Who's Playing

Cleveland @ New Orleans

Current Records: Cleveland 14-22; New Orleans 15-22

What to Know

The Cleveland Cavaliers haven't won a game against the New Orleans Pelicans since March 30 of 2018, but they'll be looking to end the drought on Friday. Cleveland will take on New Orleans at 8 p.m. ET at Smoothie King Center after having had a few days off. Given that both teams suffered a loss in their last game, they both have a little extra motivation heading into this matchup.

It was close but no cigar for the Cavaliers as they fell 114-111 to the Indiana Pacers last week. The losing side was boosted by point guard Collin Sexton, who dropped a double-double on 32 points and ten dimes.

Meanwhile, the Pelicans found themselves the reluctant recipients of an unpleasant 135-105 punch to the gut against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Thursday. New Orleans was down 105-82 at the end of the third quarter, which was just too much to recover from. Small forward Brandon Ingram wasn't much of a difference maker for New Orleans; Ingram finished with 13 points on 5-for-14 shooting and turned the ball over four times in his 28 minutes on the court.

Cleveland is expected to lose this next one by 7. They are currently five-for-five against the spread in their most recent games, however, a trend bettors might want to take into account.

The losses put the Cavaliers at 14-22 and the Pelicans at 15-22. A couple numbers to keep in mind before tip-off: Cleveland is worst in the league in points per game, with only 104.6 on average. New Orleans has experienced some struggles of their own as they are stumbling into the contest with the fourth most points allowed per game in the league, having given up 116.4 on average. It's possible one of these Achilles' heels will wind up tripping the losing team up.

How To Watch

  • When: Friday at 8 p.m. ET
  • Where: Smoothie King Center -- New Orleans, Louisiana
  • TV: Fox Sports - Ohio
  • Follow: CBS Sports App

Odds

The Pelicans are a solid 7-point favorite against the Cavaliers, according to the latest NBA odds.

The oddsmakers had a good feel for the line for this one, as the game opened with the Pelicans as a 7.5-point favorite.

Over/Under: -111

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Series History

New Orleans have won seven out of their last ten games against Cleveland.

  • Feb 28, 2020 - New Orleans 116 vs. Cleveland 104
  • Jan 28, 2020 - New Orleans 125 vs. Cleveland 111
  • Jan 09, 2019 - New Orleans 140 vs. Cleveland 124
  • Jan 05, 2019 - New Orleans 133 vs. Cleveland 98
  • Mar 30, 2018 - Cleveland 107 vs. New Orleans 102
  • Oct 28, 2017 - New Orleans 123 vs. Cleveland 101
  • Jan 23, 2017 - New Orleans 124 vs. Cleveland 122
  • Jan 02, 2017 - Cleveland 90 vs. New Orleans 82
  • Feb 06, 2016 - Cleveland 99 vs. New Orleans 84
  • Dec 04, 2015 - New Orleans 114 vs. Cleveland 108

Injury Report for New Orleans

  • JJ Redick: Out (Heel)

Injury Report for Cleveland

  • Matthew Dellavedova: Out (Abdomen)
  • Taurean Prince: Out (Shoulder)
  • Darius Garland: Out (Groin)
  • Andre Drummond: Out (Not Injury Related)