Cleveland is on a three-game winning streak after dominating the Chicago Bulls in a 108-94 victory on Monday night. Utah has lost four of their past five games, including a 89-69 loss to the San Antonio Spurs on Sunday.
The Jazz were able to upset the Cavs in the first matchup between the two sides this year as Gordon Hayward's buzzer-beater gave Utah a 102-100 victory.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (22-20)
G Kyrie Irving – 21.1 ppg, 5.3 apg
G J.R. Smith – 14.6 ppg, 3.0 rpg
F LeBron James – 26.0 ppg, 7.3 apg, 5.5 rpg
F Kevin Love – 17.6 ppg, 10.4 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 9.3 ppg, 9.0 rpg
Utah Jazz (14-27)
G Trey Burke – 12.8 ppg, 5.1 apg
G Gordon Hayward – 19.0 ppg, 4.7 rpg
F Joe Ingles – 3.4 ppg, 2.1 rpg
F Derrick Favors – 16.0 ppg, 8.8 rpg
C Enes Kanter – 13.5 ppg, 7.1 rpg
What to watch for:
Who controls the paint?
When the Jazz beat the Cavaliers earlier this year, Favors and Kanter combined for 39 points and 15 rebounds, while Love and Varejao combined for just 22 points and 17 rebounds. Cleveland has upgraded their big man rotation bringing in Timofey Mozgov, and his size should affect Utah's bigs. If Cleveland can turn this battle to their favor, they'll win this game.
Who will LeBron James and Kyrie Irving play?
Both James and Irving are battling flu-like symptoms, and while both are expected to play tonight, they probably won't be as effective as they would be if they were 100%. Utah will try to take advantage of this by playing more up-tempo than normal and driving at them. If this really affects LeBron and Kyrie and they can't get anything going, the Jazz have a chance to win.
Prediction: Cavs win 115-98
Cleveland has not forgotten about Gordon Hayward's buzzer-beater that sent them to a 1-3 start. Losing a game in that fashion tends to prove a team with a little extra motivation, and with Cleveland having so much more talent than the Jazz, I expect this to be a blowout.
Be sure to follow our Cavs insider @brauf33 on Twitter and follow our Cleveland Cavaliers page for all the latest news!
RELATED ARTICLES
J.R. Smith Steals Fan’s Nachos During Clippers Game
Predicting The Next 10 Cavs Games
Back to the Cleveland Cavaliers Newsfeed