2023-24 Season | Game #8 | Cavs @ Thunder | Nov. 8, 2023 | 8:00 p.m.

[kevincleveland]

Imagine waiting all day to watch this game to not be able to find it on. Because I'm a day early. God damn it.

i did the same thing. cursed out th bally app. sorry campy!

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

I was going to be busy this morning so I put the game thread up a day early. Sorry if I gave anybody the wrong impression that the game was last night.

Okoro and Jerome still not ready to play.

Fedor has a column on how the Cavs want to use this road trip to get more in sync and for JBB to figure out the player groupings that work best together. Now that Garland and Allen are back they can start doing that, although they need Okoro and Jerome as well.

It will be interesting to see if Mobley and Allen can keep Holmgren from being as big a factor as he was in the first game. He was a monster with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 blocked shots. With both our big guys available this time I want to see the Cavs dominate the glass on both ends against the team that ranks 29th and 30th in defensive and offensive rebounding.

Darius Garland is 1-for-12 on 3's this year. Time for him to start knocking them down. Niang is hitting only 26.5% of his 3's, but he's 8-for-22 his last four games, which is an improvement over his 1-for-12 start.

 

[STAT]

Dort is listed as questionable for tonight’s game (hip).

 

[bleedwineandgold03]

Let’s get this W

 

[KevinLoveFan]

Dort is listed as questionable for tonight’s game (hip).

I just saw that as well. If he doesn't play, Mitchell might go off for 50 or more, and I can see the Cavs winning by a big margin easily.

 

[Cavatt]

Anyone who gets hurts besides the starters is in danger of losing their spot in the rotation.

 

[jjvors]

By the way, the Thunder lead the NBA in "drives" per game at 61.4. The Cavs rank 6th at 52.3. The Warriors are last at 33.0. So the Cavs are going from the most drive averse team to the one that drives more than anyone.

It's interesting that the three teams that drive the fewest are the Celtics, Nuggets, and Warriors. Those teams have a combined record of 17-3. Maybe attacking the rim off the dribble isn't quite what it's cracked up to be.

With Mobley and Allen the Cavs seem to be a good matchup for the Thunder, IMO. Teams that attack the rim don't do that well against the Cavs.

When you drive, you can 1) make a basket; 2) pass for a basket; 3) draw a foul; 4) miss a basket; 5) pass for a missed basket; 6) make a turnover; 7) commit a foul. I love the third option. NBA referees give preference for aggressive drives and are more likely to call defensive fouls than offensive ones.

That said, if you can shoot at 50% or better, shoot it. Then you'll commit fewer turnovers. This is why post up players like Kareem, Wilt, and Moses Malone were so deadly. You just feed them every time and you can outscore your opponent. Note that 4/7 outcomes of driving are negative.

 

[Wham with the Right Hand]

If Dort can't play that's a huge loss. He's one of the few physical players they have, he's an excellent defender, and he's shooting over 50% overall and also on 3's.

 

[jjvors]

News from Twitter/X: Is this accurate? It's sensible.


Edit update. Fedor confirms it. Is he accurate?

 

[foucault87]

News from Twitter/X: Is this accurate? It's sensible.


Edit update. Fedor confirms it. Is he accurate?

I was hoping for the Merrill CPJ Mobley Bates Diop lineup but this one seems like a reasonable replacement

 

[jjvors]

Some keys to the game from https://www.nba.com/cavaliers/news/features-keys-cleokc-231108

KeyBank Keys to the Game: Cavs at Thunder​

clejgabriele
November 8, 202311:54 AM EST
ROLLING THUNDER
The Cavaliers tip off their first West Coast trip of the season looking for a measure of revenge – traveling to Oklahoma City for a Wednesday night matchup with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder.

The Wine & Gold are coming off their first home win of the season – and have won two of three overall – as they continue to get healthy. Jarrett Allen and Darius Garland returned to the lineup over the weekend, and after dropping the In-Season Tournament opener on Friday night in Indy, came back to snap a 12-game losing streak to the Warriors on Sunday at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Donovan Mitchell posted his third straight 30-point game and Garland had easily his best game of the season in Cleveland’s double-digit win.

After starting the season having won three of four outings, the Thunder dropped two straight before getting back in the win column on Monday night over Atlanta. In the victory, SGA led all scorers with 30 points and Chet Holmgren doubled-up with 16 points and a dozen boards. Tonight’s meeting against the Cavaliers completes a six-game homestand for OKC.

The Thunder have already topped the Cavaliers this season – rallying past them in Cleveland's home opener behind big games from Gilgeous-Alexander, Holmgren and Luguentz Dort. OKC rallied back from 10 points down with 2:37 to play to seal the deal.
From here, the Cavs roadie rolls on – with stops in San Francisco, Sacramento and Portland on the remaining slate

 

[jjvors]

According to this post from x.com, Dort will be playing:

 

[Futuredome]

Mobley hopefully was pouring down Creatine.

 

[jjvors]

My score prediction:

 

[eChameleon]

Radio cranked, TV muted, let's get to .500!