NBA games of the week: Annual Cavaliers struggle
By Chazz Scogna
Thursday, Jan. 18: Orlando at Cleveland, 7:00 p.m. ET
One of the Cavs’ two wins over the past nine is against the Magic, whom they beat 131-127 on Jan. 6. It was a good win for the Cavs, who hadn’t scored that many points since Nov. 3, though they coughed up a 20-point lead and gave up 40 points in the fourth quarter.
Perhaps worse than their offense, their defense has somehow gotten worse than what we’ve come to expect. The Cavs are 29th in defensive rating, right in front of the Kings, which, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, means you’re actually in last since the Kings have their own territory of bad.
The Magic have been struggling mightily and have only won four times since their 8-4 start to the season, and the Cavs are still the fifth best offense in the league. One typical Cavs blitzing and the refusal to surrender a 40-point fourth quarter makes their last meeting a blowout.
If there’s a team the Cavs can beat this week, considering they play the Thunder a couple days later, then perhaps this Orlando team is the one who can create a spark for the Cavs.