Cleveland carries a four-game winning streak into Monday night's game and are coming off their most dominant win of the season against the Atlanta Hawks. Denver is struggling, and are playing the second game of a back-to-back after losing to the New York Knicks on Sunday night.
The Cavaliers defeated the Nuggets 110-101 on November 7 in the first meeting of the season between the two sides, and this is their last matchup of the year.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (5-3)
G Kyrie Irving – 22.4 ppg, 5.0 apg
G Shawn Marion – 5.3 ppg, 3.6 rpg
F LeBron James – 27.8 ppg, 6.4 rpg, 6.8 apg
F Kevin Love – 17.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg
C Anderson Varejao – 10.3 ppg, 6.4 rpg
Denver Nuggets (2-7)
G Ty Lawson – 16.0 ppg, 8.0 apg
G Aaron Afflalo – 11.6 ppg, 3.1 rpg
F Wilson Chandler – 10.3 ppg, 4.8 rpg
F Kenneth Faried - 12.0 ppg, 7.9 rpg
C Timofey Mosgov - 7.7 ppg, 6.7 rpg
What to watch for:
Cleveland’s ball movement
The Cavs tied an NBA record for most three-pointers made in the first half against the Hawks this weekend largely because they played as a team and created open shots for each other. That's something we've been waiting to see from Cleveland, and it was the first game they looked like a well-oiled machine.
They can beat anyone when they play like that, but it remains to be seen if that game was an anomaly or if the Cavs have turned a corner.
Who's Denver go-to guy?
The main reason for the Nuggets' terrible start to the season has been their lack of leadership. They have no one they can rely on consistently, and no one has stepped up to fill the void. Someone is going to have to become the alpha dog on this team for them to turn their season around, or they'll be headed for a high pick in the draft.
Prediction: Cavs win 114-95
Cleveland has looked like the best team in the league during their last two home games, as their home crowd takes them to another level. Denver is reeling right now, and the Cavs are too good to be the team the Nuggets get things turned around against.
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