This three-game road trip was supposed to show us where the Cleveland Cavaliers were in the league’s hierarchy. Through two games, it’s clear that the Cavs are currently nowhere close to competing with the top of the league. We’ll see if that changes when they take on the San Antonio Spurs on national TV.
The Cavs are 3-7 against teams in the top 10 of point differential this season. Their net rating in those games isn’t bad (8th), but their inability to pull out close games against top teams has
been an issue. Their wins against teams inside the top 10 of point differential came against the Detroit Pistons, the Spurs last month, and the Miami Heat.
The Cavaliers will try to defeat the Spurs again on Monday and complete the regular-season series sweep. But unlike last time, they’ll have to go through Victor Wembanyama to do so.
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Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (17-16) at San Antonio Spurs (23-8)
Where: Frost Bank Center – San Antonio, TX
When: Monday, Dec. 29 at 8:00 pm EST
TV: NBC, Peacock
Point spread: Spurs -4.5
Cavs injury report: Larry Nance Jr. – OUT (calf), Max Strus – OUT (foot), Chris Livingston – OUT (G League), Luke Travers – OUT (G League)
Spurs injury report: De’Aaron Fox – QUESTIONABLE (left adductor), Harrison Ingram – OUT (G League), David Jones Garcia – OUT (G League), Stanley Umude – OUT (G League)
Cavs expected starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen
Spurs expected starting lineup: Stephon Castle, Devin Vassell, Julian Champagnie, Harrison Barnes, Victor Wembanyama
Previous matchup: The Cavs defeated the Spurs 130-117 on Dec. 5.
Here’s a look at both teams’ impact stats via Cleaning the Glass.
