The Cleveland Cavaliers are playing their first game of the season against the Sacramento Kings. They’ll be at home tonight. Cleveland went 0-2 against the Kings last year.
Defense
After spending two weeks in the bottom-10 of defense rating, Cleveland snapped back to being elite when they held the Charlotte Hornets to just 87 points in their latest win.
I couldn’t say this was all due to the Cavaliers’ defense. The Hornets also happened to shoot well below their expected percentage. Especially on open three-point
attempts. But hey, luck is part of this thing. And I thought the Cavs did a fine job of protecting the paint and leaving Charlotte with few options other than chucking threes on a night where they simply didn’t have it.
Replicating this effort against the Kings should be feasible. This is a far less dangerous offense, with SAC ranking 28th in offensive rating this season. Of course, you can’t take anything for granted in the NBA, but I’d be upset if the Cavs didn’t turn in another strong defensive performance tonight.
Taking Care of the Ball
This is becoming an issue.
Cleveland has turned the ball over at an unusual rate this season. They rank 13th in turnover percentage, which isn’t awful, but it’s a steep decline from being fourth last season. Part of this is that they don’t have as many capable ball-handlers and playmakers as before. Injuries to Darius Garland and Max Strus, combined with losing Ty Jerome and Caris LeVert, have mattered.
The Cavs had 20 turnovers in Charlotte, 21 turnovers against the OKC Thunder, and 18 turnovers in Philly. This is a trend that can’t continue if they want to stack wins.
Evan Mobley’s Usage
I’m repeating one of my points from our last preview. Mobley has to be involved for the full length of the game. I really don’t want ot keep writing about this.
We saw Mobley get to his spots effortlessly in the first half against the Hornets. For him to finish the second half with only 1 point on two field goal attempts is a crime. This is a problem the team has long neglected. It’s time we see them finally address this and put their best foot forward.
Let’s get a high-volume game from Ev.
