Someone has to win Monday night as Cavs and Knicks battle at the Q

Location:

Quicken Loans Arena, Cleveland, Oh

Probable Starters:

Cleveland:

• Collin Sexton
• Larry Nance Jr
• David Nwaba
• Deng Adel
• Kevin Love

New York:

• Kevin Knox
• DeAndre Jordan
• Dennis Smith Jr
• Mario Hezonja
• Dayemean Dotson

Cleveland- Two of the NBAs worst meet Monday night, in a game that someone has to win.

The Cleveland Cavaliers come in losers in four straight including a 15 point loss on the road in Indiana on Saturday. New York tied a franchise recons 16 straight losses following a 104-99 loss to Toronto.

A loss on Monday would give the Knicks the 34th losing streak of at least 17 games in NBA history. The losing streak would be the longest in the league since last season when the Memphis Grizzlies lost 19 in a row. New York has lost 24 of 25 and 29 of its last 31 games.

Despite all the losing, these two organizations are probably both where they would like to be. That is of course if a top lottery pick is the goal. While fans may not enjoy the losing, it is probably what’s best for the Cavs and Knicks.

Coming into Monday, the Knicks (10-45) have the worst record in the NBA. Cleveland (11-45) holds the third worst record, as Phoenix (11-47) has lost 13 straight. These three teams are all in the running for the number one pick in June’s NBA draft.

As the Cavaliers continue to figure out who is a piece long term, one thing to watch is how things are defensively. The Cavs have allowed 100 points in 12 straight games and 23 of their last 25.

After Saturday nights loss, Cleveland’s Larry Nance Jr, talked about growing defensively. “I’m going to keep preaching that, because you can find offense. You can find offense in the offseason. We’re not worried about that. Defense is the thing that’s got to be there every single night, every single practice, every single game.”

Tonight’s game starts a five game homestand for the Cavaliers, through February 25th. This stretch will give Cavs fans a chance to see the newly acquired pieces from the deadline.

Kevin Love is expected to play his second game since returning from injury Monday. Love played Friday night in Washington, scoring four points in six minutes. The Cavs big man is still on a minutes restriction, but is expected to play more tonight than in Washington.