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Cleveland Cavaliers vs Memphis Grizzlies: Injury Updates, Lineup and Game Prediction

Published 01/07/2021, 1:00 PM EST

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USA Today via Reuters

Coming off a loss, the Cleveland Cavaliers and the Memphis Grizzlies will be looking to get their mojo back. Both the teams are not doing very well this season. Even though the Cavaliers started off their season with three consecutive wins, they’ve struggled to maintain that streak further on.

However, they are still in a better position than the Grizzlies, who are at the bottom of the Conference. Let’s find out what their matchup looks like.

Cleveland Cavaliers injury update and lineup prediction

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The Cavs looked like they were on a hot streak when they started off this season. However, this was quickly extinguished and now they’re standing seventh in the East with their wins and losses on the same pedestal. It’s still not too late for them. If they want to make it to the playoffs, they need to bring back their A-game and stay in the top eight.

In their loss against Orlando Magic on Monday night, their key player, Collin Sexton, bagged 24 points. He has shown so much improvement in his third NBA season. Averaging 25.1 points and shooting 55.1%, if the man can keep his All-Star form, Cleveland will be in good hands.

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USA Today via Reuters

However, the biggest drawback for Cleveland will be their missing players. The point guard spot now lacks depth because Darius Garland and Dante Exum are both out for this game. In fact, due to a calf injury, Dante might be out for approximately two months. With Kevin Porter also ruled out and Matthew Dellavedova listed as a game-time decision, Cleveland could have trouble keeping up with Memphis.

With that, the predicted lineup would be Collin Sexton, Andre Drummond, Isaac Okoro, Cedi Osman, and Larry Nance Jr.

Memphis Grizzlies injury update and lineup prediction

The Grizzlies’ last game was a surprisingly close one against the reigning champions, the Los Angeles Lakers. Losing by just two points against the team that is leading the West is no joke, that too with their key player Ja Morant absent from the lineup. Unfortunately, that’s how they will have to survive at least till the end of this month.

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They have struggled to generate offense in his absence because of which they are 2-5 in the West. This is why they have had to take their defense up a notch. The next player they can rely on after Morant is Kyle Anderson or Dillon Brooks.

USA Today via Reuters

This team isn’t any less injury-riddled. Killian Tillie, John Konchar, and Jontay Porter are out for this game. With that, the predicted lineup would be Jonas Valanciunas, Tyus Jones, Kyle Anderson, Brandon Clarke, and Dillon Brooks.

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Game prediction

It isn’t easy to predict who will win this matchup, and not in a good way. The teams are going through a terrible season so far, but the fairly better team seems to be the Cleveland Cavaliers. So, expect them to beat the Grizzlies in a low-scoring game.

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Written by:

Yashima Bhatia

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Yashima Bhatia is an NBA writer for EssentiallySports who specialises in providing nuanced predictions and updates for matches. She has a Bachelor's degree in journalism and mass communication. Yashima's love for playing the game came up at a young age, when the excitement of the games coupled with the intensity of the Playoffs had her hooked.
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