NBA Matchups: December 15

Well, this slate is ridiculous with all the health and safety protocols. 

Houston Rockets (front end) at Cleveland Cavaliers

Team Totals: Rockets 104.3, Cavs 112.8

Injury Report: Evan Mobley (Q, hip), Christian Wood (Q, knee), Eric Gordon (O, groin)

Rockets projected starters: Armoni Brooks, Garrison Mathews, Jae’Sean Tate, Christian Wood, Daniel Theis

Cavs projected starters: Darius Garland, Isaac Okoro, Lauri Markkanen, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Silas quotes: Said he was thinking about putting Nwaba in the game “for a while,” said Nwaba did a great job on Trae, said it helped that they were able to limit the non-Trae guys, said they really struggled at stopping the high PNR stuff with Trae, said Eric Gordon “is playing point, he’s like a combo, but he’s not a true point” for them right now.

Bickerstaff quotes: Said Love had it going and they kept him in there a little longer, said they were great at reading the traps from Miami and getting the ball to the bigs, said they know teams are trying to take the paint away from them and they have to make 3-pointers, said they have really worked on off-ball stuff with Okoro.

Stats and Notes: 

*We get two clashing styles here with the Rockets playing some incredible offense (relative to expectation), and the Cavs just killing it on defense. Since Thanksgiving, the Cavs are first in defensive rating and first in the halfcourt. The Cavs have a huge advantage here. It’s also worth noting that some teams really try to speed the Cavs up to possibly not make this a grind game.

*Darius Garland day? The Rockets can’t contain drive-heavy guards with range, and Garland continues to lean on his shot more against teams trying to protect the rim. It’s a total smash spot for Garland.

*The Rockets aren’t very good on the glass, so this sets up great for Jarrett Allen. Allen is leading the NBA in paint touches this year at a whopping 12.5, and he’ll likely get a ton of putback opportunities.

*No Eric Gordon here certainly shifts things a ton with how the Rockets will have to generate offense. Jae’Sean Tate gets a terrible matchup, but he’s really going to be the focal point here. I’d also expect a lot of D.J. Augustin, who could start and is a decent bet to close.

*This is a pretty easy fade spot on the other Rockets with the Cavs playing so well on the defensive end. The Cavs do not respect Wood. If Wood doesn’t play, Daniel Theis would be looking at more minutes.

Atlanta Hawks at Orlando Magic