The Cleveland Cavaliers will have plenty on the line when they face the Denver Nuggets on Friday.
They are looking to add to a five-game win streak, with four coming over Eastern Conference rivals. The Cavs finished Monday night before a short break with a 124-113 win over the Utah Jazz, which saw four Cavaliers log 20 points or more. Guard Darius Garland led Cleveland with 23 points and eight assists. Former Cleveland and Chicago Bulls forward Lauri Markkanen scored 26 for the Jazz as he confidently pulled up from the perimeter and worked in the low post against the Cavs' prominent big duo of forward Evan Mobley and center Jarrett Allen.
While the Cavs as a whole were efficient from the 3-point line, guard Sam Merrill seemed to forget how to miss from beyond the arc in the third quarter. Merrill, a former sharpshooter for the Utah State Aggies, sank all but one of his long-range tries in the third as he knocked down catch-and-shoot jumpers with ease. The 6-foot-4 guard has tapered off from his hot season start from long range, but ended the night with six made 3-pointers on 11 attempts.
The Cavaliers take on the Nuggets
Cleveland will move on to face the 2023 NBA Champions in the Denver Nuggets. Denver has a record of 8-4 at home this season. They sport recent home wins over the Phoenix Suns and the Los Angeles Clippers. The Nuggets will take a short two-game home break after playing seven of their last 10 games on the road. Cleveland has an away record of 9-3. They have enjoyed a recent home stretch before a four-game road trip against Western Conference squads.
Nuggets center Nikola Jokic notched a 25-point, 15-rebound double-double on a Christmas Day loss against the star-powered Suns. Whether it be off face ups or the pick and roll, the three-time NBA MVP matched up well with the Suns' interior defenders. He used his proficiency in the paint to bring in five offensive rebounds and hit an efficient 52.6% of his shots from the floor. He will again prove to be a difficult matchup for Allen and Mobley, who last faced the Serbian star earlier this month.
Cleveland defeated the Nuggets in their last matchup against Denver at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. While Garland and All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell took the spotlight with a combined 52 points, guard Caris LeVert proved to be an unsung hero and an effective scorer off the bench with 21 points in nearly 27 minutes of play. He hit all but one of his shots from the 3-point line as he dominated from the right side of the halfcourt. The fourth-year Cavalier will need to again need to be an effective reliever when the Nuggets look to even the score in Denver.
Depth will be key in taking another victory over the Mile High City.
Cleveland's bench has nearly been second to none in backing up Cleveland's star-studded starting rotation in their record-breaking 2024-25 run. The bench is logging the third-most minutes and the seventh-most points per game this season. It saw a noticeable uptick from the season before, which saw it place just behind the Oklahoma City Thunder for 14th place in the NBA in bench points per game. The Nuggets' bench is logging an average of 14.6 minutes and 27.5 points per game, putting it in 28th and 27th place in the league, respectively.
The Cavs must keep their consistent 3-point shooting if they are to beat a team that has done a solid job at limiting makes from beyond the arc. Denver has allowed its opponents to hit 35.5% of their 3-point shots this season, putting them on par with the Dallas Mavericks at about 10th place in the NBA. Under the guidance of a new head coach in Kenny Atkinson, Cleveland is leading the league with an astounding 40.6% from beyond the arc in 30 games played. The Cavs have been red-hot from the perimeter in their last 10 games, logging over 41% from long range on just over 43 attempts per game.
The Cavs will tip off against the Nuggets at 9 p.m. EST on Friday in Ball Arena. The game will be broadcast on FanDuel Sports Network Ohio.