Dr. Gymbo
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Game #36: Cleveland Cavaliers (24-11) @ Utah Jazz (15-21)
Date: December 30th, 2017
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Time: 8:00 PM [EST]
Watch on: Fox Sports Ohio
Date: December 30th, 2017
Where: Vivint Smart Home Arena, Salt Lake City, Utah
Time: 8:00 PM [EST]
Watch on: Fox Sports Ohio
Coaches
Coach Lue vs Coach Snyder
Projected Starting Lineups & Statistics
Point Guard: Jose Calderon
Coach Lue vs Coach Snyder
Projected Starting Lineups & Statistics
Shooting Guard: J.R. Smith
Small Forward: Jae Crowder
Power Forward: LeBron James
Center: Kevin Love
Point Guard: Ricky Rubio
Shooting Guard: Donovan Mitchell
Small Forward: Thabo Sefolosha
Point Guard: Ricky Rubio
Shooting Guard: Donovan Mitchell
Small Forward: Thabo Sefolosha
Power Forward: Joe Ingles
Center: Derrick Favors
Bench Unit Lineups
Bench: Dwyane Wade, Kyle Korver, Cedi Osman, Jeff Green, Tristan Thompson
Bench: Alec Burks, Rodney Hood, Joe Johnson, Royce O'Neal, Ekpe Udoh
Cavs/Jazz Game Preview:
The Cavaliers (24-11) look to round out the calendar year against the Utah Jazz (15-21) on Saturday evening. Tipoff from the Vivint Smart Home Arena is at 8:00 p.m. (ET).Center: Derrick Favors
Bench Unit Lineups
Bench: Dwyane Wade, Kyle Korver, Cedi Osman, Jeff Green, Tristan Thompson
Bench: Alec Burks, Rodney Hood, Joe Johnson, Royce O'Neal, Ekpe Udoh
Cavs/Jazz Game Preview:
The Wine & Gold will look to bounce back on Saturday and end a two-game losing streak in hopes of ending 2017 - and their current three-game road trip - on a strong note.
Despite their minor two-game skid, the Cavaliers confidence is still high, especially since they are still tied with the Houston Rockets for the best record since November 11 (19-4).
Their solid play over the past two months can be attributed to the team's ability to move the ball on offense and sink important shots, including those from beyond the arc. In fact, the club has connected on 10-plus treys for a franchise-record 24 consecutive games after they knocked down 12 during Wednesday's loss to the Kings.
The club's ability to hit key buckets at key times has not been the only factor that has contributed to their recent success. From an individual standpoint, a number of Cavaliers have had exceptional performances each and every night.
LeBron James, for example, has excelled at every end of the court this season. He notched another triple-double in Wednesday’s game at Sacramento (16 PTS, 10 REB, 14 AST) for his seventh of the season (second-most in NBA) and 62 in his career. James, who turns 33 on Saturday, has played in six games on his birthday (2003, 2006, 2008, 2009, 2011, 2013), averaging 33.5 points on .560 shooting, including .469 (15-32) from beyond the arc, 7.5 rebounds and 6.7 assists in 40.3 minutes.
Kevin Love has also made his mark day in and day out, scoring at least 20 points and knocking down at least three treys in five consecutive games (25.4 PPG, 23-46 3FG). Since Nov. 28 (14 games), he is shooting .480 (48-100) from three-point territory, while averaging 23.7 points and 10.4 rebounds in 29.6 minutes.
Another confidence-booster for the Cavaliers is the fact that they have already topped the Jazz once this month, dropping Utah, 109-100, on December 16. As these two teams round out their season series, the Jazz will aim to avoid getting swept as they rely on a number of rising stars, including rookie guard Donovan Mitchell.
Mitchell is second among all rookies with a scoring average of 17.9 while also connecting on 73 treys, leading all first-year players from downtown. The 21-year-old has tallied 14 games with 20-plus points this year, which is also good for first among all rookies.
The Jazz are coming into their matchup with Cleveland on a three-game losing streak with their most recent defeat coming against the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday. In the 126-101 loss, Utah had six players score in double digits with Rodney Hood leading the way after coming off the bench. Hood notched 26 points as well as three rebounds and five assists while Derrick Favors and Mitchell followed with 17 points a piece. Favors also registered a double-double after snagging 10 boards against GS.
Let's go Cavs!!!
#Free Isaiah!
