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Cleveland Cavaliers v Charlotte Hornets
2021-22 NBA Regular Season
Saturday 23 October 2021
Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse, Cleveland, Ohio
Tip-off at 01:00
The Cleveland Cavaliers will chase a victory in their first home game of the 2021-22 NBA Regular Season when they welcome the Charlotte Hornets to the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland, Ohio on Saturday 23 October 2021. Tip-off is at 01:00.
The Cavaliers had mixed results in Pre-Season and will enter their first Regular Season game, away to the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday 21 October, still somewhat uncertain about where they lie in the NBA landscape. However, playing in front of their own fans in Cleveland could be the key to seeing off the challenge of the Hornets.
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Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff has elaborated on why he is set to err on the side ‘playing big’ by deploying heavy players and moving away from a faster and more agile approach: “This league is a copycat league so everyone tried to match the [Golden State] Warriors. But, not everyone has the same personnel and you're just running into a brick wall. Then you have to have the courage to buck the trend. I don't think size technically matters any more. I think people are just trying to put as much skill on the floor as they can and our skill is seven feet.”
The Hornets also come into this clash in the back of a Thursday Regular Season opener, and having failed to impress through the course of Pre-Season. Charlotte will be hoping LaMelo Ball can step up and become the team leader to guide them to a whole new level through the course of 2021-22.
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“I want him to take the reins of this program,” Hornets coach James Borrego said. “He’s the quarterback, the floor general and for us to take that next step he must run this team, not only on the offensive end but the defensive end as well.”
The coach added, “A lot of his success last year was based on instinct and feel. Now his next step is managing who we are, his personnel around him and understanding the league in general. So our conversation has been around our team, our strengths, our values and understanding his teammates.”
In head-to-head stats, the Cavaliers and the Hornets have met in 115 Regular Season games since 1988-89, with Cleveland claiming 69 wins compared to 46 for Charlotte. The teams’ last Regular Season meeting was in April 2021, with the Hornets winning 108-102 at home.
Cleveland Cavaliers v Charlotte Hornets – Head-to-head, Regular Season
Games played: 115
Cavaliers wins: 69
Hornets wins: 46
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