On Sunday, we got to see the new-look Cleveland Cavaliers take on old friend Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics, on the day that the Celtics retired the jersey of all-time great Paul Pierce. It made for a playoff atmosphere and an early test for the Cavs, who passed it with flying colors. Here's a snapshot of how the new Cavs performed, and what it means for them moving forward.
The new-look Cavs took it the Celtics. pic.twitter.com/xEKX6xYTMF
- NBA on ESPN (@ESPNNBA) February 11, 2018
George Hill (63.4 percent available) is the only one of the new players who started. This is notable, because he's also got the least disruptive game of the group. Hill is to be more shooter than lead guard on these Cavs, more Derek Fisher than Tony Parker. Hill is battling for the league lead in 3-point percentage, and he'll get plenty of opportunities to add to his totals with high-quality looks playing off LeBron James. On Sunday, he scored 12 points (3-8 FG, 4-4 FT) with 3 rebounds, 2 3-pointers, 1 assist and 3 TO. The scoring range is probably about right, with higher volume tied to days when the trey is really working for him.
Jordan Clarkson is the instant-offense creator off the bench. On Sunday, he turned in 17 points (7-11 FG) with 3 rebounds, 3 3-pointers, 2 steals and 1 assist. Clarkson is a scorer with range and a strong handle, which lets him be the engine for the second unit. He creates offense even if he's not one to rack up a lot of assists, because his ability to push the pace, attack and disrupt the defense makes things easier for teammates.
Rodney Hood (65.9 percent available) is Clarkson's partner in the instant offense off the bench role. On Sunday, he turned in 15 points (6-11 FG) with 3 rebounds, 3 3-pointers, 1 steal, 1 block and 1 turnover. Hood is a wing, which means that he does more work off the ball than Clarkson does. He is a shooter, but he also has athletic ability and may be able to build synergy with Kyle Korver as a wicked shooting duo in the second unit.
Finally, Larry Nance Jr. (76 percent available) came in as the energy big man off the bench. I had some thought that Nance might fill in as the starting power forward for the Cavs until Kevin Love returns, but for now, anyway, they are letting Cedi Osman (12 points, 5 rebounds, 2 3-pointers, 1 assist, 1 steal in 29 minutes; 98.2 percent available) fill that role. Nance played 21 minutes off the bench, and turned in 5 points (2-5 FG, 1-1 FT) with 4 rebounds (bench high), 3 assists (bench high) and 1 steal. He'll likely have more productive nights when he gets fully acclimated, but early indications are that his role might not be as productive as the one that he filled with the Los Angeles Lakers.
Sunday recap
Box scores
Highlights:
Damian Lillard, Portland Trail Blazers: 39 points (12-25 FG, 13-13 FT), 3 rebounds, 2 3-pointers, 1 assist, 1 block, 2 TO
Paul George, Oklahoma City Thunder: 33 points (10-24 FG, 8-11 FT), 8 assists, 5 3-pointers, 3 steals, 1 block, 2 TO
Victor Oladipo, Indiana Pacers: 30 points (10-24 FG, 8-10 FT), 9 assists, 8 rebounds, 6 steals, 2 3-pointers, 1 block, 1 TO
Karl-Anthony Towns, Minnesota Timberwolves: 29 points (10-17 FG, 7-7 FT), 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 blocks, 2 3-pointers, 1 steal, 1 TO
Andre Drummond, Detroit Pistons: 25 points (8-14 FG, 9-13 FT), 15 rebounds, 3 blocks, 2 assists, 1 steal, 1 TO
Lowlights:
Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics: 9 points (4-11 FG), 2 rebounds, 1 assist, 1 steal, 1 3-pointer, 2 TO
Nicolas Batum, Charlotte Hornets: 2 points (0-10 FG, 2-3 FT), 5 assists, 3 rebounds, 1 steal
Jarrett Jack, New York Knicks: 2 points (0-1 FG, 2-2 FT), 2 rebounds, 8 minutes
Sunday takeaways
The Celtics struggled as a team against the Cavaliers on Sunday -- it wasn't just Tatum. Al Horford, Tatum and Jaylen Brown combined to shoot only 10-of-28 from the field with none of them scoring in double-figures. In this playoff-style atmosphere, the Celtics really missed the absent Gordon Hayward's scoring ability as the lieutenant to Irving. Marcus Morris was solid as the fifth starter, scoring 17 points (6-12 FG, 2-2 FT) with 3 3-pointers and 3 rebounds, and Terry Rozier took advantage of the extended garbage time to lead the squad with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 5 assists, 3 3-pointers and 1 block.
