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The New Orleans Pelicans will host the Cleveland Cavaliers at the Smoothie King Center on Friday. New Orleans comes straight back into action after losing to Minnesota on Thursday night.
Pelicans coach Stan Van Gundy said the 30-point loss was "embarrassing," with the game being yet another example of where his side have failed to live up to their preseason expectations. Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson are doing their best to keep the side relevant in the Western conference playoff picture. They hope to return to winning ways against a Cleveland Cavaliers side who themselves have struggled this year.
Match Details
Fixture: Cleveland Cavaliers vs New Orleans Pelicans - NBA Season 2020-21.
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Date & Time: Friday, March 12th, 2021; 8:00 PM ET. (Saturday; 6:30 AM IST).
Venue: Smoothie King center, New Orleans, LA
Cleveland Cavaliers Preview
The Cleveland Cavaliers were one team whose form was broken up by the All-Star break, after winning 4 of their previous 5 fixtures prior. That included a win over the Sixers on the road, in which the Cavs' dominant guard pairing of Sexton and Garland combined for 53 points.
Garland is listed as questionable for this matchup at the time of writing with a groin injury. This could be a huge miss for the Cleveland Cavaliers, with the second-year guard providing 16 points a night. The Cavs are struggling for offensive output, ranked bottom of the league, which compounds the effect of his absence.
Therefore, the Cleveland Cavaliers front office may look to use the players they are touting on the market to bring in some scoring talent should they look to pursue a postseason berth.
Key Player - Collin Sexton
One player who has not struggled to provide the Cleveland Cavaliers with offensive output this season is Collin Sexton. The third-year guard is quickly developing, along with Garland, into the future face of the Cavaliers franchise.
Picked 8th overall in 2018, Sexton is rapidly improving his game and is a serial scorer. He is providing the Cavs with 24.1 points a night and were it not for their record may have made an appearance at the All-Star game.
Before the midseason break, Sexton averaged over 30 points a night for the Cleveland Cavaliers in their last five outings, and therefore comes into this fixture in red-hot form.
Cleveland Cavaliers Predicted Lineup
G Collin Sexton, G Darius Garland, F Isaac Okoro, F Dean Wade, C Jarrett Allen.
New Orleans Pelicans Preview
Lying 13th in the West is certainly not where many analysts and fans saw the New Orleans Pelicans at this stage of the season. However, having won 3 games in ten, the Pelicans now lie 4.5 games behind the 8th-seed Dallas Mavericks and may look to the impending trade deadline to bring life back into their roster.
New Orleans desperately need stops. They are ranked 29th in the league for defensive efficiency, largely due to their opposition having the most 3-point and second-most field-goal attempts made. Therefore, they are not good enough at closing out spaces or contesting shots effectively.
In Ingram, Williamson and Ball, the New Orleans Pelicans have an effective starting three that can hurt opposition offensively. However, they need additional support from their bench which is only averaging 32.1 points a night (3rd-worst).
Key Player - Zion Williamson
Zion Williamson just featured in his first All-Star game and has been the New Orleans Pelicans' star player, picking up from where he left off last campaign. In his sophomore year in the league, Williamson is averaging 25.5 points a night and 7.1 rebounds.
He is one of the most feared forwards in the league due to his power, size and his ability to play as a small-ball center because of his attributes. Although his efficiency per minutes has gone down this year, Zion is shooting the ball at a higher clip (over 60% from the field) and has an offensive win share of 4.2.
If the New Orleans Pelicans are to turn their season around, Williamson is undoubtedly going to have to be at the center of that process.
New Orleans Pelicans Predicted Lineup
G Lonzo Ball, G Eric Bledsoe, F Zion Williamson, F Brandon Ingram, C Steven Adams
Cavaliers vs Pelicans Match Prediction
Coming off the back of their disappointing loss, fans will expect to see the New Orleans Pelicans dramatically improve on Friday night. With their 10 extra points per night on offense and home-court advantage, they come into this fixture as slim favorites.
The Cleveland Cavaliers will be hoping Darius Garland is fit and that he, alongside Sexton, can punish the New Orleans Pelicans' poor defense. Keep a close eye on the battle between centers Jarrett Allen and Steven Adams, which should be highly intriguing.
Where to watch Cavaliers vs Pelicans?
Fans can catch the Cleveland Cavaliers' first game back after the All-Star break locally on FOX Sports Ohio. Those looking to see the New Orleans Pelicans bounce back can also watch it locally on FOX Sports New Orleans. Otherwise, the game can also be streamed with an NBA League Pass.
