NBA Matchups: November 9

CLE @ CHA | LAL @ ATL | WAS @ DET | MEM @ TOR | IND @ DAL | DEN @ HOU | SAS @ PHX | NOP @ GSW

Cleveland Cavaliers at Charlotte Hornets

Team Totals: Cavaliers 110, Hornets 102.5

Injury Report: Jarrett Allen (Q, knee), Khalifa Diop (O, G League assignment), Sam Merrill (O, elbow), Nae’Qwan Tomlin (O, back), Jaylon Tyson (O, ankle), Moussa Diabate (Q, quad), Kon Knueppel (O, hamstring), Brandon Miller (O, hip), Dennis Schroder (O, hamstring), Grant Williams (O, hamstring)

Cavaliers projected starters: James Harden, Donovan Mitchell, Meleek Thomas, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley

Hornets projected starters: Coby White, Grayson Allen, Sion James, Naz Reid, Moussa Diabate

Atkinson quotes: Said they couldn’t rebound against the Knicks, said the B2B may have affected their energy, said they really have to be better on the boards right now, said it’s going to be a dogfight to get into the top six, said they’ll be tested on the road coming up, said Watson is still trying to figure things out and he needs more reps with Harden/Mitchell, said Thomas has confidence and he’s not overwhelmed, said Harden “had his pop back” before Saturday.

Lee quotes: Said they weren’t sharp early against the Celtics, said they had rebounding issues and that affected them, said Miller played through it for a couple of plays and he thought he was going to be OK, said the team made some effort and they were just in too big of a hole early, said he doesn’t tell guys to stop shooting treys if they’re missing them.

Stats and Notes:

*The Hornets are in a terrible spot, and their offense is completely broken, ranking dead last. They’re last in halfcourt O, they’re playing extremely slow, and they are not getting much around the basket, either. They’re getting a Cavs defense that’s been beat on the ball a good bit, and they’re getting killed in transition. They also really struggle on the boards, and Jarrett Allen being out/limited could lead to Cleveland struggling more on the boards. The Hornets’ defense has been strong at the rim, and of course they’re still an elite rebounding team. They also haven’t been giving up much on C&S, so it’ll be a good spot for the on-ball Cavs to put this game out of reach. The Cavs have actually been able to score inside, and they’re running a bit, too.

*Donovan Mitchell is in an excellent spot here. The Hornets just don’t have great options to guard him, and they’re putting in some weaker defenders throughout their rotation. He’ll see a decent bit of Sion James, but the Hornets just don’t help off, and he’s not a guy who needs the rim touches anyway.

*James Harden is also in an OK spot. He’s played better on defense and even had some strong possessions guarding Joel Embiid last week. He’s lost some of his role to Mitchell, and his usage is down to just 24.2% this season. His matchup is fine, and he should get a very weak defender for most of his minutes. I like Mitchell more, but Harden has some serious ceiling at his cheaper tag now.

*Evan Mobley has played great on the offensive side with his jumper carrying him, putting up a 64.7 eFG% to rank sixth in the NBA. His role is a bit unclear as we wait for the Jarrett Allen news. Mobley had 12 paint touches in the last game, and he’ll get those again. It’s not the best matchup, but you have to love the role here.

*Well, the Hornets just lost their backcourt. Coby White’s minutes should get into the mid-20s now, and he will have to fire away. The matchup is a decent one with Mitchell likely to guard him, and it’s really just about the playing time.

*Naz Reid is just going to have to carry some crazy usage here. There’s nobody else on this team who can create their own shot while playing over 30 minutes, but his matchup isn’t the greatest with either Peyton Watson or Evan Mobley guarding him for most of his minutes.

*Grayson Allen is shooting it extremely well with his 65.8 eFG% on jumpers ranking third in the NBA. The Hornets certainly want to get up 3-point volume, and Grayson is their best weapon to do so. He’ll have to play a ton, and there’s just so much usage available.

Great matchups: Donovan Mitchell, James Harden

Good matchups: Peyton Watson, Coby White, Moussa Diabate (if no Allen)

Bad matchups: Jarrett Allen

Los Angeles Lakers (back end) at Atlanta Hawks