Game Preview: Knicks at Cavs 2/11/19

Well, well. What do we have here.

Cleveland (11-45) takes on New York (10-45) at the Tanker’s Life Field House Quicken Loans Arena. A battle of two sub-prime mortgaged futures, depending on the commonwealth’s draft to bail them out of their self-induced messes. And let me tell ya, Carmelo Anthony ain’t walking through that door.

For the Knicks it’s been 16 consecutive losses. That’s four times as many as the Cavs’ current losing streak. One way or another, someone is getting off the schneid. This game is tailor made for the college-basketball-is-better-than-pro-basketball crowd. Dude, Duke could beat either one of these teams. Yea, nah. Avert your eyes if you must. If you do plan to watch, get your safety goggles out.

Projected Starters

Kevin Love is back! Love played six minutes in his season debut, then took a game off to go manage a load. He should be back for tonight’s game. Maybe he’ll even get 12 big time minutes! When he isn’t playing, Marquese Chriss has gotten a start, which bodes well for the Knicks, in a certain way. Chriss is, as we know, totally welcome to do his funny business with Kristaps Porzingis, now that the Flamingo has flown away.

Fold him, ’Quesse!

Whatever. JR Smith will not be appearing for the Cavaliers and the last order of business is to wish Tristan Thompson the help he needs. He has been dating and mating with a wretched demon spawn whose entire family and loved ones are dealing with several extreme layers of mental illness. It’s such a shame that he got trapped by a money-leeching family of evil bloodsucking broadcast zombies.

Key Matchup

What goes on at the point guard position? Cavs rookie Collin Sexton is basically the ramshackle version of the newly-acquired Dennis Smith Jr. for the Knicks. Sexton taps into his untamed carnage persona with ease but that can get him in trouble at times, being so freakishly focused can cause him to lose the plot from time to time. Other times, he just totally loses focus and walks off the pier. Here check him almost ruin one of the opening plays of the game for the Cavs.

Nevertheless, Sexton has improved his efficiency as a scorer, getting up to 40% from downtown and 85% at the foul line. He can be tough when he gets downhill, and looks his best when he has half of the floor to work with. A Collin Sexton isolation show won’t win you too many games, however. It will be fun to watch Dennis come back with some frisky flair if they get into a duel.

Prediction

The Knicks finally have enough scoring pop and defensive willpower to chop down another bad team. Cleveland is still wading through the trouble of re-introducing Kevin Love. While he will be a focal point, he doesn’t have the wind or the time on the floor to bend the game to his will. Collin Sexton can score the ball a fair amount but will prove no match for Dennis Smith Jr., perpetually being taken advantage of in pick and roll.

Knicks by 9.

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