Cavs vs. Hornets preview and gamethread

The Cavaliers, looking to match the third-best start to a season in NBA history at 14-0.

The Cavs, currently in the midst of achieving history, battle with the re-energized Hornets.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (14-0) vs. Charlotte Hornets (5-7)

Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland Ohio

When: 6:00 p.m., Sunday Nov. 17

TV: Fanduel Sports Network Ohio (previously Bally Sports), NBA League Pass

Line: Cavs -10

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Georges Niang, Jarrett Allen.

Cavs injury report: Donovan Mitchell (OUT – rest), Evan Mobley (PROBABLE – illness), Max Strus (OUT – ankle), Sam Merrill (OUT – ankle), Emoni Bates (OUT – knee)

Expected Hornets starting lineup: LaMelo Ball, Josh Green, Brandon Miller, Grant Williams, Taj Gibson

Hornets injury report: Not yet submitted

Fear the Sword will be hosting a live stream watch party for select games this year on Playback. Join me and Tony Pesta as we react to all the action.

What to watch for

The two big lineups against a depleted Hornets front-court

The Cavaliers have a clear advantage in terms of the health of the frontcourt. Charlotte has been giving 39-year-old Taj Gibson the starting nod for the opening stretch of their season. You can reread that sentence if it hasn’t hit you yet. The Hornets currently have injuries to their two true centers on the roster. Nick Richards is week to week with a rib injury and Mark Williams hasn’t suited up yet this season with a foot injury.

This appears to be an area for the Cavs to attack. The Hornets are struggling to generate a rim presence, most recently giving up 81% of the looks at the rim in their Nov. 12 matchup with the Magic. The Cavaliers are currently taking the sixth most shots at the rim. With the Cavs generally pushing the ball to the rim, the Hornets should be in for a long night attempting to solve how to relieve the rim pressure.

Darius Garland and LaMelo Ball’s resurgence

The two young guards have had a similar narrative coming into this season. Both have struggled with injuries, causing delays to their star ascension. Garland missed 25 games for various injuries and personal issues. His body was never the same when he returned and appeared to be removed from the All-Star guard of years prior. LaMelo’s injuries have shut him down for seasons, most recently missing 60 games last season due to an ankle injury that required surgery.

Fast forward to this season, both guards appear to have returned and even surpassed their levels of play from before the injuries. Garland has transformed his play from even his best years in Cleveland. The efficiency that Garland is playing with is unparalleled in his young career. With an absurd 64% effective field goal percentage, Garland is in the 97th percentile for the entire league. No other player in the league has played the minutes Garland has logged and is remaining that efficient. Garland appears to have found his rhythm in the offense, finding his spots and making his mark in clutch moments.

LaMelo is scorching the earth right now. He is currently operating as the lifeboat for the Hornets’ offense. Ball’s usage percentage is 38.5% which is the highest in the league and places him in the 100th percentile. This places him amongst the likes of Giannis Antetokounmpo, Jaylen Brown, Cade Cunningham, and Paul George.

Ball is making the most of high usage as he is third in points per game in the league scoring 29.9 a night. This is also the most efficient usage in his career (55% eFG), so it isn’t like the possessions are necessarily as hollow as they felt years prior. LaMelo has always been a tantalizing prospect dating back to his Chino Hills days. To see LaMelo play mentally free, driving to the rim and displaying his unlimited range allows him to unlock a Hornets’ offense that appears to be pedestrian most times.