After falling flat in the second half of a 104-94 loss to the Orlando Magic, the Cleveland Cavaliers are back at it once again Tuesday night in Bean Town against the Boston Celtics for the second half of a tough back-to-back. Unfortunately, the Cavs will still be without a few key faces versus the Celtics, with Emoni Bates (NBA G League Assignment), Ty Jerome (ankle), Evan Mobley (knee) and Ricky Rubio (personal) all unavailable to suit up for Cleveland.
As always, Rubio's absence shouldn't come as a surprise. Cleveland is giving Rubio as much time as possible to prioritize and focus on his mental wellbeing. Jerome, meanwhile, hasn't played since Cleveland's home-opening loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder, and there's no sign when he'll return to the floor.
Mobley is still sidelined with the knee injury that kept him out of Cleveland's last two games against the Miami Heat and Monday's loss the Orlando Magic. Without Mobley, the Cavs change completely on defense and could be exploited if All-Star center Jarrett Allen gets overwhelmed with manning the middle by himself. Thankfully, they were fine in Miami without Mobley, but every game is totally different and could set the tone for Cleveland on defense.
This will be the third game in a row and the second game overall Mobley will miss for the Cavs this season. Dean Wade should slide into the starting lineup as the team’s power forward. Georges Niang and Tristan Thompson will likely also see a few extra minutes, with Thompson playing the center minutes whenever Allen rests on the bench.
Caris LeVert questionable vs. Celtics
The major news for Cleveland is that Caris LeVert (knee) is considered a game-time decision against Boston. Of course, getting LeVert back would be a huge boost scoring-wise for the Cavs after he missed Cleveland's last four games. But given that LeVert is known as The Boston Strangler by some fans, getting LeVert back could swing momentum in favor of the Cavs.
While he only averages 16.9 points per game on 48.0% shooting for his career against the Celtics, LeVert can catch fire whenever he's in Boston. Last season, when the Cavs were considered down and nearly out, LeVert erupted for 41 points, helping Cleveland upset Boston on the parquet floor in overtime and giving the Celtics their first home loss of the 2022-23 season. Funnily enough, three years before that, LeVert also erupted for 51 points while he was with the Brooklyn Nets, eventually leading to the Nets winning overtime.
Clearly, LeVert has a personal vendetta with the city of Boston and their basketball team. Considering that the Celtics are only missing JD Davison, Nathan Knight and Jordan Walsh, who are all on assignment with the Maine Celtics, Boston's G League affiliate, the Cavs will need all the help they can get. Right now, the Celtics are 10-0 within friendly confines of the TD Garden this season and have a rest advantage over Cleveland. But if the Cavs can get back LeVert, AKA The Boston Strangler, then Cleveland could have a shot of ending Boston's undefeated home record for the second consecutive year.
Crazier things have happened, but either way, LeVert's availability should be known close to when things tip off between the Cavs and Celtics.
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