Lonzo Ball remains out for tomorrow's game vs. Cleveland
— New Orleans Pelicans (@PelicansNBA) April 10, 2021
Injury report: https://t.co/89B5r8pna2@SmoothieKing | #Pelicans pic.twitter.com/iqSvglPCdX
As Kira, Zion, and Ingram all returned from their injuries things appear to be somewhat clearing up, but we still have a few guys dealing with war-wounds:
- NAW (out)
- Lonzo (out)
- Hart (out)
As for the Cavaliers, in their last game they were missing Larry Nance Jr, Jarrett Allen, and Dylan Windler. It remains to be seen how many of those guys will still be out; further updates will be added to the thread if/when they're made available.
The Cavaliers, with a record of 19-33, are one of the teams who are worse off in the standings than we are and of course they're doing that playing an Eastern schedule. They have the second worst offense in the NBA and still fall bottom ten in defense. They are 2-6 over their last 8, including losses to Toronto and Sacramento, and if you look back until All-Star break they've lost to ATL, us, and the Spurs during that period too - they're not great. Bottom 10 in points, rebounds, and assists per game, a huge part of their offensive struggles relates not only to a lack of primary playmaking but also to a lack of shooting.
Cleveland are the 2nd worst 3pt shooting team in the league. They're 30th in attempts, 30th in makes, and 29th in percentage (33.7% as a team). They are also bottom 10 in overall FG%. Only three players on their roster are hitting league average on TS% (Allen, Nance, Sexton) and there's a chance that two of those figures will miss this game.
Last time we played Cleveland we won 116-82, in a night that had Ingram put up 28/7 on 11/14 shooting, and saw Zion put up 23/6 in 17 minutes on 56% shooting. That was a game that Jarrett Allen and Nance both played in. If either of them, or both, are out tonight, we should score 65 in the paint. It should be a non-stop waltz to the rim.
Let's see how that shakes out, or if the shorthanded Cavs blindside us.