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Darius Garland and the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers are home to take on LaMelo Ball and the Charlotte Hornets. One game ago, the Cavs defeated the Chicago Bulls at home, but head coach Kenny Atkinson criticized Cleveland's defensive effort. The Hornets, meanwhile, will face the Cavs in the second game in a back-to-back. Charlotte narrowly defeated Giannis Antetokoumpo and the Milwaukee Bucks and will play on tired legs. There's already blood in the water, and now all it will take is for the Cavs to take the Hornets out.
The Hornets are 5-7 and tied for eighth place in the Eastern Conference heading into this game. Under new head coach Charles Lee, Charlotte plays dramatically different basketball compared to how they looked last season. The Hornets are young and explosive, making a tough matchup for Cleveland. Here's how the Cavs can maintain control of the game from wire to wire to avoid getting stung by the Hornets.
The battle of the guards between Cleveland and Charlotte
With the Cavs electing to rest Donovan Mitchell against the Hornets, Atkinson is turning the offense to star guard Darius Garland. Under Atkinson, Garland has bounced back from last year's injury-riddled season. But with total control of the offense, Garland should look like a completely different beast against Charlotte.
Considering that Garland will be going blow for blow with Hornets superstar LaMelo Ball, the Cavs will need Garland to be dynamic. Heading into the matchup, Ball is fifth in the NBA in scoring, averaging 33.8 points per game. Garland, meanwhile, is 32nd in the NBA in scoring, averaging 30.1 points per game. So, based on scoring numbers alone, this is bound to be an explosive matchup. However, there is context to it that could give Garland an edge.
With a 36.2% usage rate, it becomes clear that Ball's scoring numbers are hyper-inflated. While Garland is scoring 3.7 points per game less than Ball, he is doing it at a 26.1% usage rate. Not having to share the offense with Mitchell, who has the ball in his hands 30.3% of the time for the Cavs, could make Garland even more lethal in this matchup and tip the scales in Cleveland's favor.
Isaac Okoro could be the Cavs' biggest X-factor
Garland should get a little help outclassing Ball from defensive swingman Isaac Okoro. The Cavs defensive specialist typically draws the assignment of defending the opponent's best perimeter player. So, against the Hornets, Okoro will be tasked with slowing down the NBA's fifth-best scorer. But it won't just be Okoro's defense that will matter against Charlotte. It'll also be his defense.
Okoro has averaged 7.0 points, 2.8 rebounds, and 2.0 assists against the Hornets in his career. While those numbers won't match what Brandon Miller produces for Charlotte, if Okoro can give Cleveland a two-way presence, it should be easier to maintain their undefeated start to the year.
The Cavs have a big-time advantage over the Hornets
Charlotte's big-man rotation is banged up, making their frontcourt rotation incredibly thin. It's forced the Hornets to play Grant Williams, a combo forward, at center. Charlotte has also given 39-year-old Taj Gibson serious minutes because of the injuries, despite top-ten pick Tidjane Salaün being available.
Cleveland is a team known for playing through their dynamic big-man duo of Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. Against the Hornets, however, how dynamic the duo can be could take on a whole new form. According to Cleaning the Glass, Charlotte allows opponents to convert on 65.7% of their shots at the rim. Cleveland, meanwhile, is taking 36.3% of their shots at the rim, scoring there 67.9% of the time.
This is a golden opportunity for the Cavs to impose their will on the interior and extend their undefeated streak. Creating an interior presence early into the game will help Cleveland establish a lead. Once they've broken the Hornets, then the Cavs can easily cruise to victory.