De'Aaron Fox played well on Sunday, scoring 23 points (8-16 FG, 6-8 FT) with 3 steals, 2 assists, 2 rebounds and 1 3-pointer. After trading Hill away, the Kings are likely to give Fox as much run as he can stand down the stretch.
The Toronto Raptors continued to play well as a team, but on a game-to-game basis, it's difficult to predict who'll be good for them. Jonas Valanciunas (21 points, 9 rebounds, 2 assists, 2 3-pointers, 1 steal and 1 block) and DeMar DeRozan (25 points, 8 assists, 2 rebounds, 1 steal, 1 block, 3 3-pointers) were the main engines in the starting lineup on Sunday with CJ Miles (24 points, 6 3-pointers, 2 steals, 1 block, 1 assist, 1 rebound, team-high +28 plus-minus) as the man off the bench.
Dewayne Dedmon (76.9 percent available) turned in a huge game to lead the Atlanta Hawks over the Pistons, scoring 20 points (7-9 FG, 5-6 FT) with 13 rebounds, 3 steals, 1 assist, 1 block and even 1 3-pointer. Dennis Schroder (23 points, 7 assists, 3 rebounds, 2 steals) and Ersan Ilyasova (19 points, 5 rebounds, 2 steals, 2 3-pointers) helped him broker the upset.
Jack started the game for the Knicks, but he gave way early to his younger counterparts. Emmanuel Mudiay (90.3 percent available) looked as strong, as I expected in his Knicks debut, scoring 14 points (5-14 FG, 4-4 FT) with 10 assists, 2 rebounds and 2 TO in 29 minutes off the bench. Frank Ntilikina (98.3 percent available) seemed to find synergy with Mudiay, scoring 12 points (3-7 FG, 4-4 FT) with 3 rebounds, 2 3-pointers and 1 assist in 31 minutes off the bench.
Injuries of note
Jusuf Nurkic had to leave Sunday's game with lower-back soreness and also had pain in his right hip. He didn't return and should be considered questionable for Wednesday's game until more information is released.
Ricky Rubio had to leave Friday's game with hip soreness, and it forced him to miss Sunday's game as well. Rubio had been playing excellent ball at the time of the injury, but he should be considered questionable to play in their next game.
Draymond Green is doubtful to play on Monday because of a sprained left index finger that he must have suffered on Saturday. With Green out, Kevon Looney and Omri Casspi could be up for more run.
LaMarcus Aldridge has been ruled out of Monday's game with a sore knee, but early indications are that this is more of a maintenance absence than anything more serious.
Analytics advantage for Monday
Five of the 10 worst defenses, according to defensive rating, are on display Monday: The last-placed Phoenix Suns (112.9 points/100 possessions) are at the Golden State Warriors, the 27th-ranked Orlando Magic (111.3) are at the 24th-ranked Chicago Bulls (109.9), the 23rd-ranked Brooklyn Nets (109.8) host the LA Clippers and the 21st-ranked New Orleans Pelicans (109.7) are at the Pistons.
The Suns at Warriors has tremendous blowout potential, but the other three games could be competitive with at least one terrible defense. The Bulls-Magic game may take the cake for best matchup, with both teams sporting awful defenses that the other could exploit.
Top players to watch tonight
Drummond and Anthony Davis face off Monday in a battle between two of the most prolific centers in the NBA right now. Over the past 15 days, Drummond is No. 4 on the Player Rater, while Davis is No. 5.
