Cleveland have lost their last three games to be just one win above .500, with their 125-136 defeat against Chicago on Saturday dropping them to 15-14. It was their second consecutive defeat to Chicago, after losing by 16 points two days prior, and the second time around their injury report was even longer, with Donovan Mitchell joining Evan Mobley on the sidelines. Darius Garland did his best to carry his team to victory, dropping 35 points and eight assists to be the only starter with a positive plus-minus, however, the team’s defence simply couldn’t stop the visitors. After trailing by just three points with less than four minutes to play, Cleveland gave up a 6-14 run to finish the game, resulting in another underwhelming loss. Jarrett Allen was solid with 14 points and 12 rebounds, but it was a disastrous defensive night from Cleveland, giving up a 128.3 defensive rating to drop another game.
Charlotte had won two on the trot heading to Detroit but they were comprehensively outclassed by the East’s leaders, losing 86-112. The defensive energy and focus of the hosts completely shut down LaMelo Ball and, with that, Charlotte’s offence as a whole, making for a blowout in the fourth quarter. Trailing just 77-81 early in the fourth, Charlotte were right in the contest, but they would score just nine points in the final 10:30 of play to make it an ugly final scoreline. In just his second game back from injury, Ball shot 3/14 from the floor for eight points, six assists and four turnovers in a poor performance, and Kon Knueppel was kept quiet too, with 19 points (5/14 FGs), seven rebounds and five assists. Miles Bridges also struggled, going 6/15, and that made it impossible for Charlotte to stay in the fight in the fourth.
Mitchell is set to return from illness on Tuesday in what is a huge boost for Cleveland, and he’ll help make this game a run-and-gun affair. With Ball back in the lineup, Charlotte will be pushing the rock and as Mobley remains out, that will result in plenty of points. Cleveland will also have a field day on offence, making this game one for the over.
Oklahoma City have now lost two of their last three games, which would have almost been an unbelievable statement two weeks ago. Their 107-112 loss to Minnesota on Saturday did come in difficult circumstances, on night two of a back-to-back and taking on a well-rested Anthony Edwards, who proved to be the hero for the hosts with the dagger three to seal the loss for OKC. The defending champions looked like they were going to be comfortable in this contest, with an early 12-point lead in the first quarter, but Minnesota ground away at the buffer before taking the lead in the third, and while OKC hit back to be up 107-104 with 1:09 remaining, the hosts flicked the switch to dominate the rest of the game and hand Oklahoma City just their third loss of the season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander certainly wasn’t to blame for the defeat, with 35 points, five rebounds, seven assists, two steals and two blocks to be a +5, but shooting struggles from Jalen Williams, Lu Dort, Alex Caruso and Cason Wallace made for a rough offensive night for the team.
Memphis had found some form with seven wins from their last nine games, as they returned home to host Washington, but a shock 122-130 loss brought them back down to Earth. As 12.5-point favourites, Memphis were expected to romp to victory in this contest and it looked like that was going to be the case, as they took a 68-53 lead into halftime. However, a 24-42 third quarter allowed Washington right back into the game, before the visitors finished the game on a 3-15 run to steal the win. Santi Aldama was outstanding for Memphis in this one, with 37 points and 10 rebounds, hitting shots all over the court and providing solid defence. Cam Spencer had 19 points and 11 assists and Jaren Jackson Jr chipped in with 22 points on 7/18 shooting and eight rebounds. That couldn’t overcome the team’s fourth-worst defensive effort of the season, though, as Washington crashed the offensive glass and shot the lights out late to hand Memphis an unexpected loss.
Both teams have significant injury reports heading into this clash, with Isaiah Hartenstein out and Alex Caruso and Chet Holmgren questionable for the hosts, while Ja Morant and Zach Edey remain out for Memphis. With Jaylin Williams also out for OKC, they are set to be very thin in the paint, especially if Holmgren is out, and with the form that JJJ is in, that may make for a tough defensive matchup for the defending champions. They will get their points with SGA and Jalen Williams available, but I don’t like them as 16.5-point favourites.
Golden State ended their three-game skid with a 119-116 victory over Phoenix. That saw the two teams split their home-and-home 1-1, after Phoenix prevailed in the first matchup on Friday 98-99 on the back of a Jordan Goodwin free throw. However, in the rematch in San Francisco, it was Jimmy Butler and Steph Curry’s turn to step up in the clutch, with Butler hitting an and-one to put GS up 115-110 with less than a minute to play, before Curry hit two FTs and a layup to ice the game. Curry was excellent all night, finishing with 28 points, 10 boards and six assists, and Butler wasn’t far behind, with 25 points. Will Richard continued his impressive rookie season to provide 20 points in 19 minutes while going 8/9 from the field.
Orlando won an overtime nailbiter against Utah on Sunday, with Desmond Bane hitting a tough layup to win the game for the visitors 128-127. Orlando perhaps didn’t deserve to leave Salt Lake City with the victory, giving up a 19-point lead late in the third quarter and allowing the hosts to come all the way back to tie the game and force OT, but Bane showed his worth with the game-winner to cap off a 32-point evening. The star guard went 13/21 from the field and added six rebounds and two steals, while Paolo Banchero finished one rebound and one assist shy of a triple-double, with 23 points, nine rebounds and nine assists, but he was again inefficient, going 6/18 from the field. Anthony Black had 20 points and Noah Penda had a surprising 13 points, 12 boards, two steals and two blocks in a stellar game from the rookie.
We have a near-full-strength Golden State lineup on Tuesday and that is going to help the record the victory in this game. Orlando have been shaky without Wagner, with a -3.2 net rating and the league’s sixth-worst defence since his injury, and with Curry in the form that he is in, Golden State will be able to exploit the visitors.