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With two days off for some turkey and home cooking after getting blown out by the Heat, the Cavaliers welcome LeBron and the Lakers to the Q. The Lakers are 9-7 and have won 6 of their last 8. The Cavs won four in a row, including huge wins over Denver and Philadelphia (two of the four best teams in the NBA) before falling to red-hot Miami on the second night of a back-to-back.
Donovan MItchell and Isaac Okoro participated in practice Friday so they could go tonight. With Caris LeVert having returned to the lineup last game the Cavs could be close to full strength with only Ty Jerome still being out.
The Lakers are on a roll, having won six of eight with the losses to Dallas and Sacramento, two of the top six teams in the West. However, the Lakers have played the 11th easiest schedule so they may not be as good as their record suggests. The Cavs have played the 3rd toughest schedule and have the 4th easiest remaining.
Any talk about the Lakers starts with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LeBron is having another All-Star season with a line of 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists while shooting 58% from the field and 41.4% on 3’s. If he maintains this 3-point percentage it will be the highest of his career. Just about five weeks short of his 39th birthday LeBron is probably as good as he ever was. However, he’s only averaging 16.6 shots per game, a career low. It looks like he’s pacing himself and picking his spots to shoot. He’s taking about 11 two-point shots per game, down from 16-17 in his prime. He’s taking a few more 3’s and a few less 2’s as he approaches age 40, but his 3-point percentage has improved dramatically.
AD is averaging 21.5 points and 12.1 rebounds. He’s shooting 54% overall and 30% on 3’s, so Mobley needs to force him to take outside shots. At 253 pounds, however, AD will be backing him down. AD is shooting a career high 86% from the foul line, so it’s better to try and contest his shot without fouling. If he beats you, just give him the bucket; no sense in giving up a 3-point play.
D’Angelo Russell is also having a nice year, averaging 17.4 per game on 48% and 40% shooting. As a team the Lakers are hitting 49% of their field goal attempts.
Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are averaging 14 and 12 ppg. Hachimura is hitting 43% of his 3’s, but he is out with a nose injury. After allowing Miami to shoot 57% from deep in their last game the Cavs need to improve their perimeter defense and contest a lot more 3-point shots. The Cavs rank 27th in opponents’ 3-point percentage. This is an area that needs to be significantly improved, along with defensive rebounding where the Cavs rank 21st.
The Lakers rank 19th in scoring at 112 ppg. They like to take it inside, ranking 6th in points in the paint and 7th in fast break scoring. They are last in percentage of points from 3’s and second to last in 3-pointers attempted per game. With Allen, Mobley, and Wade defending the paint the Cavs might match up well defensively against a team that is very averse to taking 3’s.
One good thing for the Cavs is that the Lakers rank 28th in offensive rebound percentage, so they’re unlikely to get a lot of second chance points. That has been an Achilles heel for the Cavs again this year.
The Lakers are 6th in 2-point percentage and 5th in free throws attempted per game, so they like to take it to the rim. The Cavs lead the NBA in opponents’ 2-point percentage so something has to give. This will be an interesting matchup when the Lakers have the ball.
Defensively the Lakers rank 11th in scoring, slightly better than the 13th ranked Cavs, who have fallen off dramatically after being 1st in scoring defense last year. They are 8th in opponents effective shooting percentage. They don’t foul, allowing the fewest free throws per play of any team in the league. That might be in part because refs don’t like to call fouls on LeBron and AD. They are equally effective defensively against 2’s and 3’s.
The Lakers are outscoring opponents by an incredible 27.9 points per 100 possessions when LeBron is on the floor. The next highest Laker is Christian Wood at 8.0. The top four in the NBA in this category are Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (28.2), LeBron (27.9), Jokic (24.3), and Max Strus (24.0). Donovan Mitchell is 15th at 17.4.
The key for the Cavs is to stay close to the Lakers in the 34 minutes LeBron is on the floor and hammer them in the 14 minutes when he is off.
With two days off at home to recover from the back-to-backs against Philly and Miami, the Cavs should come out with a better effort this time, especially if Mitchell is back. I’m sure LeBron will want to leave a winner in what could be his last game in Cleveland so I’m expecting a great game from him and most likely a Lakers’ win.
