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Key: Bug Busters
For the second time in 10 days, the Wine & Gold take on the Hornets – but this time they’re hoping for some different results.
In their previous meeting in Charlotte, Kemba Walker and Co. dominated the Wine & Gold after intermission, beating them up on the boards and in the paint.
The Cavaliers are coming off another tough loss – dropping a heartbreaker in Chicago on Saturday night. Both Cleveland and the Bulls were missing key players, going toe-to-toe for four quarters before a thrilling finish – with Collin Sexton missing the game-winning shot at the buzzer to keep the Cavaliers winless on the road.
The Hornets – who lead the Southeast Division with a 7-6 mark – come to town having won three of their previous four, including a 113-103 win over the Pistons on Sunday night in Motown.
The Cavaliers have owned the Hornets on the North Coast over the recent past – winning the last seven home meetings against Charlotte and boasting a 21-3 mark dating back to 2004.
The Cavs would love to continue that home dominance – and get a bit of revenge – when they play the first game of a midweek back-to-back on Tuesday at The Q.
Key: Power-Point Presentation
In his eighth season out of UConn, Kemba Walker is having another outstanding year – leading the Eastern Conference in scoring with a 27.9 ppg mark.
The top scorer in franchise history, Walker is also the 5th-best assist man in the Conference and has already gone off for 41 points in the season opener and 39 more two games later. He’s only scored less than 20 points in only two of Charlotte’s first 13 games – including the Hornets’ November 3 win over the Cleveland, going 6-of-12 from the floor for a quiet 18 points.
In 23 career contests against the Wine & Gold, Walker has tallied double-figures in 20 of them – including a 37-point outburst here at the Spectrum Center two seasons ago.
Trying to check the two-time All-Star will be an excellent test for the Young Bull – who’s started the past two games for Cleveland and has shown why he was the No. 8 overall pick this past June.
After leading the Cavs in scoring with 15 points in last Thursday’s meeting with OKC, the former Bama standout went off for a career-high 20 points on Saturday night – going 8-of-16 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from deep, to go with four boards and three assists.
The last time these teams locked horns, Tony Parker gave Sexton a lesson on both ends. The fire gets even hotter for the rookie on Tuesday night.
Key: Walking Tall
There isn’t anyone on the current squad that’s playing better ball than Tristan Thompson over the past couple weeks. When Kevin Love went down just four games into the season, Thompson emerged as the team’s veteran leader, and he’s been outstanding in that role.
The eighth-year man from Texas has piled up three straight double-doubles, including his 22-point, 12-rebound effort on Saturday night in Chicago, and is now averaging a double-double on the season. Over his last six games, dating back to October 30, Thompson’s averaging 13.3 points, 11.7 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals.
Tristan was quiet in the last meeting with Charlotte, but he’s been on a tear ever since.
The Hornets will counter with Cody Zeller, who isn’t going to remind anyone of Artis Gilmore in the post, but gets the job done for Charlotte; the team is .130 percentage points better with him in the lineup over the past two seasons.
Zeller had a quiet night against the Cavs back on November 3, but he’s coming off a pair of 14-point performances and has notched double-figures in seven of Charlotte’s 13 games so far this season.
Key: Bench Bonus
The last time these two squads squared off, 18-year veteran Tony Parker came off the bench to sting the Cavaliers, but he wasn’t the only one. In that early-November loss in Charlotte, the Hornets featured seven players in double-figures – and five of them (including Parker) did so off the bench.
In that defeat, Parker, Miles Bridges, Malik Monk, Willy Hernangomez and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist all tallied double-digits in relief, with Monk leading the way with 16 points.
Kidd-Gilchrist is out for tonight’s meeting with a sprained right ankle, but Tony Parker is ready for action after coming off another excellent game as a reserve – finishing with 24 points on 11-of-18 shooting in Charlotte’s recent win over the Pistons.
The Cavaliers will try to keep him busy on both ends with their explosive reserve, Jordan Clarkson, who grew up watching Parker play in San Antonio. Clarkson has posted double-digit points in every game this season, including a 15-point, five-rebound, four-assist night in 25 minutes of work off the bench in Chicago.
So far this season, J.C. is averaging 15.2 points per – good for 4th among all second unit players.
Key: Two Guards
Neither of tonight’s shooting guards are the types of guys to light up the scoreboard, but both have been steady for their squad all season.
Jeremy Lamb, now in his seventh season out of UConn, has tallied double-figure scoring in all but two of Charlotte’s first 13 games and is coming off a season in which he shot a career best from beyond the arc.
He’s scored in double-digits in each of his last four meetings against the Wine & Gold – including a game-high 19 points in Charlotte’s November 3rd win, going 8-for-15 from the floor to go with eight boards and a pair of assists.
Rodney Hood saved his best for last on Saturday night – netting nine of his 20 points in the fourth quarter against Chicago, going 4-of-8 from the floor in the period and 7-for-15 from the floor overall. Hood has only failed to reach double-figures in two games so far this season, but one of them was Cleveland’s recent loss on Tobacco Road.
He and the Cavaliers would love to reverse that trend on Tuesday night at The Q.