Wednesday's NBA Essentials
March 22, 2017
Game of the Night - Cleveland at Denver, (FS Ohio, 9:05 ET)
After beating the Jazz in Kevin Love's return, the Cavs punted on being competitive against the Clippers and instead played all their regulars against the tanking Lakers, pulling out a comeback win. Up just 1.5 games on Boston for the top spot in the Eastern Conference, Cleveland faces a challenging final few weeks of the regular season. Tonight's visit to Denver will be one of its final seven road games, with stops still left in Charlotte, San Antonio, Chicago, Boston, Atlanta and Miami after this one.
None of those games will be easy, and there are even four back-to-backs remaining, so not letting this one slip away is important. The Cavs are 6-7 since Feb. 25, which includes losing five of eight on the road. This current stretch they're in has them playing six of seven in opposing arenas, so how they fare over the next week will dictate how much room for error they have between now and January.
A lack of practice time was considered a culprit when the Cavs lost six of eight in January as they struggled to successfully blend Kyle Korver into the mix upon his acquisition from Atlanta, so the past few days have been a blessing in trying to get Love back up to speed. For just the second time since the All-Star break, the Cavs have had two days between games. They spent them out in L.A., working out at UCLA, Love's alma mater, before flying into Denver yesterday.
Cleveland is 12-2 with multiple days of rest between games, so it will be interesting to see how they respond here. Love scored 21 points and grabbed 15 boards in just 26 minutes against the Lakers on Sunday night, coming up with his first double-double since Feb. 9. The Cavs went 7-6 as he recovered from a knee injury and although he'll likely not play in this week's back-to-back and is probably still on a minutes restriction that won't let him play more than 25-30 minutes, he's already proven he'll give this group a significant boost they badly needed.
Korver has been out since March 9 with a foot injury, but was a participant in practice on Tuesday and is likely to return. He shot 59 percent from 3-point range in February after settling in some and should be the x-factor the team envisioned he'd become going forward so long as there are no setbacks.
Having a few days off also allowed Deron Williams (thumb), Iman Shumpert (knee) and Tristan Thompson (mouth) opportunities to heal up, so it will be interesting to see how Cleveland responds now that it is working its way back to full strength. James will likely take another game or two off, but has worked his way into the MVP conversation. Despite the tremendous runs Russell Westbrook and James Harden have enjoyed, James has put together career-highs in rebounds (8.4) and assists (8.8) and authored one of his most efficient seasons. A strong finish would definitely make him a factor in the final vote.
Denver is coming off perhaps its most frustrating loss of the season, falling 125-124 after a botched late offensive possession that helped Harden secure a game-winning layup in the final seconds. They're still up on Portland for the final Western Conference playoff spot, but have been working short-handed without key forwards Danilo Gallinari (knee) and Wilson Chandler (groin), who could return for this game.
The Nuggets are viewing this one as a game they need to have, not only because they don't want the Rockets loss to linger, but because they're down to just four home games among their remaining 12. Cleveland beat Denver 125-109 on Feb. 11, getting 27 points a piece from James and Irving. Gallinari was absent, and the team had yet to acquire Mason Plumlee, who has become a key member of the rotation. Nikola Jokic led the way with 27.
Cleveland hasn't lost in Denver since James returned to the franchise and has won four of five there. The Cavs are 6-1 in their last seven meetings against the Nuggets and registered their highest scoring output in the series since 1990 last month. They scored 124 in the final meeting of the 2015-16 season.
Injury Concerns
Charlotte has won consecutive games and is making one last push to try and salvage a season that has gotten a way from them, so it's a relief to see Michael Kidd-Gilchrist set to play after he left Monday's over Atlanta with an ankle injury. The Hornets are in Orlando to play their only road game in a six-game stretch, so it's now or never for them.
Andre Drummond left Detroit's loss to Brooklyn with 13 points and 17 rebounds, so he wasn't on the floor for Brook Lopez's game-winner, limping off with a knee injury. He's expected to play in Chicago, where it's unlikely he'll see the other Lopez, Robin, who is expected to be suspended after fighting with Serge Ibaka in Tuesday's OT loss against Toronto.
The Kings have been without all three of their veteran wings of late, but should get a couple of them back for tonight's home date with Milwaukee. Buddy Hield has gotten major minutes, while Malachi Richardson has unfortunately been banged up. Ben McLemore hadn't been part of the rotation before paternity leave, but will be available tonight. Arron Afflalo (personal) and Tyreke Evans (knee) have also been out, so McLemore could be in for some minutes if they remain sidelined.
Head-head Trends
The Celtics and Pacers may wind up meeting in a playoff series, although the Pacers are hoping to end the season successfully enough to grab the No. 6 seed and avoid Cleveland and Boston. The Celtics have won five of the last eight in the series, with the under 7-1 in those games. Boston is up 2-0 this season, winning in November and December as a 1.5-point road favorite.
The Wizards have a five-game lead on Atlanta in the Southeast Division with just a dozen left to play, so they'll look to improve on a 27-10 home record against a potential playoff opponent. Paul Millsap will remain out with a knee injury which has contributed to the Hawks' four-game losing streak. Washington lost the season opener in Atlanta but has won the last two meetings.
Oklahoma City had its five-game winning streak snapped by Golden State on Monday, but have an opportunity to get back on track against a team they've beaten 15 consecutive times. The 76ers last beat OKC on Nov. 15, 2008 in one of the franchise's first games at the Thunder. Philadelphia has never won in Oklahoma City, last winning a road game in this series back on New Year's Eve of 2007, when the Supersonics played their final season in Seattle.
Utah will look to sweep the Knicks for the second time in three years, improving to 5-1 in the last six meetings against New York. The Jazz are just 15-18 against the number at home, while the Knicks are 17-19 ATS in road games.
