested to see how he navigates off ball defense
 
Right. I have no worries about Okoro’s D. It’s the other guys. If Wiggins wasn’t garbage he would take Sexton/Garland and score on them at will.
 
Curry: three missed threes, one of them blocked by Okoro, each of the attempts he was on him close. Okoro got caught on a cut, but other than that, he's been more than good. As the game goes on, I'm interested to see how he navigates off ball defense
All 3 looked wide open
 

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