Donovan MItchell and Isaac Okoro participated in practice Friday so they could go tonight. With Caris LeVert having returned to the lineup last game the Cavs could be close to full strength with only Ty Jerome still being out.
The Lakers are on a roll, having won six of eight with the losses to Dallas and Sacramento, two of the top six teams in the West. However, the Lakers have played the 11th easiest schedule so they may not be as good as their record suggests. The Cavs have played the 3rd toughest schedule and have the 4th easiest remaining.
Any talk about the Lakers starts with LeBron James and Anthony Davis. LeBron is having another All-Star season with a line of 25.7 points, 8.1 rebounds, and 6.7 assists while shooting 58% from the field and 41.4% on 3’s. If he maintains this 3-point percentage it will be the highest of his career. Just about five weeks short of his 39th birthday LeBron is probably as good as he ever was. However, he’s only averaging 16.6 shots per game, a career low. It looks like he’s pacing himself and picking his spots to shoot. He’s taking about 11 two-point shots per game, down from 16-17 in his prime. He’s taking a few more 3’s and a few less 2’s as he approaches age 40, but his 3-point percentage has improved dramatically.
AD is averaging 21.5 points and 12.1 rebounds. He’s shooting 54% overall and 30% on 3’s, so Mobley needs to force him to take outside shots. At 253 pounds, however, AD will be backing him down. AD is shooting a career high 86% from the foul line, so it’s better to try and contest his shot without fouling. If he beats you, just give him the bucket; no sense in giving up a 3-point play.
D’Angelo Russell is also having a nice year, averaging 17.4 per game on 48% and 40% shooting. As a team the Lakers are hitting 49% of their field goal attempts.
Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura are averaging 14 and 12 ppg. Hachimura is hitting 43% of his 3’s, but he is out with a nose injury. After allowing Miami to shoot 57% from deep in their last game the Cavs need to improve their perimeter defense and contest a lot more 3-point shots. The Cavs rank 27th in opponents’ 3-point percentage. This is an area that needs to be significantly improved, along with defensive rebounding where the Cavs rank 21st.
The Lakers rank 19th in scoring at 112 ppg. They like to take it inside, ranking 6th in points in the paint and 7th in fast break scoring. They are last in percentage of points from 3’s and second to last in 3-pointers attempted per game. With Allen, Mobley, and Wade defending the paint the Cavs might match up well defensively against a team that is very averse to taking 3’s.
One good thing for the Cavs is that the Lakers rank 28th in offensive rebound percentage, so they’re unlikely to get a lot of second chance points. That has been an Achilles heel for the Cavs again this year.
The Lakers are 6th in 2-point percentage and 5th in free throws attempted per game, so they like to take it to the rim. The Cavs lead the NBA in opponents’ 2-point percentage so something has to give. This will be an interesting matchup when the Lakers have the ball.
Defensively the Lakers rank 11th in scoring, slightly better than the 13th ranked Cavs, who have fallen off dramatically after being 1st in scoring defense last year. They are 8th in opponents effective shooting percentage. They don’t foul, allowing the fewest free throws per play of any team in the league. That might be in part because refs don’t like to call fouls on LeBron and AD. They are equally effective defensively against 2’s and 3’s.
The Lakers are outscoring opponents by an incredible 27.9 points per 100 possessions when LeBron is on the floor. The next highest Laker is Christian Wood at 8.0. The top four in the NBA in this category are Kentavious Caldwell-Pope (28.2), LeBron (27.9), Jokic (24.3), and Max Strus (24.0). Donovan Mitchell is 15th at 17.4.
The key for the Cavs is to stay close to the Lakers in the 34 minutes LeBron is on the floor and hammer them in the 14 minutes when he is off.
With two days off at home to recover from the back-to-backs against Philly and Miami, the Cavs should come out with a better effort this time, especially if Mitchell is back. I’m sure LeBron will want to leave a winner in what could be his last game in Cleveland so I’m expecting a great game from him and most likely a Lakers’ win.
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