Cleveland Cavaliers vs. New York Knicks: gamethread

Tonight, the Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the New York Knicks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse. Cleveland last played on Friday night, where they defeated the Boston Celtics 132-123 in overtime. New York, meanwhile, last played on Friday as well, where they lost to the Milwaukee Bucks 119-108.

There’s no Darius Garland in this game and his fifth game missed this season. Garland suffered an inner eyelid laceration on a reckless play by Gary Trent Jr. during the home opener against the Toronto Raptors. He’s been spotted wearing goggles during the team’s various practices and shootarounds, but, the eye itself still appears swollen. For now, Garland will likely remain day-to-day until he feels comfortable enough to be out on the floor.

With that said, don’t be surprised when the starting lineup is Donovan Mitchell, Caris LeVert, Dean Wade, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen. It’s what the Cavaliers have been rolling during their early-season winning streak and why would Cleveland try to fix something that isn’t broken? Sure, it takes a lot of pages from how the Utah Jazz operated with Mitchell. But, it’s also highly effective at the end of the day and helps build serious momentum on the court.

After Friday’s overtime thriller, this Sunday's matchup against the Knicks is an opportunity for the Cavaliers to carry the momentum from their latest win. Look for a little bit of mixing on the back end of the rotation by head coach J.B. Bickerstaff. Also, keep an eye on whether or not Isaac Okoro makes an appearance on offense.