Live Thread: Cavs vs. Magic

The Magic travel to the chilly shores of Lake Erie tonight to take on the Cavs. Cleveland will have to contend without Mo Wiliams, who has been ruled out , while Delly is nursing a sore leg.  Matt will reportedly “gut it out.” Timofey Mozgov is expected to be out for up to two weeks with shoulder strain, and Tristan Thompson will start in his place.

Orlando is at full strength. Look for Victor Oladipo to improve tonight after a lackluster couple of games following his return from the NBA’s concussion protocol. At 6-7, Orlando is no slouch, and with depth at the wing and the guard spots, they seem like the type of team that could give the Cavs trouble, given Cleveland’s current injury woes. Frenchman Evan Fournier has been tearing it up so far this year, scoring an eye opening 19.5 points per game in 38 minutes a night with shooting splits of 45%/38%/80%. (Warning, DO NOT image search Fournier). Orlando features five double digit scorers in their starting lineup: Nik Vucevic, Tobias Harris, Fournier, Oladipo, and Elfrid Payton, with Aaron Gordon playing the sixth man roll.

Key to beating the Magic will be outscoring their bench and limiting their transition and inside looks. Orlando has been running as many as 12 players in a game, so managing pace and controlling the ball will be paramount. Their bench features Channing Frye, Shabazz Napier, Jason Smith, Dewayne Dedmon, and rookie “Super” Mario Hezonja. These guys thrive off turnovers and easy baskets, but can struggle to score in the half court.

With fairly weak defenders at the power forward spot, if Kevin Love can get it going inside, he should have a decided advantage. Go Cavs.