- Joined
- Oct 3, 2019
- Messages
- 10,054
- Reaction score
- 28,854
- Points
- 135
The Cavs head south to the Valley of the Sun to take on the Suns in a rematch of the Cavs’ ugly 90-88 win in Cleveland on Wednesday. The Cavs were flat coming off an OT win over the Bulls with Donovan Mitchell scoring 71. Mitchell was obviously spent, hitting just 6-for-20 from the field, and Garland was out. The Suns had Chris Paul play 40 minutes at age 37 and almost stole a win on the road.
Now they’re back home where they have an impressive 14-6 record, but Devin Booker is still out and they are 2-9 without him. The Suns have lost 7 of 8 and lost at home Friday night to the 20-19 Heat. Both teams will be finishing the first half of their seasons playing game #41.
The Cavaliers may or may not have Darius Garland back for this one - he played Friday in Denver but took another blow to his sprained thumb which may have aggravated the injury. Mitchell was rested in Denver and has enjoyed three days of rest so he should be more effective than he was Wednesday when he struggled to score against these guys.
Chris Paul was listed as questionable for tonight. He only played 12 minutes against the Heat two nights after playing 40 minutes against the Cavs. He has a hip issue.
Their backup point guard is Cameron Payne and he is out. So if Paul can’t go or is limited it will have a big impact since Booker is also out. According to their depth chart, the fourth point guard behind Paul, Payne, and Booker is Duane Washington Jr, an undrafted rookie from Ohio State who has only played in 23 games.
The Suns are really struggling right now. Last week with Garland out and the Cavs’ exhausted and shooting badly (39% from the field and 11-for-36 on 3’s), the Suns still only managed 88 points. With Mitchell rested and with Garland back the Cavs should have the advantage, even on the road.
Caris LeVert is in a groove the last couple of games, shooting 15-for-24 from the field and 8-for-11 from deep with 10 rebounds. Hopefully he is getting locked in and can keep it up. He only shot 31% on 3’s in December.
In the Cavs’ win last week Ayton had 15 points and 18 rebounds against just 2 points and 8 rebounds for Jarrett Allen. I’d like to see Allen fare a little better against Ayton this time around. Ayton is a very good center, averaging 17.1 points on 60% from the field, but Allen is better than what he showed last Wednesday. He may also have been a little worn down after the OT win over the Bulls.
I expect the Suns to come out hard after letting the Cavs wiggle off the hook last week. The Suns had a 7-point lead with five minutes to go but couldn’t close it. If Garland is out this could be a tough game, even without Booker. The Suns are very good at home and the Cavs are 7-11 on the road. The Suns are 20-20 and need a win to stay above .500.
Now they’re back home where they have an impressive 14-6 record, but Devin Booker is still out and they are 2-9 without him. The Suns have lost 7 of 8 and lost at home Friday night to the 20-19 Heat. Both teams will be finishing the first half of their seasons playing game #41.
The Cavaliers may or may not have Darius Garland back for this one - he played Friday in Denver but took another blow to his sprained thumb which may have aggravated the injury. Mitchell was rested in Denver and has enjoyed three days of rest so he should be more effective than he was Wednesday when he struggled to score against these guys.
Chris Paul was listed as questionable for tonight. He only played 12 minutes against the Heat two nights after playing 40 minutes against the Cavs. He has a hip issue.
Their backup point guard is Cameron Payne and he is out. So if Paul can’t go or is limited it will have a big impact since Booker is also out. According to their depth chart, the fourth point guard behind Paul, Payne, and Booker is Duane Washington Jr, an undrafted rookie from Ohio State who has only played in 23 games.
The Suns are really struggling right now. Last week with Garland out and the Cavs’ exhausted and shooting badly (39% from the field and 11-for-36 on 3’s), the Suns still only managed 88 points. With Mitchell rested and with Garland back the Cavs should have the advantage, even on the road.
Caris LeVert is in a groove the last couple of games, shooting 15-for-24 from the field and 8-for-11 from deep with 10 rebounds. Hopefully he is getting locked in and can keep it up. He only shot 31% on 3’s in December.
In the Cavs’ win last week Ayton had 15 points and 18 rebounds against just 2 points and 8 rebounds for Jarrett Allen. I’d like to see Allen fare a little better against Ayton this time around. Ayton is a very good center, averaging 17.1 points on 60% from the field, but Allen is better than what he showed last Wednesday. He may also have been a little worn down after the OT win over the Bulls.
I expect the Suns to come out hard after letting the Cavs wiggle off the hook last week. The Suns had a 7-point lead with five minutes to go but couldn’t close it. If Garland is out this could be a tough game, even without Booker. The Suns are very good at home and the Cavs are 7-11 on the road. The Suns are 20-20 and need a win to stay above .500.
