Cavs at Pelicans preview and gamethread
The Cavaliers look to start the season 9-0.
The Cavs will look to set a franchise record in wins to start a season as they attempt to go 9-0.
Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (8-0) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (3-5)
Where: Smoothie King Center, New Orleans, LA
When: 8 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 6
TV: FanDuel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA TV
Line: Cavs -7
Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen
Cavs injury report: Dean Wade - OUT (illness), Caris LeVert - QUESTIONABLE (knee), Max Strus - OUT (ankle), Emoni Bates - OUT (knee), Jaylon Tyson - QUESTIONABLE (left hip)
Expected Pelicans starting lineup: Jose Alvarado, Brandon Boston Jr., Brandon Ingram, Jeremiah Robinson-Earl, Yves Missi
Pelicans injury report: Zion Williamson - QUESTIONABLE (right thigh), CJ McCollum - OUT (right adductor), Dejounte Murray - OUT (hand), Trey Murphy III - OUT (right hamstring), Jordan Hawkins - QUESTIONABLE (back), Herb Jones - OUT (shoulder), Karlo Matkovic - OUT (G League),
Fear the Sword will be hosting a live stream watch party for select games this year on Playback. Join me and Tony Pesta as we react to all the action.
What to watch for
Taking advantage of injuries
The Pelicans haven’t been able to have their best players on the court together. That will continue on Wednesday as Murray and McCollum have been ruled out. They could be without Williamson once again as well.
The Cavs have been winning with depth all season. That advantage shows through most when going against a shorthanded team. The Cavaliers enter this game sixth in bench minutes and eighth in bench points. They should be able to win their bench minutes again this game.
Getting to the rim
New Orleans came into this year with a fatal flaw at center. They don’t have depth or starting-caliber players there. This has forced them to start Yves Missi, the 21st overall pick in this most recent draft, up front.
This has predictably gone poorly. The Pelicans have allowed their opponents to attempt 41.2% of their shots at the rim which is the worst mark in the league. As a result, New Orleans has the 25th-ranked defense (119.2 defensive rating).
The lack of interior defense is something the Cavs should be able to take advantage of. Cleveland has done an excellent job of spacing the floor and attacking the basket in transition and the half-court. That should continue here.
Keeping their foot on the gas
Winning eight straight games to start the season is difficult. That’s why this is only the second time in franchise history the Cavs have done so. It’s even more difficult to do that in this new age of parity.
That wasn’t lost on Garland after his team tied the franchise’s best mark.
“It means a lot to us,” Garland said after Monday’s victory over the Milwaukee Bucks. “Any win in this league is really tough so getting eight in a row is really good for us. So, we’re pretty happy, it’s 82 games in this league. So we just got to keep it going. Got to keep our foot on the gas and just keep this same intensity, same mindset, same goals.”
Winning this many games in a row is difficult. Especially when it’d be easy to look ahead to a big matchup on Friday against the Golden State Warriors. They will need to keep their concentration on this game to keep the streak going.