Warriors at Cavaliers
THE STORY: The Warriors had high hopes for their four-game swing against the weaker teams in the Eastern Conference. One ankle injury that has been slow to heal and one surprising loss at Charlotte has changed all that. The Warriors enter Tuesday’s game at the Cleveland Cavaliers most likely without their leading scorer again and facing a team that returns home 6-6 and surprising most everyone around the league. No one thought the Cavaliers could improve so quickly, while no one thought the Warriors would struggle so badly. But Stephen Curry will likely be forced to miss his seventh consecutive game because of another sprained ankle. The Warriors are 2-4 in his absence. The Cavaliers, however, will be playing their first home game in nearly two weeks. They survived a seven-game Western Conference road trip by going 3-4 and surprising everyone but themselves. “I’m not surprised of the fact we competed every night,” Cavaliers coach Byron Scott said. “I told the guys if we can come off this road trip with three wins, we did a good job. We were able to do that. I thought for the most part, the road trip was a success.”
TV: 7 p.m. ET, CS Bay Area (Golden State), FS Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE WARRIORS (4-8): Stephen Curry was dealt a double dose of bad news Monday when he was left off the Olympic roster and his ankle hasn’t responded the way he had hoped. As a result, he likely won’t play Tuesday. Curry sprained his surgically repaired right ankle three times within a week. He had been targeting this game as his return, but that seems unlikely now. Curry has played in only five games this season and is averaging 15.2 points.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (6-6): Anthony Parker had back spasms Monday, forcing coach Byron Scott to use point guards Ramon Sessions and Kyrie Irving together in the backcourt. Scott had been hesitant to play the two smaller guards together, but said if Parker’s back keeps him out of Tuesday’s game, he’ll play Sessions and Irving together again. Irving is averaging 22.6 points and 5.2 assists over his last five games, while Sessions equaled his season-high of nine assists Monday while playing alongside the rookie.
BUZZER BEATERS:
1. The Warriors got their first road win Sunday at Detroit. They had opened the season 0-4 on the road.
2. Cavaliers center Anderson Varejao has grabbed double figures in rebounds in seven consecutive games. He ranks fourth in the league in rebounding at better than 11 per game.
3. At an average of 3.33 years in the league per player, the Cavaliers have the least experience in the Eastern Conference.