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What to watch for in Sacramento Kings vs. Cleveland Cavaliers

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The Cleveland Cavaliers (31-16) will square off against the Sacrmaneto Kings (29-19) at Rocekt Mortgage Fielhouse. The Cavs have won five in a row overall, but have not beaten the Kings in more than two years.

Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Sacramento Kings

Where: Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse – Cleveland, OH

When: 7 p.m.

TV: Bally Sports Ohio, NBCS-CA

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Spread: CLE -4.5

Expected Cavs Starting Lineup: Darius Garland, Donovan Mitchell, Max Strus, Evan Mobley, Jarrett Allen

Cavs Injury Report: Jarrett Allen (anke, QUESTIONABLE), Tristan Thompson (suspension, OUT), Ty Jerome (OUT, ankle), Isaiah Mobley (G League, OUT), Emoni Bates (G League, OUT)

Expected Kings Starting Lineup: De’Aaron Fox, Kevin Huerter, Harrison Barnes, Keegan Murray, Domantas Sobonis

Kings Injury Report: Sasha Vezenkov (ankle, QUESTIONABLE), Jordan Ford (G League, OUT), Jalen Slawson (G League, OUT)

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What to watch for: stopping the two-man game

The Kings have one of the most dynamic two-man games in the NBA in De’Aaron Fox and Domantas Sabonis. Fox is coming off a 41-point game against the Chicago Bulls and Sabonis is averaging 19.9 points, 13 rebounds, and eight assists per game. They have good ancillary pieces around those two in the starting lineup and off the bench in Malik Monk, Keegan Murray, and Kevin Huerter. That being said, the Kings’ offense is just middle of the pack in terms of overall rating at 14th in the league. But don’t sleep on that: this offense is still dangerous.

Sacramento makes the fourth-most three-pointers per game and attempts the fourth-most in the league as well. They have the personnel to do it, too. Monk, Huerter, Trey Lyles, Murray. and Harrison Barnes are all threats from downtown. Coupled with the rim pressure that Fox gives and the Nikola Jokic-lite offensive hub skillset that Sabonis brings, the Kings are well-equipped to bring the hammer down on opposing defenses quickly. After all, Sacramento had the best offense in the league last season with largely the same roster.

This is just one example of Sabonis being tough to guard and his ability to find open shooters:

Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley will certainly be tested down low, and the small Cavs’ backcourt will have to do their best with Fox. Sacramento is a difficult team to beat when he and Sabonis get rolling. Despite a downturn in offense year over year, the Kings are still a threat to put 125 points on any team in the league.

What to watch for: will Darius Garland start to turn things around?

He gets the benefit of the doubt for now, but Garland has not been very good since returning from his injury. He had four points, three rebounds, and four assists in 23 minutes against the dreadful San Antonio Spurs and only attempted three shots while turning the ball over three times. There are some concerning things coming from Garland right now that need to be ironed out sooner rather than later.

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Perhaps as his minutes increase and the feel for the game comes back things will improve. But right now, there are things that need to be ironed out soon if the Cavs are going to make a deep run in the playoffs.

One Stat to watch: driving the struggle bus

The Cavs have struggled with the Kings, for whatever reason. Cleveland is 2-8 in their last ten matchups against Sacramento and have lost three in a row. To make matters even more confusing, the Cavs have scored 120 points in two of those three games. Still, they lost.

Now, the Kings curse will really be put to the test. Last time these two teams faced, the Kings dropped 132 points on the the Cavs – the most points they have allowed all season. Darius Garland and Donovan Mitchell shot 12-35 in that contest and Sacramento got Fox back from an injury, two things that, when compounded, equal a tough day at the office.

Sacramento scores the eighth-most points per game, while the Cavs are 20th. They’re fourth in assists per game and seventh in effective field goal percentage as well, while the Cavs are middle of the road in both categories. What Cleveland cant allow to happen is get into a shoot-out. The Cavs, despite being healthy, may not be well-equipped to get into an offensive battle – especially with Garland still working his way back from a broken jaw. They will have to force some turnovers and keep the Kings off balance if they want to secure a victory.



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Cleveland, OH

’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville

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’27 DE Munir Lewis Commits to Louisville


LOUISVILLE, Ky. – Make that a trio of commitment in the Class of 2027 this week for the Louisville football program.

Cleveland (Oh.) Brush defensive end Munir Lewis announced Wednesday that he has committed to the Cardinals. He’s the third commit in the last four days for UofL, Bradenton (Fla.) Cardinal Mooney defensive lineman Kaleb Exume committing on Sunday and Tampa (Fla.) Carrollwood Day two-way athlete Brooklyn Maxey doing so on Monday.

Lewis chose Louisville out of a top seven that also consisted of Ohio State, Michigan State, Illinois, Vanderbilt, Virginia Tech and Purdue. He also held offers from Cincinnati, Minnesota, Wisconsin plus several others, and made multiple visits to UofL’s campus – including this past Friday for the spring game. He’s set to return for an official visit this May.

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The 6-foot-5, 245-pound defensive end is regarded as the 23rd-ranked prospect in the state of Ohio, the No. 50 edge rusher in the Class of 2027, and the No. 592 recruit in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite.

