NBA Matchups: December 18

HOU @ CLE | LAC @ IND | CHI @ PHI | DET @ ATL | MIN @ MIA | CHA @ TOR | MEM @ OKC | DAL @ DEN | BKN @ UTA | WAS @ SAC | NYK @ LAL

Houston Rockets at Cleveland Cavaliers

Team Totals: Rockets 105.5, Cavs 109.5

Injury Report: Rockets B2B, Darius Garland (O, jaw), Evan Mobley (O, knee)

Rockets projected starters: Fred VanVleet, Jalen Green, Dillon Brooks, Jabari Smith Jr., Alperen Sengun

Cavs projected starters: Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Isaac Okoro, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen

Udoka quotes: Said he liked the defensive activity, said he gave the second unit more run because they were playing well, said group galvanized around Dillon Brooks in Memphis.

Bickerstaff quotes: Said Mitchell set the table really well for the squad, said Jarrett Allen has to dominate the paint with Mobley out.

Stats and Notes:

*This isn’t exactly a great game environment with two teams playing in the bottom nine for pace, and they’re both in the top eight for defensive rating (Cavs eighth, Rockets second). Without Evan Mobley, the Cavs have held up OK on defense with some solid rim protection, and they’ve been OK on the boards, too. The biggest issue they’ve had recently has been their transition defense, but the Rockets like to play in the halfcourt anyway. The Rockets are an outstanding transition defense and have held up around the basket, so the Cavs will need their shooting to carry them here.

*Only 36 minutes for Fred VanVleet on Friday? What? Kidding aside, Udoka liked his second unit to take some minutes off the top, but I’d expect them to come back up today. His matchup won’t be great, as he is likely running into Isaac Okoro.

*Alperen Sengun also runs into a tough matchup here with Jarrett Allen’s size in the paint. The Cavs have shown they can still lock down the paint without Mobley, and Dean Wade’s impact should also hinder Goon here.

*Jalen Green may have the most favorable matchup here, but it’s somewhat discouraging that Udoka keeps playing huge lineups to cut him down.

*Donovan Mitchell had a rough game on Saturday, and his role didn’t expand quite as much as expected. The Hawks were able to keep him out of PNR, which should be his go-to play in the halfcourt. This matchup is quite bad for Mitchell with the Rockets being an exceptional transition defense, and he’ll certainly run into Dillon Brooks here. The role should be there, but there’s a lot working against him.

*Jarrett Allen is going to be the main man as a screener, and he is finally starting to show his ceiling. This matchup isn’t great for him with the Rockets protecting the paint well and also being good on the boards.

*Max Strus is somewhat interesting as possibly the path of least resistance, and the minutes should be there. I’d be OK just fading this game, though.

Great matchups: Nobody

Good matchups: Max Strus, Jalen Green

Bad matchups: Donovan Mitchell, Alperen Sengun, Fred VanVleet

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L.A. Clippers at Indiana Pacers

Team Totals: Clippers 124.3, Pacers 121.3

Injury Report: Bones Hyland (Q, knee), Tyrese Haliburton (Q, knee)

Clippers projected starters: James Harden, Paul George, Terance Mann, Kawhi Leonard, Ivica Zubac

Pacers projected starters: Tyrese Haliburton, Buddy Hield, Bruce Brown, Obi Toppin, Myles Turner

Lue quotes: Said he can see the team starting to build together, said Kawhi is in great shape and his body feels good, said they’re asking Kawhi to guard elite guys more, said Harden is making the right reads and he’s taking what the defense gives him, said they have confidence in Coffey and he’s earned the right to play, said Mann is a connector and fits in well with the Big Three.

Carlisle quotes: Said the team learned a lot on the road trip and they have to get better, said the Wolves are a different team, said they have guys competing for minutes, said Jarace Walker “earned his minutes” and Sheppard understands the system, said T.J. and Bruce were good at the point.

Stats and Notes: 

*The Tyrese Haliburton injury is the story here. He didn’t sound like he was close to playing on Saturday, so he could certainly miss this one. Regardless of his status, we know the Indiana defense has been one of the easiest to attack with their league-high rim points allowed. The Clippers aren’t too interested in rim scoring with their bottom-10 output per game, but either way we can expect them to score quite a bit. Since Nov. 29 (nine games), they have the best offense in the league at an incredible 127.0 points per 100 possessions, including a blistering 110.3 in the halfcourt. They’re here.

*Paul George has been one of the more aggressive rim players on the Clippers, and his injury didn’t seem to affect him with 25 points on Saturday in an easy win over the Knicks. The Pacers may have to put Bruce Brown on him while Aaron Nesmith should also pick up some of that assignment. It’s a huge spot for PG-13.

*Kawhi Leonard is also on fire these days. During this red-hot stretch of nine games, Kawhi averaged 29/6/4 on 63/60/90 in 36.2 minutes. It’s one of the best runs he’s been on in his career, and the Pacers don’t have anyone who can guard him. They’ll likely try Aaron Nesmith, but that isn’t a great answer. I might be more into Kawhi than PG just because of how hot he is.

*The Clippers ditching the Westbrook overlap with James Harden has been big for Harden’s output in dimes, but the scoring still hasn’t quite been there. He still isn’t able to convert much on drives, and his rim finishing hasn’t been all that great this year. Still, the matchup is just too good to ignore him.

*Ivica Zubac is the top rim scorer for the Clippers, and he should be asked to guard Myles Turner a bunch. The Clippers will probably be using Daniel Theis in a revenge game, so there may not be as much upside.

*If Tyrese Haliburton can’t go, T.J. McConnell would likely be running the offense. Bruce Brown will get the rest of the PG minutes, and the Pacers may not be able to play small in this spot. That could increase the minutes for Bennedict Mathurin and Aaron Nesmith. We’ll talk more about the Haliburton injury on the Injury Show later today.

Great matchups: Kawhi Leonard, Paul George

Good matchups: Ivica Zubac

Bad matchups: Obi Toppin

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Chicago Bulls at Philadelphia 76ers