Live Thread: Hornets @ Cavs

Tonight, on the shores of Lake Erie the Cavs have another important Eastern Conference tilt, this time against the ninth place Charlotte Hornets. Both teams are reeling from losses in four out of their last five games, so the pressure is on both teams to eek out a win to keep up in the playoff race. That is, unless there’s a “stealth tank agenda” afoot…?

There are rumors that Darius Garland will make his post-ASB debut, but Coach J.B. Bickerstaff’s non-committal response regarding DG’s status leaves the door open for another DNP, score one for the “stealth tank agenda”:

#Cavs J.B. Bickerstaff on whether Darius Garland will be available tonight: "He's questionable."

— Chris Fedor (@ChrisFedor) March 2, 2022

As for the game on the court one stat that pops out is how poor Charlotte is rebounding the basketball on defense, ranked 29th in the NBA. The Cavs are a top 10 offensive rebounding team, an obvious key for the Cavs will be attacking the offensive glass to punish Charlotte’s smaller front court. Keep an eye for their rookie JT Thor, early results have been promising and he provides some length and athleticism Charlotte needs.

Both of these teams are some of the best passing teams in the NBA. The Cavs will need to take care of the ball on offense to prevent Charlotte from pushing the pace off of live ball turnovers. On defense, there will be opportunities for the Cavs to play the passing lanes and create some transition offense. It should be a good game, a classic “contrast of styles” between Charlotte’s offense vs. Cleveland’s defense.

Tip off is scheduled for 7:00PM ET and will be broadcasted live on Bally Sports Ohio/Great Lakes, Go Cavs!