What to watch for in Cavaliers at Rockets
The Cavs will look to halt Houston’s four-game winning streak.
The Cleveland Cavaliers (42-24) will stay in the South and take on the Houston Rockets (31-35). In their last meeting, a 135-130 overtime thriller in Cleveland, Donovan Mitchell dropped 37 points to lead the Cavs to victory.
What: Cleveland Cavaliers at Houston Rockets
When: 5:00 p.m. EST
Where: Toyota Center - Houston, Texas
Line: CLE -4.5
Expected Cavaliers Starting Lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen
Cavaliers Injury Report: Max Strus (ankle, OUT), Evan Mobley (ankle, OUT), Ty Jerome (ankle, OUT), Emoni Bates (G League, OUT), Pete Nance (G League, OUT), Isaiah Mobley (G League, OUT)
Expected Rockets Starting Lineup: Fred Van Vleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Amen Thompson, Jabari Smith
Rockets Injury Report: Alperen Sengun (ankle/knee, OUT), Cam Whitmore (knee sprain, OUT), Steven Adams (knee, OUT), Tari Eason (leg, OUT), Nate Hinton (G League, OUT), Jermaine Samuels Jr. (G League, OUT)
What to watch for: paint defense
The Rockets are a middle-of-the-road team in three-point attempts per game (16th) and near the bottom in three-point makes per game (26th). But a big part of Houston's offense this season has been Alperen Sengun, who suffered a severe ankle and knee injury just a few games ago and will likely miss the rest of the season. That means the Rockets will be relying on some of their young prospects to pick up that slack, which the Cavs should be able to exploit.
In Houston’s last game against Washington, they ran out rookie Amen Thompson at power forward and second-year Jabari Smith Jr. at center. That may have worked against the similarly-sized Wizards (who countered with Deni Avdija and Kyle Kuzma at the four and the five respectively), but the Cavs should have a size advantage down low. Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade provide a blend of perimeter and interior defense while being able to scoop up rebounds. Tristan Thompson is eligible off the bench as well, which could be useful.
The Cavs could get cleaner looks at the rim as well, led by Mitchell and Darius Garland weaving their way through the lane. Thompson and Smith are more nimble than the average big, but the Cavs will have avenues to punish their smaller size.
One stat to watch for: three-point shooting
The Rockets allow their opponents to get up three-point looks, but they've been successful in not permitting a high make percentage. Opponents are shooting 34.9% from deep when facing Houston, the best in the league per Cleaning the Glass. Meanwhile, the Cavs are coming off a game in which they eviscerated the New Orleans Pelicans from deep (20/45, or 44%). Cleveland will get their shots up, but the small-ball Rockets may be better equipped to close out faster on shooters.
On the flip side, the Rockets are not as good of a three-point shooting team. In fact, they take the fifth-most shots at the rim (though they have the fourth-worst efficiency at the rim, per Cleaning the Glass). Against the Wizards, the Rockets scored a little more than half of their points at the rim utilizing the small-ball lineup. It will be interesting to see how they adjust against a team like the Cavs with a more stout rim protector in Allen.