After their first loss of the year, the Cleveland Cavaliers return home to face the New Orleans Pelicans. This will be the second game in a back-to-back for either team, with the Cavs recently losing to the Boston Celtics 120-117. The Pelicans, meanwhile, were bludgeoned on the road against the Dallas Mavericks, losing 132-91. Unfortunately, both teams are dealing with numerous injuries heading into this matchup, making this a grind for either side.
Due to being in different conferences, this will be the second and final time Cleveland and New Orleans play each other. Cleveland won in New Orleans 131-122 the last time the Cavs faced the Pelicans. So, with both teams coming off of a loss and the Cavs already 1-0 against the Pelicans this season, New Orleans will be looking for more than revenge.
The Pelicans are 4-11 and second-to-last in the Western Conference, only a half-game ahead of the last-place Utah Jazz. Against the Cavs, they’ll be without Jose Alvarado (hamstring), Jordan Hawkins (back), Brandon Ingram (ankle), Herb Jones (shoulder), CJ McCollum (thigh), Trey Murphy III (hamstring), Dejounte Murray (hand), Jaylen Nowell (not with the team), and Zion Williamson (hamstring).
That means New Orleans will only have seven active players on their roster after signing Elfrid Payton. The Pelicans also have their three two-way players, Brandon Boston Jr., Trey Jamison, and Jamal Cain, available. Regardless, any edge the Pelicans hoped to have against the Cavs is dulled with so many players missing in this matchup. New Orleans will be without their entire starting lineup and their usual first four players coming off the bench. So, while the Cavs might not call this a trap game, it certainly has the makings of one.
Who is available for the Cavs against the Pelicans?
However, like the Pelicans, the Cavs will be without several key contributors. Darius Garland (groin) and Sam Merrill (ankle) are two new faces on Cleveland’s injury report. Caris LeVert (knee), Max Strus (ankle), Isaac Okoro (ankle), and Dean Wade (ankle) also remain sidelined. Meanwhile, Emoni Bates (NBA G League assignment, knee surgery) is still unavailable after offseason knee surgery.
Cleveland’s matchup with New Orleans will be the 18th straight regular-season game without Strus. The Cavs sharpshooter sprained his right ankle during individual workouts. After confirming the sprain’s severity, it was announced that Strus would be reevaluated after six weeks of treatment and rehabilitation.
Wade, meanwhile, suffered an ankle sprain in Cleveland’s win over the Charlotte Hornets. The floor-spacing big man was seen exiting the arena in a walking boot postgame. Not having Wade available is a massive blow to a Cavs team dealing with injuries all season. Wade is arguably one of Cleveland’s best defenders and would help slow down Boston’s perimeter-heavy attack.
Okoro, who also suffered an ankle sprain against the Hornets, leaves the Cavs in for a rude awakening with practically zero wing depth. Since joining Okoro and Wade is LeVert, who has been dealing with wear and tear on his knee all season. Merrill, meanwhile, has been dealing with a nagging ankle injury for a while now. Cleveland is giving the sharpshooter the night off to rest and rehabilitate after he was fairly one-note in the Cavs’ loss to the Celtics.
Can Cleveland thrive without Darius Garland?
Cleveland’s most significant loss is Garland, who has been dealing with wear and tear after the Cavs’ compressed start to the year. Against the Hornets, Garland was spotted wearing a heating pad on his lower back. Thankfully, Garland could play through his ailing back – finishing the game with 25 points and 12 assists. Unfortunately, Garland followed up that effort against Boston with eight points on 3-21 shooting.
It was clear that Garland was dealing with something physically, which caused his game to look off-kilter. So, while he’s listed as dealing with a groin injury, the hope is Garland will be able to play in Cleveland’s next game.
“I think we did the best we could with distributing minutes,” Atkinson said to ClutchPoints after the Cavs defeated the Hornets. “You can’t fight the schedule. You just can’t. You’re going to end up being short-handed too much.
“So I’m a little disappointed we had a couple of guys go down tonight. But this is a tough league. This is a tough league physically. I don’t know if the fans can even grasp how hard it is.”
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