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Lewis was an explosive force for Brush as a junior this past season. He collected 55 total tackles, 13.5 for loss, nine sacks, four pass breakup, a forced fumbles and over 20 quarterback pressures. He helped Brush finish the 2025 season with a 6-4 record.

Lewis is the 12th commitment in Louisville’s 2027 recruiting class, which is on pace to be the best in school history. he joins a class that not only ranks as the best class in the ACC, but the No. 8 class in the nation, per the 247Sports Composite. Four of their commitments are regarded as four-star prospects by the composite.

He’s also the latest in a budding pipeline to the state of Ohio, which has been championed by Executive Director of Football Personnel and Recruiting Vince Marrow. Five of Louisville’s 12 commitments in the 2027 cycle are from the Buckeye State, with three hailing from the Cincinnati area and the other two coming from Cleveland.

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American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission

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American Cornhole League Cleveland Signature Open  | April 24, 2026 | Greater Cleveland Sports Commission


Anyone Can Play, Anyone Can Win
American Cornhole League is bringing the heat to the boards in Cleveland with $150,000 on the line. Join us on April 24-26, 2026, for elite competition where amateurs and pros collide. Whether you’re a backyard ringer or a seasoned veteran, this is your chance to…



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Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26

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Houston Astros at Cleveland Guardians prediction, pick for Tuesday 4/21/26


Garion Thorne gives you a preview, prediction and pick for tonight’s game between the Houston Astros and the Cleveland Guardians.

Few teams needed a win last night more than the Astros.

Houston came into Monday’s action having lost 12 of its past 14 games, while also having lost nearly as many pitchers — at least it feels that way. Just take a quick glance at this club’s IL. Hunter Brown (shoulder), Tatsuya Imai (fatigue), Cristian Javier (shoulder). Those aren’t losses that are easy to survive, and the Astros have understandably been struggling. However, after a dominating 9-2 victory, Houston can at least take a small breath.

Can the Astros make it two in a row this evening? Or will the Guardians bounce back? Let’s preview this AL clash and make a couple picks on the DraftKings Sportsbook.

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Astros vs. Guardians prediction, preview

So, remember that list of injured Astros pitchers I just recited? The consequence of the length of that list, is that you have to start people like Ryan Weiss. That’s not to suggest that Weiss is completely without promise — he was a stud in the KBO in 2024 and 2025 — it’s just that the right-hander’s MLB career has gotten off to a slightly rocky start, and it’s clear that Houston currently prefers the 29-year-old as a reliever. In 14.2 innings of work, Weiss has racked up 18 strikeouts, but he’s also surrendered four home runs, 11 earned runs, and a sixth percentile opponent hard hit rate (54.5%). Weiss isn’t quite built up to be a starter, either. Well, at least not fully, as he threw a season-high 76 pitches in his last outing. That means we’re probably going to have to see a lot of the Astros’ bullpen on Tuesday, which is not a good thing. Houston’s RPs rank 29th in ERA (5.66) and they’ve served up a league-high 1.89 opponent home runs per nine. Yikes.

On the other side of this pitching matchup, we find another starter with little major league experience. That said, Parker Messick already looks like another developmental success story of the Guardians’ pitcher factory. The former second-round pick debuted in 2025, maintaining a 2.72 ERA and a 2.98 FIP across seven starts. If possible, Messick’s looked even better so far in 2026, allowing a mere three earned runs over 25.2 innings. Now, a .200 BABIP isn’t going to sustain. Neither is a 91.4% strand rate. However, when you’re limiting opponents to a 3.3% barrel rate and a 29.5% hard hit rate, you might just get a little “lucky” from time to time. It’s not like the southpaw has been skating by on a soft schedule, either. Messick has faced the Dodgers, the Braves, the Cubs and the Orioles. There isn’t a single cakewalk in there.

That pattern of difficult matchups will continue on Tuesday, as well. For as underwhelming as the Astros’ record is, it’s mostly a byproduct of poor pitching. The offense has actually been one of the best in all of baseball. Houston actually leads all American League teams in wOBA (.350) and wRC+ (124), with Yordan Alvarez leading the charge. He’s been fantastic in left-on-left scenarios, too. In his 36 plate appearances within the split, Alvarez is slashing .448/.528/1.034 with a 315 wRC+. I don’t want to discount Jose Ramirez, who has six homers and 10 stolen bases for the Guardians, yet a healthy Alvarez is easily the best bat in this series. He’s that good.

Astros vs. Guardians pick, best bet

Best Bet: Jose Ramirez 2+ Total Bases (+107)

Weiss has a 6.27 FIP. The Astros’ bullpen has given up the most opponent home runs per nine (1.89). Ramirez probably won’t be in a single bad matchup this evening, and that’s before you factor in that the All-Star is a switch-hitter.

Strong Lean: Ryan Weiss 4+ Strikeouts (+123)

While Weiss’ surface numbers aren’t great, he has managed four strikeouts in two of his three outings where he’s thrown 60+ pitches. He’s struck out 18 in 14.2 innings and I expect he’ll flirt with the 90-pitch plateau on Tuesday.

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