Cavs Searching For Answers As Hornets Come To Town

Game Day Report: Cavs vs. Hornets

Author:
Jon Rudder
Nov 18, 2022 12:37 PM EST

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The Cleveland Cavaliers are looking to end a five-game losing skid and their opponent on Friday night could be just what the doctor ordered. The Hornets are limping, quite literally, into Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse as the Wine and Gold begins a four-game homestand.

Charlotte has lost nine of its last 11 games and is 4-12 on the season. The Cavs are 15-7 in their last 22 games against the Hornets since 2016.

On Wednesday night, the Cleveland fell to Milwaukee 113-98 which marked the first time the Cavs' have been held below 100 points all season.

Donovan Mitchell returned after sitting out one game with a strained right ankle, but the Cavaliers played a second straight game without Jarrett Allen due to a non-COVID illness. Without their All-Star center on the floor, the Cavaliers were out-rebounded 52-34 and outscored 21-6 in second-chance points.

On paper, the Hornets look like the perfect "get right" game, but on the flip side the folks in Charlotte are looking at the Cavaliers and their struggles and see a perfect opportunity to get a win of their own.

Injury Buzz

Like the Cavaliers, the Hornets have dealt with their fair share of injuries so far this season and it's inhibited their ability to fully get a grasp on what their roster and rotations will look like.

All-Star guard LaMelo Ball played in just his third game of the season Wednesday night against the Pacers after battling a left ankle sprain all season. Ball stepped on a fan's foot late in the game and limped off the floor favoring the ankle. He scored 26-points but will be out of commission when the Hornets take on the Cavs Friday night.

Youngstown, Ohio native Terry Rozier has also battled injuries this season and has missed seven games and Gordon Hayward is doubtful for Friday night's tipoff with a shoulder contusion.

Charlotte is 23rd in scoring offense this season and are 27th in shooting overall and 27th in 3pt field goal percentage. They are also just 16th in assist to turnover with Ball out for the majority of the season.

Helping Hand

Darius Garland scored 23 points and handed out a team-high eight assists in the loss to the Bucks on Wednesday.

Garland is averaging 21.4 points per game, 8 assists per game and 2.5 rebounds per game in 34 minutes per game. Over his last two games, DG has posted 37 points-per, seven dimes and three rebounds while shooting 62-percent from beyond the arc.

He has recorded 64 assists this season, the most in the NBA for any player who has appeared in eight or less games.

Cleaning the Glass

The Cavaliers will be anxious to get Allen back as soon as possible.

Without him, they were dominated on the glass against Milwaukee. The Cavs were out-rebounded 52-34 by Milwaukee. For the season, Cleveland is 12th in the NBA in rebounding and that is clearly reflective of the inside presence of Allen, not just to rebound himself, but to create space for Evan Mobley to rebound as well.

The Cavs remain one of the better scoring teams in the NBA but have dropped to 10th after spending much of year near the top of the standings

Rediscover the Defense

The Cavaliers have given up 118 points per game during their five-game losing skid. In the nine games before the losing skid, the Wine and Gold surrendered just over 103 points per game and that included three games that went to overtime.

For a team built around its team defense, it's no surprise the inflated numbers go along with the team's current skid. Having Jarrett Allen out of the lineup for the last two games, one of the premier rim protectors in the NBA is also complicating things for the defense.

Evan Mobley has slid to center in Allen's absence but has acknowledged not having JA back in the paint along with him has been difficult.