Live Thread: Blazers @ Cavs
Good evening CtB!
Off the back of a wildly successful road trip, the Cavs are back home to face the somewhat struggling Portland Trail Blazers. The Cavs will be dealing with a lot of missing pieces tonight, with reports just coming out today that Lauri Markkanen has entered the NBA’s Health and Safety Protocols, joining Kevin Love on the list.
Cleveland's Lauri Markkanen has entered Health and Safety Protocols, team says.
— Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) November 3, 2021
The Cavs will also be most likely missing Isaac “Ice” Okoro with the hamstring injury according to Chris Fedor. One could presume that this opens the door for end of bench guys such as Lamar Stevens, Dean Wade, and Dylan Windler to receive some minutes. But Coach J.B. Bickerstaff has been coaching the beginning of this season as if he’s coaching in the playoffs, with a shortened rotation that while has produced some winning results, seems unnecessary given the slog of the NBA season.
It can’t go unmentioned that this will be a homecoming game for the beloved Larry Nance, Jr. LNJ has fit in seamlessly with his new team, leading the Blazers by far in net rating (+12.9). Welcome home, Larry! Tip off is scheduled for 7:00pm ET and will be broadcasted on Bally’s Sports Ohio. GO CAVS!