Oh man, what a great game to watch as a Cavs fan. The Cavaliers pulled out a massive win against the Hornets, getting revenge for their overtime loss. Offense was on fire, Darius Garland had a double-double. Donovan Mitchell had 30 for himself, and we saw the return of De’Andre Hunter dominance in a 139-132 win.

Now the Cavaliers (16-14) play another team that has yet to reach the 10 win mark in the New Orleans Pelicans (8-22). They should not be taken lightly though as they have recently had a resurgence in the season with a five game winning streak. 

They have not let rumors of some big trades affect them in this run either. Zion has not played a ton of games yet but since his return the team has looked rejuvenated under interim head coach James Borrego.

The win against the Hornets was massive for the Cavs with Owner Dan Gilbert being reportedly very concerned and players like Darius Garland and Jarrett Allen being in trade rumors.

Watching last night’s game, one of the few concerns should be centered around the defense. Up by as much as 19 in the fourth quarter, they only won by 7 in the end. 

It was one win for the Cavaliers, but it felt like an earned win that could flip the season. Cleveland is still being patient with reigning Coach of the Year Kenny Atkinson despite the rough start.

Where to find the Pelicans vs. Cavs game tonight?

Channel: FanDuel Sports Network – Ohio 

Time: 7:30 p.m.

Pelicans vs. Cavs Injury Report

Pelicans: Dejounte Murray (achilles) is out. 

Cavs: Max Strus (foot) is out. Larry Nance Jr. (knee) is out. Evan Mobley (calf) is out. 

Probable Starting Lineups

Pelicans

Pelicans vs. Cavaliers predictions, odds, best bets

Odds: Cavaliers by 9.5

O/U: 244.5

Cavaliers 134 , Pelicans 125: Defense seems to be the question here. They can score as much as they want, but can the Cavs with Evan Mobley stop a team from scoring a ton.

New Orleans is among the worst defensive teams in points allowed in a game and are worse than the Cavs when it comes to rebounding, which is a rare occurrence this season. Cleveland has all the tools to go out and blow out the Pelicans if they can get their team together.

Cavaliers 2025-2026 Schedule

• Thursday, Dec. 25 @ New York

• Saturday Dec. 27 @ Houston

• Monday, Dec. 29 @ San Antonio

WASHINGTON — The Supreme Court on Tuesday rebuffed the Trump administration over its plan to deploy National Guard troops in Illinois over the strenuous objections of local officials.

The court in an unsigned order turned away an emergency request made by the administration, which said the troops are needed to protect federal agents involved in immigration enforcement in the Chicago area.

Although the decision is a preliminary one involving only Chicago, it will likely bolster similar challenges made to National Guard deployments in other cities, with the opinion setting significant new limits on the president’s ability to do so.

The decision marked a rare defeat for President Donald Trump at the Supreme Court, which has a 6-3 conservative majority, after the administration secured a series of high-profile wins this year.

In doing so, the court at least provisionally rejected the Trump administration’s view that the situation on the ground is so chaotic that it justifies invoking a federal law that allows the president to call National Guard troops into federal service in extreme situations.

Those circumstances can include when “there is a rebellion or danger of a rebellion” or “the president is unable with the regular forces to execute the laws of the United States.”

The court ruled against the administration on a threshold question, finding that the law’s reference to the “regular forces” only allows for the National Guard to be called up if regular military forces are unable to restore order.

The court order said that Trump could only call up the military where they could “legally execute the laws” and that power is limited under another law called the Posse Comitatus Act.

“At this preliminary stage, the Government has failed to identify a source of authority that would allow the military to execute the laws in Illinois,” the court said.

As a result, the Trump administration has failed to show that the National Guard law “permits the President to federalize the Guard in the exercise of inherent authority to protect federal personnel and property in Illinois,” the court added.

The decision saw the court’s six conservative justices split, with three in the majority and three in dissent. The court’s three liberals were in the majority.

The dissenters were Justices Samuel Alito, Clarence Thomas and Neil Gorsuch.

“I have serious doubts about the correctness of the court’s views. And I strongly disagree with the manner in which the court has disposed of this application,” Alito wrote in a dissenting opinion.

“There is no basis for rejecting the President’s determination that he was unable to execute the federal immigration laws using the civilian law enforcement resources at his command,” he added.

Trump’s unusual move to deploy the National Guard, characteristic of his aggressive and unprecedented use of executive power, was based on his administration’s stated assessment that the Chicago area was descending into lawless chaos.

That view of protests against surging immigration enforcement actions in Chicago is rejected by local officials as well as judges who have ruled against the administration.

The deployment was challenged in court by the Democratic-led state of Illinois and the city of Chicago, with their lawyers saying Trump had an ulterior motive for the deployment: to punish his political opponents.

They argued in court papers that Trump’s invocation of the federal law was not justified and that his actions also violated the Constitution’s 10th Amendment, which places limits on federal power, as well as the Posse Comitatus Act, which generally bars the military from conducting law enforcement duties.

U.S. District Judge April Perry said she “found no credible evidence that there is a danger of rebellion” and issued a temporary restraining order in favor of the state.

The Chicago-based 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals largely reached the same conclusion, saying “the facts do not justify the president’s actions.”

The court did narrow Perry’s order, saying that Trump could federalize the troops, but could not deploy them.

The Supreme Court has frequently ruled in Trump’s favor in recent months as the administration has rushed to the justices when policies are blocked by lower courts.

Trump’s efforts to impose federal control over cities led by Democrats who vociferously oppose his presidency are not just limited to Chicago. He has also sought to deploy the National Guard in the District of Columbia, Los Angeles and Portland, Oregon.

Most recently, hundreds of National Guard troops deployed in Illinois and Oregon were set to return to their home states.

The deployment in the District of Columbia, which is a federal enclave with less local control, has been challenged in court, but there has been no ruling yet.

A federal appeals court allowed the Los Angeles deployment, and a different panel of judges on Oct. 20 ruled similarly in relation to Portland.