Cleveland, Ohio — The Cavs will travel to the city of New Orleans to face the Pelicans on Wednesday, the start of a three-game road trip.
It’s been a roller coaster ride over the last few games for the Cavs, as they’ve been without four key players: Donovan Mitchell (knee), Max Strus (knee), Evan Mobley (ankle) and Dean Wade (personnel).
Still, the Cavs managed to bring the firepower-packed Phoenix Suns to a two-point game with less than two minutes left on Monday. This dogfight came after beating the top-seeded Boston Celtics, when Wade was down 20 points in the fourth quarter, and the Minnesota Timberwolves, continually demonstrating that no matter how many injuries the Cavs face, they have the potential to make the competition competitive. .
Expected to face a healthy Pelicans team led by paint-efficient Zion Williamson, the short-handed Cavs look to slow down another playoff contender during their difficult March while trying to get back to the No. 2 seed Eastern Conference series.
There are also sentimental ties to Wednesday’s game as Larry Nance Jr. will face his former team, the Cleveland Cavaliersand with the abundance of injuries on the Cavs roster, the brothers could take center stage against each other as Pete Nance signed a two-way contract earlier this season.
Pete Nance went undrafted in the 2023 NBA Draft out of the University of North Carolina. But Nance played with the Cavs’ Summer League team that won the last Summer League championship and has since played in three NBA games this season while spending most of his time in the G-League with Cleveland Charge, playing 19 games this year.
This will be the first time that the Nance brothers will have the opportunity to compete at the highest level.
The Nance family history runs deep with the Cavs, as the Nance brothers’ father is a Cleveland legend. Larry Nance was inducted into the Ohio Basketball Hall of Fame in 2019 after a career that saw him score 15,687 points in the National Basketball Association. But he is best remembered as the winner of the NBA’s first slam-dunk contest in 1984, when he earned the nickname “the high-ayatolla of Slamola.”
It’s a full-circle moment as every member of the Nance family who has reached the NBA has donned the Wine and Gold.
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Here’s what you need to know about the match:
WHO: Cleveland Cavaliers (41-24) against New Orleans Pelicans (39-25).
Series: Second and final meeting this regular season.
Or: Smoothie King Center.
When: 8:00 p.m. EDT.
The distribution of points: Pelicans minus-6.5; O/U 217.5
TV: Bally Sports Ohio
Injury report
Wine merchants: Donovan Mitchell (knee), QUESTIONABLE; Dean Wade (staff), OUT; Evan Mobley (ankle), OUT; Max Strus (knee), OUT; Ty Jérôme (right ankle surgery), OUT; Tristan Thompson (suspension), OUT.
Pelicans: Dyson Daniels (knee), OUT.
If you or a loved one has questions and needs to speak with a gambling professional, call the Ohio Problem Gambling Helpline at 1-800-589-9966 or the National Council Helpline on scheduled play (NCPG) at 1-800-522-. 4700 or visit 1800gambler.net for more information. 21+ and present in Ohio. A gaming problem? Call 1-800-Gambler.
