2 posts tagged “cleveland cavaliers”
Cleveland -6 1/2 vs. Golden
Alternating wins and losses over their last four, the Cleveland Cavaliers have not been their usual juggernaut selves, however they have a great shot at turning around this trend by winning two straight against the 30-loss Golden State Warriors when the teams met up Friday night at Oracle Arena.
Cleveland (32-8) was defeated by the Los Angeles Lakers in the opening game of their western road trip 105-88, but they bounced back to defeat Portland 104-98. The victory over the Trail Blazers prevented Cleveland from losing two straight games for the first time all season. The Cavaliers are in close step with Boston and Orlando for the race for the best record in the Eastern Conference.
After being beaten up by the Lakers, the Cavs’ defense returned against the Blazers. Cleveland held Portland to 40.7 percent shooting one game after allowing their season worst 52.4 percent to Los Angeles.
Cleveland is leading the league in scoring defense by only allowing 89.6 points per contest. A matchup with Golden State may seem easy on paper, but the Warriors are averaging a little over 107 points per game and that is without their high-octane scoring guard Monta Ellis, who will return to the lineup for the first time this season on Friday.
The Warriors (13-30) will welcome back Ellis, who has been out while recovering from a sprained ankle from a scooter accident during the off-season. The relationship between the player and the team was strained when Golden State suspended him for 30 games without pay for the incident after the Warriors had signed him to a six-year $66 million dollar contract just prior to the accident. He was rewarded handsomely for his career year a season ago when he averaged 20.2 points, 5.0 rebounds and 3.4 assists.
This will be the second and final meeting of the year between the clubs. Cleveland held Golden State’s potent offense in check in their first meeting November 28th in Cleveland. The Cavaliers won 112-97 and held the Warriors to 39.8 percent shooting. The Cavs have won four of the last five matchups and the last two at Oracle Arena.
Denver -1 vs. Cleveland
LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are playing so well this season that they are gaining fans wearing the opponent's jerseys in the stands. As the Cavaliers wrapped up their 20th victory in 22 games Wednesday in Minnesota, the beleaguered Timberwolf faithful watched their team lose their 11th game in a row, they remaining fans gave James a standing ovation for his performance in the 93-70 victory for his team. James was being lauded for his 32-point game.
No one expects a similar scene from a contending team, especially from the Denver Nuggets fans who have seen James and the Cavs as a sort of rival since James and the Nuggets Carmelo Anthony came into the league in the same 2003 draft class.
Two of the NBA's red hot teams will clash Friday night in the Pepsi Center. The Nuggets (17-8) look to rebound from a 108-96 road loss to Houston and look to avoid losing two games in a row for the first time since Chauncey Billups joined their squad. The loss in Houston snapped Denver's four-game winning streak, but the club has still won eight of their last 10 and is 16-5 since the trade which brought Billups back to his hometown.
While Denver is hot, no one has been hotter than Cleveland (21-4), who saw their 11-game upswing broken by Atlanta last Saturday. They will attempt to start another streak tonight when they play Denver, a team they have already beaten once this season 110-99 in a November 13th game in Cleveland.
The Cavs have emerged as the NBA's best defensive team by allowing a mere 89.2 points per contest while the Nuggets defense has steadily improved since Billups' arrival. A season ago, Denver allowed 107 points per game, second from last in the league. This season they have shaved a hearty nine points off their average and have held opponents to 42.7 percent shooting, leaving them third in the NBA behind Boston and Cleveland.
The Nuggets had a lapse in their stellar defense when they allowed the Rockets to score 108 points in their 108-96 setback Tuesday night. Anthony netted 22 points for Denver, while Billups was held to 8.
Cleveland has not fared well in Denver, losing three straight there. Their last victory in the Pepsi Center came in 2004.
