After getting spanked by the Suns to open their western swing the Cavs move on to Portland to engage the Trail Blazers, who are returning from an east coast road trip. The Blazers are 23-26. They’ve been around the .500 mark most of the season but have lost four straight, most recently by 30 points in New York on Friday.
The Blazers are 13-11 at home and 13-19 against teams over .500. They have played the second hardest schedule in the NBA so they may be better than their record indicates.
The Blazers beat the Cavs in Cleveland on Dec. 3 by a 122-110 score. Deni Avdija had 27 points on 5 field goals as he made 16 free throws. The Cavs couldn’t stop fouling him. Allen and Merrill were out for the Cavs and Garland went 2-for-13. The Cavs were 13-for-52 (25%) on 3’s.
The Blazers are slightly below average at both ends of the court, ranking 19th in scoring and 22nd in scoring defense. They don’t shoot well at all, ranking 28th in effective field goal percentage. They love the 3-point shot, ranking 3rd in 3-point attempts per game, but they’re last in 3-point percentage. I don’t know why the worst team at making 3’s jacks up more of them than all but two other teams, but that’s what they do.
They are 6th in frequency of shots at the rim and 21st in accuracy, so they’re better attacking the rim but still below average.
The Blazers are the league’s biggest ball hogs as they are last in assists. They’re also last in turnovers while the Cavs are 7th in forcing turnovers, so we should see a lot of turnovers by the Blazers.
What they do best offensively is rebound, ranking 4th in offensive rebound percentage. As a result of the extra possessions they are 19th in scoring despite the very low field goal percentage and the turnovers. The key for the Cavs defensively will be to grab those long rebounds after all the missed 3’s.
Defensively the Blazers are average in preventing field goals but they give up a lot of offensive boards, ranking 25th in defensive rebound percentage. The Cavs are 9th in offensive rebound percentage so they should get a fair number of second chances. They only had 10 offensive rebounds in the first game, however.
The Blazers rank 26th in defending the rim and 2nd in defending 3’s, so it’s a no-brainer - attack the rim. In the first game the Cavs missed 75% of their 3’s on their home court, so shooting 52 of them was ridiculous.
Jrue Holiday is their starting point guard. The 35-year-old averages 14 points and 7 assists, but he has been declared out for personal reasons. This could be huge because the backup PG, Scoot Henderson, is also out, and the 3rd PG, Blake Wesley, is a game time decision. Wesley has only played in six games this year.
Deni Avdija is their leading scorer with a line of 26/7/7 followed by Shaedon Sharpe with 22 ppg. Avdija may have to be their point guard. The other starters are 7’2” Donovan Clingan (11 points, 11 rebounds) and 6’7” Toumani Camera (13 points, 5 rebounds).
Jerami Grant provides offense off the bench averaging 19 points while Caleb Love averages 11. Robert Williams III is the backup center and he averages 6 points and 6 rebounds in 16 minutes while leading the team in blocks at 1.4.
The Blazers are 23-26 but when you factor in their difficult schedule it looks like they’re an average team or slightly above. They shoot a ton of 3’s and miss a ton, but they’re very good at getting second chances. They attack the rim a lot and draw fouls, ranking 8th in free throw attempts per possession. Avdija took 17 foul shots in the first game, making 16. The Cavs should probably double him more and make him give the ball up.
Defensively it’s all about controlling the glass and not giving up a lot of offensive rebounds because the Blazers will miss shots. The Cavs also need to avoid excessive fouling. Avdija averages 9.5 foul shots per game and Grant 6.4.
Offensively it’s about attacking the rim and getting putbacks as the Blazers are 25th in defensive rebound percentage. The Cavs need to avoid shooting a ton of 3’s like they did in the first game where they missed 39 of them. The Blazers are elite at defending 3’s. In particular, Ball and Tomlin need to avoid shooting 3’s unless the shot clock is expiring.
The Blazers played in New York two nights ago and this will be their first home game after a week in the northeast so neither team has a rest advantage. The Cavs need to get back on the horse after getting pummeled by the Suns. CPJ is listed as a game time decision; Garland and Mobley are out.
Injury Report
CLEVELAND
Max Strus - OUT (foot)
Darius Garland - OUT (toe)
Evan Mobley - OUT (calf)
Tristan Enaruna - OUT (G-League)
Dennis Schroder - OUT (trade)
Keon Ellis - OUT (trade)
PORTLAND
Deni Avdija - QUESTIONABLE (back)
Blake Wesley - QUESTIONABLE (foot)
Robert Williams - QUESTIONABLE (knee)
Damian Lillard - OUT (achilles)
Duop Reath - OUT (foot)
Kris Murray - OUT (back)
Scoot Henderson - OUT (hamstring)
Jrue Holiday - OUT (personal)
Matisse Thybulle - OUT (thumb)