Cavs vs. Pelicans preview and gamethread

The Cavaliers, fresh off their first loss of the season, look to turn the page against the Pelicans.

The Boston Celtics proved that the Cavaliers are mortal after all. Now can the team show the mental toughness to pull out a win 24 hours later?

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (15-1) vs. New Orleans Pelicans (4-11)

Where: Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – Cleveland, OH

When: 7:30 p.m., Wednesday, Nov. 20th

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

Line: Cavs – 13

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Ty Jerome, Craig Porter Jr., Donovan Mitchell, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen.

Cavs injury report: Darius Garland – OUT (groin), Max Strus – OUT (ankle), Emoni Bates – OUT (knee), Dean Wade – OUT (ankle), Isaac Okoro – OUT (ankle), Caris LeVert – OUT (ankle), Sam Merrill – OUT (ankle)

Expected Pelicans starting lineup: Elfrid Payton, Brandon Boston, Javonte Green, Jamai Cain, Yves Missi

Pelicans injury report: Jose Alvarado – OUT (hamstring), Jordan Hawkins – OUT (back), Brandon Ingram – OUT (ankle), Herb Jones – OUT (shoulder), CJ McCollum – OUT (hip), Trey Murphy III – OUT (hamstring), Dejounte Murray – OUT (hand), Jaylen Nowell – OUT (not with team), Zion Williamson – OUT (hamstring)

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

Can the Cavaliers rebound from last night’s loss?

Well, it finally happened. After 15 wins to start the season, the Cavaliers lost a game. Now, we can see how the Cavaliers respond to a loss in a game they desperately wanted to win.

The Cavaliers once again showed mental resilience against the Celtics. They were able to overcome a 21-point deficit down to two in the fourth. This Cavaliers team has shown an ability to keep their head down and overcome slumps offensively. Now against a struggling injured Pelicans team, the Cavs will see if they come out aggressive and put this game out of reach quickly. The Pelicans themselves are coming off a loss in their NBA Cup group stage game against the Dallas Mavericks falling 91-132 on Tuesday evening.

Injuries are rampant

The Cavaliers are slowly racking up the injuries. Max Strus hasn’t suited up this season due to his ankle sprain. Now more recently Dean Wade, Isaac Okoro, and Caris LeVert have all succumbed to the injury bug.

These injuries are big for the Cavaliers as it leaves them undersized on the wing. This poses problems for the coaching staff as they were tasked with guarding Jason Tatum and Jaylen Brown yesterday. Now against the Pelicans, they have to find creative ways to make Brandon Ingram and Trey Murphy uncomfortable.

Against the Celtics, this involved a heavy dose of Evan Mobley and Georges Niang on Tatum. It’s fair to assume, barring the return of Okoro or Wade, that this will be a similar approach. With the injuries the Pelicans are experiencing, it feels like keeping those two in check is a good recipe for slowing down the Pelicans offense.

Things are dire for this Pelicans group. Not only are they 4-11, but they are also playing with a skeleton crew. Zion Willamson has not suited up since Nov. 9, Dejounte Murray hasn’t played since the regular season opener, and now more recently Herb Jones and CJ McCollum have been added to the injury report.

The team went into the regular season being top-heavy in terms of on-court talent. Now the Pelicans find themselves undermanned and having the second-worst record in the Western Conference. None of this is ideal, yet, this appears to be the story of this era of the Pelicans since Williamson had been drafted back in 2019.

Update: The injury report was updated at 2 PM. The injury information is correct. The What to Watch section hasn’t been updated.