NBA Matchups: October 22

CLE @ NYK | BKN @ CHA | MIA @ ORL | TOR @ ATL | PHI @ BOS | DET @ CHI | NOP @ MEM | WAS @ MIL | LAC @ UTA | SAS @ DAL | SAC @ PHX | MIN @ POR

Cleveland Cavaliers at New York Knicks

Team Totals: Cavs 114.5, Knicks 113.5

Injury Report: De’Andre Hunter (Q, knee), Josh Hart (O, back), Mitchell Robinson (O, ankle), Karl-Anthony Towns (Q, quad)

Cavs projected starters: Donovan Mitchell, Sam Merrill, De’Andre Hunter, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Knicks projected starters: Jalen Brunson, Mikal Bridges, OG Anunoby, Karl-Anthony Towns, Ariel Hukporti (Note: Could see Deuce McBride or Guerschon Yabusele)

Atkinson quotes: Said Donovan Mitchell has a great feel for the game as a PG, said they didn’t want to risk putting Hunter back in the game after he bumped knees, said Garland went through some 5-on-5 last week, said he’s been a big fan of Lonzo Ball.

Brown quotes: Said Mitchell Robinson would’ve played in the preseason finale if it was a regular-season game, said he wants to use Mikal and OG Anunoby to run the floor more.

Stats and Notes: 

*The Cavs are coming off a historic run on offense with a 122.5 O rating to lead the NBA, but Darius Garland is a big deal, as he led their rotation in on-court O rating, and the Cavs had their lowest O rating when he was off the court. A big change for the Cavs’ offense last year was the added pace, and that was a trend for them in the preseason with a third-ranked 106.9 pace. The Cavs were an incredible PNR handler offense last year, while the Knicks gave up the most points. However, coach Mike Brown’s teams have been better against PNR handlers because of putting two on the ball more than almost any coach, and having more off-ball shifts. For the Knicks’ offense, their talk of pace was just talk with the second-slowest pace in the NBA during the preseason. Their offense should look different under coach Brown, and we’ve seen him install much more DHO and transition. The Cavs were a solid interior defense last year with one of the best FG% against down there, and they also limited 3-pointers, especially above-the-break ones.

*Donovan Mitchell should be in a big spot against a Knicks team that really gave it up to lead guards last year. His stats against the Knicks were solid at 26/4/5 in three games, but he did play just 30 minutes per game. With Garland still out, Mitchell should have a ton of screens from their bigs. The only question is whether or not Mike Brown will pressure lead handlers more than Thibs did. I still like this spot for him against Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby, and the Knicks not having Mitch should make it less likely that he sees a lot of OG.

*Evan Mobley has been one of the two buzz guys at camp, and he’s healthier than De’Andre Hunter. Coach Kenny Atkinson has mentioned that Mobley has been one of the more impressive offensive players in camp, and Mobley has been integrating some trail 3-pointers to his workout routine. Mobley’s touches were strong in the preseason, and he had a 22.0 AST% in the preseason (15% last year). The matchup is pretty unclear for him because it’s likely going to be a decent bit of OG Anunoby, who might start on him. Either way, losing Mitchell Robinson in this matchup makes it much better for the Cleveland bigs.

*De’Andre Hunter banged knees, and he could miss this one. Hunter has had some major knee issues in his career, and Atkinson said on Monday “it’s too early to say” for Hunter. With the Knicks likely prioritizing Mitchell and Mobley, there’s a chance that Hunter can pick up a nice chunk of the offense. Hunter put up a 28.0 usage rate in the preseason with a sterling 77.9 TS% as one of the best offensive players in the preseason. If he gets the all clear, I like this spot for him.

*Sam Merrill should certainly get the Jalen Brunson matchup, and we’ll see how much the Cavs choose to hunt Brunson. With Lonzo Ball having a 20-minute cap on him, Merrill could play into the upper 20s in a 10-man rotation.