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Key: Spoiler Role
On Tuesday night at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, the Cavaliers have nothing to play for but pride – trying to snap a nine-game skein to end the season and play spoiler one more time.
The Hornets have everything to play for – looking to reach the postseason for the first time since 2016 with a win (and maybe some help).
The Wine & Gold faced a tall order on Sunday afternoon – arriving back to Cleveland from a nine-day West Coast trip at 7:00 a.m. the previous morning and having to take on the Playoff-bound Spurs the following afternoon. Larry Drew’s scrappy squad stuck with San Antonio through most of the first half, but a late Spurs burst just before halftime was too much for the road-weary Cavs.
The Hornets – who’ve won three straight, including a critical Sunday night victory over the Pistons – control their own destiny and can secure a postseason spot with wins in Cleveland and against Orlando tomorrow night at home. Since they own tiebreakers against Miami, however, they can still split the two games and get in.
The Hornets have dropped the Cavaliers twice down on Tobacco Road, but Cleveland crushed Charlotte by 24 in their lone visit to the North Coast this season, extending the win streak to eight straight at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
Key: Follow the Leader
Although he won’t be in the MVP conversation this year, there aren’t many teams that depend on a single player more than the Hornets depend on Kemba Walker.
With a scoring average over 10.0 points more than the next-closest teammate, Charlotte goes as Walker goes. Lucky for them, he’s been on a massive tear when they’ve needed him most.
The franchise’s all-time leading scorer, Walker has averaged an even 30.0 points per over his last seven outings – including 34.8 over his last four games – as he tries to will his squad into the postseason.
So far this year, Walker has gone for at least 30 points on 21 occasions, for more than 40 in five games and posted a career-best 60-point outburst back in November against the Sixers.
Walker, who became just the ninth player in NBA history to can at least 250 triples in a season, struggled mightily in his last appearance at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse – finishing with seven points on 2-for-16 shooting, but finished with 30 points and six assists in the Hornets’ recent win over Cleveland in Charlotte.
That outing was just the second time in 26 career contests against the Cavaliers in which he’s topped the 30-point plateau.
Key: Rookie Iron Man
The Cavaliers have been pleased with almost everything they’ve seen from Collin Sexton throughout his rookie campaign, but one of his more impressive qualities has been his resiliency against big-name veteran point guards.
The Young Bull has held his own against some of the best 1s in the Association this year – and he’ll cap his initial campaign with the red-hot Walker.
Sexton has struggled through the first three games against Charlotte – shooting a combined 33 percent from the floor. But Cleveland’s last meeting with the Hornets came in late-December, long before the former ‘Bama standout turned his season around.
Sexton – who’s looking to become just the 8th Cavs rookie in history to play in all 82 games – has scored at least 20 points in 13 of his last 16 outings and has tallied double-figures in 22 straight.
He’s looking to became just the third rookie in NBA history average at least 16.0 points while shooting better than 40 percent from deep and 80 percent from the stripe – joining Larry Bird and Steph Curry.
He’ll also become the first Cavs rookie since Ron Harper to average 16.0 points and play in all 82 games and the first overall since Karl-Anthony Towns in 2015-16.
Key: Reserve Judgement
The Cavaliers rely on their bench for a good portion of their offensive production – mostly through high-scoring sub Jordan Clarkson. But the Hornets have depended on a group of bench players, especially over the past week’s Playoff push.
Over the course of their recent three-game win streak, no starter aside from Kemba Walker has notched more than 14 points.
But the Hornets have gotten an excellent late-season push from fourth-year man, Frank “The Tank” Kaminsky, who’s now topped the 20-point mark off the bench in each of Charlotte’s last three wins, shooting 47 percent from the floor over that stretch, grabbing 13 boards in a huge win over Toronto.
Jeremy Lamb has been almost as good, tallying at least 20 points in two of his last four appearances off the bench on a combined 51 percent shooting.
Jordan Clarkson has been excellent all season, but he was out of gas when the squad returned home on Sunday, having his double-digit scoring streak snapped at 20 straight after finishing with just two points in the loss.
But if anyone deserves a mulligan, it’s the fifth-year man from Mizzou, who’s career-best 16.9 ppg scoring average is good for 3rd among All NBA reserves and whose 71 games of double-figure scoring is tops in the league.
Key: The Son Also Rises
Last February, the Cavaliers acquired both Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. from the Lakers in exchange for Isaiah Thomas, Channing Frye and a first rounder that turned out to be Moritz Wagner.
Thomas moved on to Denver, Wagner had an inconsistent and injury-plagued first season in L.A. and the beloved Channing Frye will be playing the final game of his 13-year career on Tuesday night in Cleveland.
With his second rebound on Sunday afternoon, Frye – who returned to Cleveland as a free agent in the offseason – became just the 36th player in league history to grab 4.000 rebounds and can over 1,000 threes. Clarkson has established himself as one of the NBA’s premier sixth men. And Nance has became one of the core leaders of the Cavaliers – both vocally and through example.
On Sunday afternoon, Nance posted his third straight double-double – 17th on the year – finishing with 11 points to go with team-highs in rebounds (10) and assists (5) as well as a season-high-tying four steals.
Nance – who’s now snagged double-digit boards in six straight games – has led the Cavaliers in rebounding 26 times, in assists 26 times, 34 times in steals and in blocks on 24 occasions.