On Wednesday, the Cleveland Cavaliers will be looking to follow up an action-packed, comeback victory from Monday night in overtime against the Chicago Bulls in their next game versus the Phoenix Suns at home.
On Monday night, Donovan Mitchell had a ridiculous 71-point performance, on 22-of-34 shooting, and 55 of his points came in the second half and overtime (the latter of which he scored 13 of Cleveland’s 15 points then). He became just the seventh player ever to have 70-plus points in a game, and additionally, Mitchell had 11 assists, and accounted for 99 points, which was the second-highest total in a game in league history, via OptaSTATS.
It was a career night for Mitchell, and hopefully, can re-ignite him in what’s set to be a road-heavy month for the Wine and Gold. Cleveland will need to get Darius Garland and Evan Mobley back pretty soon as well, though, ideally.
Touching on the aforementioned Suns before get further into our matchup preview, they’ve been without Devin Booker (groin injury), and have their ups and downs in recent weeks; Booker’s absence is obviously playing into that.
But Phoenix is still capable, and the Cavaliers have to come out and play with more urgency earlier on here, particularly with a club concluding a six-game road trip. The Cavs will be embarking on a significant road trip of their own following Wednesday, too, as an aside.
Cavaliers-Suns: Odds, spread and over/under
According to FanDuel, the Cavaliers are favored over the Suns here by 5 points. The moneyline is -188 for Cleveland and + 158 for Phoenix, and the over/under is currently set for 218.
Cavaliers-Suns: Injury report
Cavs injuries: Ricky Rubio (out, knee); Dean Wade (out, shoulder); Dylan Windler (out indefinitely, ankle); Mamadi Diakite and Isaiah Mobley (out, G-League – Two-Way); Darius Garland (questionable, thumb); Evan Mobley (questionable, ankle).
Suns injuries: Devin Booker (out indefinitely, groin); Cameron Johnson (out, knee); Jae Crowder (out, not with team).
Cavaliers-Suns: Projected starters
Cavs starters: Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Lamar Stevens, Evan Mobley/Kevin Love, Jarrett Allen
Suns starters: Chris Paul, Josh Okogie/Landry Shamet, Mikal Bridges, Torrey Craig, Deandre Ayton
Cavaliers-Suns: Prediction
The Cavaliers have been starting relatively slow in their recent games, and it’d be meaningful if they were able to avoid that here, clearly. It’s tough to forecast whether we’ll see the Wine and Gold do so, however, and with Garland doubtful and potentially Mobley out again, another somewhat slow start could play out.
Regardless, for Cleveland, one would have to anticipate they’ll try to get the ball out of Chris Paul’s hands here, with Booker still out, as would be logical for plenty of stretches, and in terms of on-ball matchups, Isaac Okoro should draw that for a bunch of this. Perhaps Raul Neto could in spurts, too.
On the offensive side, Cleveland getting some noteworthy contributions from Caris LeVert earlier on could enable Mitchell to settle in a bit, and as the game progresses, if Cleveland can keep Ayton on his toes, it could open up more looks for Allen.
Another storyline to watch here is if Cedi Osman can keep it going, as he’s been playing well (preceding his back soreness absences), including on Monday, and the Cavaliers may again want to roll with him for more extended stretches.
Overall, one should anticipate the Cavs to get the job done here eventually, and despite Paul’s efforts, without Booker, this isn’t the same Phoenix team. And at home, the Cavs have shown they can come back when they need to.
Prediction: Cavs 114, Suns 107
The Bet: Cavs (-5), OVER
Cavaliers-Suns: Where to watch/how to stream
For fans in-market and with the said options, this matchup will be available on Bally Sports Ohio and Bally Sports Arizona. For fans without those options and/or out of market, NBA League Pass will have this one.
If you’re looking for a live stream, click here for a free trial of FuboTV!
Cavs upcoming schedule:
After this game against the Suns at home, the Cavaliers will head West for a five-game road trip, which will begin on Friday night at the Denver Nuggets. The Cavs’ two ensuing games from there will then be at the Suns on Sunday night and the Utah Jazz on Tuesday night.
Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change.