Through 3 Quarters
Only one more quarter stands between the Cleveland Cavaliers and the victory they were favored to collect going into this night. They have emerged as the frontrunner and are ahead of the New Orleans Pelicans 83-76.
The Cavaliers have been led by point guard Ricky Rubio, who so far has almost dropped a triple-double on 25 points, ten boards, and eight assists. One thing to keep an eye out for is Lauri Markkanen’s foul situation as he currently sits at four.
Power forward Herbert Jones has led the way so far for New Orleans, as he has 24 points in addition to five rebounds and two blocks.
New Orleans has lost 91% of the time when they were down heading into the fourth quarter this season, so this one seems just about wrapped up
Who’s Playing
Cleveland @ New Orleans
Current Records: Cleveland 20-13; New Orleans 12-22
What to Know
The Cleveland Cavaliers are 3-9 against the New Orleans Pelicans since December of 2015, but they’ll have a chance to close the gap a little bit on Tuesday. Cleveland will wrap up 2021 with a road trip to face off against New Orleans at 8 p.m. ET at Smoothie King Center. The Cavaliers should still be feeling good after a victory, while New Orleans will be looking to regain their footing.
A well-balanced attack led Cleveland over the Toronto Raptors every single quarter on their way to victory on Sunday. Cleveland took their contest at home with ease, bagging a 144-99 win over Toronto. The game was all but wrapped up at the end of the third, by which point Cleveland had established a 118-78 advantage. Power forward Kevin Love and point guard Darius Garland were among the main playmakers for Cleveland as the former shot 6-for-9 from downtown and finished with 22 points and nine rebounds and the latter had 22 points and eight assists.
Meanwhile, New Orleans was within striking distance but couldn’t close the gap on Sunday as they fell 117-112 to the Oklahoma City Thunder. Despite the defeat, New Orleans got a solid performance out of small forward Josh Hart, who posted a double-double on 29 points and ten boards.
The Cavaliers are the favorite in this one, with an expected 5-point margin of victory. They have been consistent moneymakers against the spread when favored (9-0), so they might be worth a quick bet.
Cleveland’s win brought them up to 20-13 while New Orleans’ loss pulled them down to 12-22. A pair of stats to keep in the back of your head while watching: Cleveland enters the matchup with only 101.4 points allowed per game on average, good for second best in the league. Less enviably, the Pelicans are fourth worst in the league in points per game, with only 105 on average. They might struggle to break 100.
How To Watch
- When: Tuesday at 8 p.m. ET
- Where: Smoothie King Center — New Orleans, Louisiana
- TV: Bally Sports – New Orleans
- Online streaming: fuboTV (Try for free. Regional restrictions may apply.)
- Follow: CBS Sports App
- Ticket Cost: $9.14
Odds
The Cavaliers are a 5-point favorite against the Pelicans, according to the latest NBA odds.
The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Cavaliers as a 4-point favorite.
Over/Under: -110
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Series History
New Orleans have won nine out of their last 12 games against Cleveland.
- Apr 11, 2021 – New Orleans 116 vs. Cleveland 109
- Mar 12, 2021 – New Orleans 116 vs. Cleveland 82
- Feb 28, 2020 – New Orleans 116 vs. Cleveland 104
- Jan 28, 2020 – New Orleans 125 vs. Cleveland 111
- Jan 09, 2019 – New Orleans 140 vs. Cleveland 124
- Jan 05, 2019 – New Orleans 133 vs. Cleveland 98
- Mar 30, 2018 – Cleveland 107 vs. New Orleans 102
- Oct 28, 2017 – New Orleans 123 vs. Cleveland 101
- Jan 23, 2017 – New Orleans 124 vs. Cleveland 122
- Jan 02, 2017 – Cleveland 90 vs. New Orleans 82
- Feb 06, 2016 – Cleveland 99 vs. New Orleans 84
- Dec 04, 2015 – New Orleans 114 vs. Cleveland 108
Injury Report for New Orleans
- Jonas Valanciunas: Game-Time Decision (Illness)
- Josh Hart: Out (Ankle)
- Brandon Ingram: Out (Achilles)
- Nickeil Alexander-Walker: Out (Covid-19)
- Naji Marshall: Out (Covid-19)
- Zion Williamson: Out (Foot)
- Kira Lewis Jr.: Out for the Season (Knee)
Injury Report for Cleveland
- Evan Mobley: Game-Time Decision (Not Injury Related)
- Cedi Osman: Out (Covid-19)
- Dylan Windler: Out (Covid-19)
- Lamar Stevens: Out (Covid-19)
- Jarrett Allen: Out (Covid-19)
- Ed Davis: Out (Covid-19)
- Darius Garland: Out (Covid-19)
- Collin Sexton: Out for the Season (Knee)