The Cleveland Cavaliers (13-10) will face the Boston Celtics (16-5) on Tuesday, December 12. The Celtics come into the game with a rest advantage, having not played since Friday, December 8.
The Cavaliers will be on the second night of back-to-back encounters, having lost to the Orlando Magic on Monday, December 11.
Boston’s roster has a clean bill of health, while the Cavaliers’ primary rotations are all expected to feature in the contest.
The Celtics currently sit atop the Eastern Conference and have shown glimpses of why they’re considered to be among the favorites to lift a championship.
The Cavaliers, on the other hand, have bounced back from a difficult start to the season.
However, Cleveland’s size could prove to be a problem for Boston. Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are both valuable rim protectors on the defensive end, and can help control the glass on offense while also offering vertical spacing and post-entry passing outlets.
Joe Mazzulla likes to get creative when defending size. Expect to see Jrue Holiday spending significant time guarding Cleveland’s bigs, which is designed to negate any potential mismatches on switching actions once the Cavaliers go to their pick-and-roll actions.
