The Cavaliers return to The Land on Wednesday night as they host the Los Angeles Lakers. Tipoff from The Q is at 8:00 p.m. (ET).
After two tough road games that saw the Cavs drop contests against the Washington Wizards and Detroit Pistons, the squad is back in The Land looking for their second straight home win when the Lakers come to town.
Cavs Host Lakers
From where to catch all the action to Wednesday's game notes, Cavs.com has you covered.
ESPN
WTAM 100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 FM La Mega
Joe G.'s guide to a victory.
Learn more about Wednesday's matchup.
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Despite dropping their last two games, the Wine & Gold were able to come away with some positive notes while on the road; one being their scoring proficiency.
In fact, Cleveland tallied six players in double-digits in Monday's game against Detroit, which was the ninth time this season they have accomplished that feat. Those players included Collin Sexton (18), Jordan Clarkson (16), Rodney Hood (12), Ante Zizic (12), Cedi Osman (10) and Tristan Thompson (10).
The Cavs also continue to excel from the charity stripe this season and currently have three players that rank in the NBA’s Top 30 in free throw percentage: Hood (.925, seventh in NBA), Sexton (.894, 17th in NBA) and Clarkson (.862, tied-29th in NBA).
Sexton, specifically, continues to lead all rookie qualifiers in free throw percentage at .894, while ranking fourth among rookies in ppg (13.2) and fifth in apg (2.4). In his first five NBA starts, the 19-year-old point guard is averaging 18.2 points, 3.0 rebounds, 2.8 assists and a .692 (9-13) clip from beyond the arc in 33.2 minutes.
Another young baller, Ante Zizic, had a solid game against the Pistons on Monday, scoring a season-high 12 points (5-7 FG, 2-2 FT), to go along with six rebounds in 18 minutes off the bench in Motown.
From a veteran standpoint, Tristan Thompson continues to be a leader for the Wine & Gold, especially over the last six contests. In those six outings (since 11/5), Thompson is averaging 13.5 points (.610 FG%), 13.2 rebounds (5.2 offensive) and 2.3 assists in 29.5 minutes per game.
The Wine & Gold will need both their youngsters and vets to come together on Wednesday night when they take on a streaking Los Angeles Lakers squad. After dropping their first three games of the 2018-19 Campaign, the Lakers have now won seven of their last nine - good for third place in the Pacific Division.
L.A. will look to keep the ball rolling after topping the Miami Heat in the most recent game, 113-97, on Sunday night in South Beach. In the win, LeBron James dropped 51 points in 38 minutes while getting some support off the bench from Kentavious Caldwell-Pope who finished the night with 19 points.
Wednesday's Thanksgiving-Eve showdown between the Cavs and Lakers will be the first meeting between the two meetings this season. They will battle one more time on January 13 in Tinseltown.
Where to Catch the Action
TV: ESPN
Tune in for Cavaliers LIVE on FSO for pre-and-postgame coverage starting 30 minutes prior to tipoff and immediately following the conclusion of the game.
Radio: WTAM 1100, 100.7 WMMS, 87.7 La Mega
For live in-game updates, follow @cavs, @CavsJoeG, @CavsFredMcLeod, @MrCavalier34, @CavsJMike and @chones22 on Twitter.
Probable Starters/Status Update*
#2 - Collin Sexton
#1 - Rodney Hood
#16 - Cedi Osman
#22 - Larry Nance Jr.
#13 - Tristan Thompson
G
G
F
F
C
#2 - Lonzo Ball
#14 - Brandon Ingram
#23 - LeBron James
#0 - Kyle Kuzma
#7 - JaVale McGee
Status Update: (Cavs) - Kevin Love (Left Foot Soreness, Out), George Hill (Right Shoulder Sprain, Out), Sam Dekker (Left Ankle Sprain, Out), JR Smith (NWT)
Status Update: (Lakers) - Rajon Rondo (Right Hand/Third Metacarpal Fracture, Out)
*Subject to change.
Head-to-Head Matchup
When it comes to playing the Lakers, the Cavaliers haven't shown the Purple and Gold much love at Quicken Loans Arena in recent memory.
In fact, Cleveland has won four straight home games over the Lakers, winning by an average of 11.0 points (120.0-109.0) and handing out 29.8 assists (11.5 turnovers) in that span. Cleveland has connected on .519 from the field, including .459 (61-133) from three-point territory in their last four meetings at The Q.
The last time the Cavs and Lakers squared off at The Q, Cleveland picked up a 121-112 victory (12/14/17). In the win, Cleveland had 32 assists and shot 43-86 (.500) from the field, 15-36 (.417) from three-point range and 20-25 (.800) from the foul line. Defensively, the Cavs swiped 10 steals and held the Lakers to 9-31 (.290) shooting from beyond the arc, while also scoring 25 points off 18 Lakers turnovers.
Overall, the Wine & Gold are 7-1 in their last eight meetings against Los Angeles (since 1/15/15). Over that eight-game stretch, the Cavs are averaging 118.4 points, scoring at least 110 points in each of the last seven matchups, as well as 120 points in five of those outings. Cleveland has also shot a combined .509 from the field, while knocking down an average of 13.9 threes (.419 3FG%) and dishing out 24.5 assists (10.6 turnovers) over that stretch.
On Deck
Following Wednesday's joust with Los Angeles, the Cavaliers head to the City of Brotherly Love on Friday to battle the Philadelphia 76ers. The Wine & Gold will then return to Cleveland the following night (Saturday) to take on James Harden and the Houston Rockets at 7:30 p.m. (ET). The squad will round out their two-game homestand on November 26 against Karl-Anthony Towns and the Minnesota Timberwolves (7:00 p.m. ET).