What to watch for in Cavs at Hornets

The Cavs will look to sweep the back-to-back against the Hornets.

It wasn't always pretty, but the Cleveland Cavaliers (44-28) managed to pull away from the Charlotte Hornets (17-54) in the fourth quarter of Monday’s contest at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse. The two teams will square off again, this time in North Carolina.

What: Cleveland Cavaliers at Charlotte Hornets

When: 7:00 pm

Where: Spectrum Center - Charlotte, North Carolina

Line: CLE -10.5

Cavs Expected Lineup: Darius Garland, Caris LeVert, Isaac Okoro, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs’ Injury Report: Donovan Mitchell (nose, OUT), Dean Wade (knee strain, OUT), Ty Jerome (ankle, OUT), Max Strus (knee, QUESTIONABLE), Pete Nance (G League, OUT), Isaiah Mobley (G League, OUT)

Hornets Expected Lineup: Tre Mann, Vasilije Micic, Brandon Miller, Miles Bridges, Nick Richards

Hornets Injury Report: LaMelo Ball (ankle, OUT), Seth Curry (ankle, OUT), Mark Willliams (back, OUT), Cody Martin (ankle, OUT), Leaky Black (G League, OUT), Marques Bolden (G League, OUT)

What to watch for: Don’t take any team lightly

This season, the Cavs have had a knack for not taking lesser opponents seriously, or simply lackadaisically going through the motions and getting their doors blown off. Their most recent matchup in Miami comes to mind, where Cleveland was never in it. Charlotte fits the bill as a team that the Cavs take lightly, let them stay in the game far too long, and in the end allow the crowd to be a factor. The Hornets are not good, far from it even, and heavily injured, but they do play hard. Heck, just the other night, the Cavs failed to impose their will and let Charlotte stick around into the fourth quarter. That is not what you want to see of a team with aspirations of getting out of the first round.

Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett Allen should be enough to beat the Hornets. They have a significant advantage down low and defensively, as Charlotte is without several starters. Miles Bridges is not a good defender, and Nick Richards is overmatched in the paint. Mobley and Allen, especially, should be the focal point. Garland was quite passive in the first half on Monday, a common issue with him whether Donovan Mitchell is on the court with him or not. But against a team like the Hornets, he needs to stretch those aggressive muscles. It would be nice to see, as the Cavs’ ceiling is somewhat limited if he is more playmaker than he is a scorer. Though the two-man game with Mobley is still fun to watch:

Good teams find ways to win. If the Cavs want to be a good team, and they have not been lately, then they need to put away all doubt and beat a team they should dominate.

One stat to watch for: Bust the shooting slump

As of late, the Cavs have completely lost the ability to make shots at a reputable clip. particularly from beyond the three-point line. Last Friday against Minnesota, they shot 24% from deep. One game later, in a laugher against the Heat, they shot 31% from deep (42% overall). They were terrible in the first half against Charlotte last time out but rebounded in the second half. Against bad teams like the Hornets, a bad shooting night doesn't hurt as badly. But against good teams, like the ones the Cavs will be playing for the next few weeks, a bad shooting night is crippling.

Not having Mitchell or Dean Wade healthy greatly impacts the possible spacing on offense (and in the case of Mitchell, rim pressure). That’s where Garland needs to be more of an attacker and willing pull-up shooter. It stings having so many guys hurt, but the Cavs still can get up quality looks. Sam Merrill, Georges Niang, Isaac Okoro from the corner, and Garland should be enough to win - much like it was two nights ago.