Cleveland brought their record back to .500 on the season with a big victory over Anthony Davis and the New Orleans Pelicans, and another win will give them a winning record and a three-game winning streak.
Boston is coming off of a disappointing loss to Oklahoma City, but have shown they can hang with some of the top teams in the Eastern Conference with wins over Indiana and Chicago already.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (3-3)
G Kyrie Irving – 22.0 ppg, 5.0 apg
G Shawn Marion – 4.2 ppg, 4.0 rpg
F LeBron James – 24.8 ppg, 6.8 rpg, 6.7 apg
F Kevin Love – 18.7 ppg, 11.0 rpg
C Anderson Varejao – 10.7 ppg, 6.0 rpg
Boston Celtics (3-4)
G Rajon Rondo – 10.8 ppg, 11.3 apg
G Avery Bradley – 15.7 ppg, 3.0 rpg
F Jeff Green – 18.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg
F Jeff Sullinger - 14.4 ppg, 8.7 rpg
C Kelly Olynyk - 13.4 ppg, 6.6 rpg
What to watch for:
Kyrie Irving vs. Rajon Rondo
Rondo is a great perimeter defender, and is one of the few players in the league that can adequately guard Irving. Kyrie is coming off of his best performance of the season against the Pelicans and was able to get to the rim with ease, but Rondo's quick hands will make him think twice before attacking the basket.
On the flip side, Rondo's lack of scoring prowess will be easy on Irving's below-average off-ball defense, but he's going to have to be more focused than usual on that end of the floor to avoid getting exposed by Rondo's smarts and craftiness.
Bench Production
Boston doesn't have anyone who they can rely on to carry their team offensively, which means they've had to employ an all-around team effort to be successful. Their bench has been the difference in the games that they've won, and that's going to have to be the case again tonight. Rookie point guard Marcus Smart is out with an injury, but veterans Evan Turner and Brandon Bass lead a still-potent unit.
Cleveland's bench lost one of their few key contributors when Matthew Dellavedova went down with a knee injury, and the Cavs have had to rely on newly-minted sixth man Dion Waiters for almost all of their production. He needs more help from players like Mike Miller and rookie Joe Harris for Cleveland to avoid losing ground when both sides go to the bench.
Prediction: Cavs win 101-93
The Cavaliers seemed to turn a corner against the Pelicans, and I expect them to carry that momentum with them on the road in Boston. They started sharing the ball and stepped up their defensive play. However, I expect the Celtics to come out and play hard at home. Boston will hang around for most of the game, but Cleveland will turn it on when they need to and pull away late.
Be sure to follow our Cavs insider @brauf33 on Twitter and follow our Cleveland Cavaliers page for all the latest news!
Back to the Cleveland Cavaliers Newsfeed