Cavs at Rockets preview and gamethread

After recently getting clobbered by the elite defensive tenacity of the Thunder, will the Cavaliers show if they learned from the past.

Another great test against a physical defense.

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers (36-6) at Houston Rockets (28-14)

Where: Toyota Center - Houston, TX

When: 8:00pm EST

TV: DraftKings Sportsbook Network

Line: Cavs -1.5

Expected Cavs starting lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Dean Wade, Jarrett Allen

Cavs injury report: Evan Mobley - OUT (calf), Isaac Okoro - OUT (shoulder), Caris LeVert - QUESTIONABLE (right wrist), Luke Travers - OUT (G League), JT Thor - OUT (G League)

Expected Rockets starting lineup: Fred Van Fleet, Jalen Green, Amen Thompon, Dillon Brooks, Alpren Sengun

Rockets injury report: Jabari Smith Jr. - OUT (left metacarpal), Jack McVeigh - OUT (G League), N’Faly Dante - OUT (G League)

What to watch for

How will the guards fare against the physical matchup of Houston?

The rematch with the Thunder was a good reminder that Cleveland’s guards have vulnerabilities. The combination of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Lu Dort made life for Donovan Mitchell miserable. He shot a combined 6-31 from the field in both games.

The Rockets pose a similar challenge to the Thunder. The combination of Amen Thompson, Dillion Brooks, and Tari Eason poses a physically daunting matchup with their length and physicality. The Rockets currently have the second-best defensive rating (108.6) and is the type of defense that has gotten under the Cavaliers' skin.

The Cavaliers have struggled with length, especially in the backcourt, the Rockets offer these similar challenges in abundance. It will be interesting to see how Kenny Atkinson and the team adjust to this style of play as many teams in the Eastern Conference outside of the Celtics cannot replicate these types of lineups.

Will the Cavaliers' defense be able to keep up with Houston’s offense?

The Rockets defensively have taken a slight dip in the 2025 calendar year, but the offense appears to have seen an uptick in efficiency. The Rockets offense is firing on all cylinders. Over the last 15 days, the Rockets have scored 124.9 points per 100 possessions which would rank as the best in the league.

It appears a big reason for this is the resurgence of Jalen Green. He’s had an up-and-down career thus far but appears to be putting it all together. Green recently earned the Western Conference Player of the Week, posting a stat line that includes 32.5 ppg alongside a 63.3 three-point shooting percentage.

The Rockets have struggled to find consistent offensive options outside of Alpren Sengun the past few seasons. It appeared Jabari Smith was going to be that option, however, since breaking his hand at the beginning of the calendar year, the offense has become more of a team effort.

With the Rockets becoming a high-flying transition offense, it’ll be interesting to see how a Cavaliers defense can handle this pacing and explosiveness. The Rockets don’t currently have wings that can expose the Cavaliers' height deficiencies, but they do have a team that can beat you with a dozen papercuts.