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Heat vs Cavaliers Preview: Klay Thompson Questionable as Miami Opens Homestand
The Miami Heat open a five-game homestand Friday night, and the Heat vs Cavaliers matchup arrives with a major question mark: Klay Thompson is listed as questionable with left ankle soreness. Tip-off at Kaseya Center is set for 8 p.m. ET in NBA Cup group play, with Giannis Antetokounmpo listed as probable despite a sprained right wrist.
Both teams were viewed as Eastern Conference contenders entering the season, and both have been inconsistent. Miami is 5-6 but has won five of its last seven after an 0-4 start, according to a game preview from Roundtable on Yahoo Sports. Cleveland is 6-6 and has won only three of its last eight after a 4-1 start. That makes this one of the more important early-season Miami Heat updates.
Heat vs Cavaliers: Game Time and Injury Report
Here is the key information, based on the injury report and game notes in the Yahoo Sports preview. Statuses can change before tip-off, so check the official NBA injury report on game day.
Tip-off: 8 p.m. ET at Kaseya Center in Miami.
TV: WPLG Local 10 or DAZN.
Heat: Giannis Antetokounmpo (probable, right wrist sprain), Klay Thompson (questionable, left ankle soreness), Pelle Larsson (questionable, illness), Vladislav Goldin (out, G League).
Cavaliers: Evan Mobley (out, left great toe sprain), Sam Merrill (out, right elbow injury management), Nae'Qwan Tomlin (out, low back stress reaction), Khalifa Diop and Ernest Udeh Jr. (out, G League).
Klay Thompson's Ankle Is the Biggest Question
Thompson and Larsson did not practice Thursday, according to Miami Herald reporter Anthony Chiang, as relayed by ClutchPoints. Thompson landed awkwardly after a chase-down block on Josh Green with just over a minute left in Tuesday's 115-109 win at Utah. The play helped keep the Jazz from cutting the lead to five.
The injury came on a quiet night for the veteran guard. Thompson scored 11 points on 3-of-13 shooting and went 2-of-10 from three. For the season, the 36-year-old is averaging 14.4 points while shooting 42.9 percent from the field and 40.8 percent from deep, per the same report. Our earlier look at his pursuit of Ray Allen on the career three-point list shows why his health matters beyond one game.
Here is our analysis: Miami ranks 23rd in three-point percentage at 33.6 percent, according to Yahoo's team comparison. A healthy Thompson is one of the few players who can stretch the floor and give Giannis room to work. If he sits, the Heat lose spacing at a time when their offense is just 10th in scoring at 115.7 points per game.
Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Frontcourt Without Mobley
Antetokounmpo played through the wrist injury in Utah, finishing with 30 points on 12-of-21 shooting and 11 rebounds. He also passed Gary Payton for 39th on the NBA's career scoring list with 21,836 points, according to the AP game report. Yahoo's stat leaders list him at 27.7 points and 12.6 rebounds per game, and the Roundtable preview notes two triple-doubles and a five-game double-double streak.
Cleveland's absence of Mobley, the team's rim protector, changes the matchup. The Cavaliers still average 45.7 rebounds per game, seventh in the NBA, while Miami averages 41.9, which ranks 22nd. Jarrett Allen is the projected starting center. Antetokounmpo and Bam Adebayo have a chance to control the paint, and Adebayo's recent work on the glass is covered in our Bam Adebayo rebounding record story.
What the Cavaliers Bring: Donovan Mitchell and James Harden
Donovan Mitchell leads Cleveland at 22.8 points per game and scored 37 against the Knicks on Nov. 7. James Harden has struggled to find a rhythm at 16.7 points on 39 percent shooting, but he posted a season-high 32 points in Cleveland's 115-107 win at New York on Wednesday. That followed a 124-112 loss at Charlotte.
The Cavaliers shoot 36.9 percent from three, 10th in the league, and take care of the ball at 13.0 turnovers per game. Miami turns it over 14.4 times per game. Davion Mitchell's ball pressure will be an important part of the defensive plan against two veteran guards.
Heat Lineup and Rotation Watch
The projected Miami starters are Davion Mitchell, Thompson, Larsson, Antetokounmpo and Adebayo, though Thompson and Larsson are both on the injury report. Mitchell had 19 points and eight assists in Utah. Larsson made his second start of the season and scored 14 with seven rebounds, while Andrew Wiggins came off the bench and added 13, according to Fastbreak Journal's recap. Adebayo filled the stat sheet with 11 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
If both Thompson and Larsson are out, Erik Spoelstra could turn back to Wiggins in the starting lineup. That is our read, not a confirmed plan from the team. Larsson's earlier start is covered in our Heat-Kings recap.
Standings and Season Trends
The Heat went 3-2 on their West Coast trip and are trying to climb back toward .500. Miami ranks second in the league in assists at 28.7 per game, which suggests the offense runs best when the ball moves. According to Yahoo's schedule listing, the homestand continues against Detroit, Houston, Milwaukee and Oklahoma City after Cleveland. Miami opened NBA Cup play with a 145-125 win over Indiana, which we covered in our Heat-Pacers NBA Cup recap.
A win Friday would give Miami a winning homestand start and a bit of momentum. A loss to a shorthanded Cleveland team would make the remaining home games even more important.
What Fans Should Watch Next
The pregame statuses for Thompson and Larsson, which should be clearer closer to tip-off.
How Antetokounmpo's wrist holds up after a physical game in Utah.
The rebounding battle without Mobley on the floor for Cleveland.
Whether Miami's defense can slow Mitchell and Harden without fouling.
Detroit, the next game on the Heat's homestand schedule.
Follow Remix Sports Media for continuing Miami Heat coverage, including the Cavaliers game recap, injury updates, roster news and analysis all season.
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