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NHL Morning Skate – Jan. 2, 2023

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NHL Morning Skate – Jan. 2, 2023

* The League-leading Bruins play host to the Penguins in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at the “Cathedral of Boston” and home of the Red Sox, Fenway Park, during the 36th regular-season outdoor game in League history Monday.


* The Hurricanes earned their 11th straight victory, trailing only the Devils (13 GP) for the longest winning streak in the NHL this season. 
 
* Erik Karlsson set a franchise record and hit the 40-assist mark en route to becoming just the sixth defenseman in NHL history to post an assist streak of at least 13 contests.

BRUINS, PENGUINS GET FIRST TASTE OF FENWAY AHEAD OF WINTER CLASSIC
The Penguins and Bruins each hit the ice – and a few (wiffle) balls – at Fenway Park on New Year’s Day ahead of their first head-to-head outdoor meeting.

* Several notes on Boston and Pittsburgh players can be found in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic #NHLStats Pack, with numbers updated through games played Dec. 31, 2022.

* #NHLStats: Live Updates for Jan. 2 is up and running ahead of the 2 p.m. ET puck drop, with notes already loaded for the Winter Classic.

More Winter Classic links:
* Outdoor Game List
* Outdoor Game Standings
* Outdoor Game Skater Records
* Outdoor Game Goaltender Records
* Outdoor Game Team Records

* Interactive Information Guide


2023 DISCOVER NHL WINTER CLASSIC PITS BRUINS VERSUS PENGUINS AT FENWAY PARK
The League-leading Bruins (28-4-4, 60 points), who have yet to suffer a regulation loss at TD Garden this season, will look to match the NHL benchmark for wins in outdoor games when they host the Penguins (19-11-6, 44 points) in the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic at Fenway Park on Monday.

* While the outcome of the game is top of mind, one burning question ahead of puck drop is: What will the pre-game wardrobes consist of this year?

* Boston will become the first team to contest a Winter Classic while occupying first place in the League standings and just the second top-ranked club to play in any NHL outdoor game, following Anaheim (38-10-5, 81 points) during the 2014 Stadium Series at Dodger Stadium. Of note, the Penguins (25-11-3, 53 points) entered the 2011 Winter Classic at Heinz Field tied for the most points in the League standings, but the Red Wings (24-9-5, 53 points) held first place by virtue of games in hand.

* As the home team at Fenway Park, Boston will have a chance to improve upon its 18-0-3 record as hosts this season. That is tied for the longest season-opening home point streak in franchise history, equaling a 19-0-2 stretch as hosts to begin the 1973-74 season, when each home contest was played at Boston Garden. While this list details all season-opening home point streaks of 21-plus games, none of those happened to include a neutral site contest. It should also be noted that home/road streaks on Records.NHL.com exclude neutral site games.




* The Penguins can snap an opponent’s home point streak of 20 or more contests for the first time in franchise history. The longest home run Pittsburgh has halted was an 18-game stretch by Vancouver nearly 30 years ago (16-0-2 from Nov. 4, 1992 – Jan. 16, 1993), which came to an end when the two-time defending Stanley Cup champions earned a 5-2 win at Pacific Coliseum on Jan. 19, 1993.

* The lengthiest season-opening home point streak snapped by the Penguins is 10 contests – they defeated the Rangers at Madison Square Garden on Nov. 19, 1972 to snap New York’s 9-0-1 start as hosts in 1972-73.


WE’RE FIVE GAMES INTO THE NEW YEAR
The first day of 2023 included a first NHL goal for a 27-year-old Senators forward Jacob Lucchini, milestone achievements by Marc-Edouard Vlasic and Mathew Barzal, along with a number of franchise-record streaks extended.


HURRICANES SURGE TO ANOTHER WIN
The Hurricanes (25-6-6, 56 points) took three leads and scored a tying goal in the final five minutes of the third period to extend their winning streak to 11 games and their point streak to 17 (15-0-2) while padding their lead atop the Metropolitan Division. Carolina have now scored at least three goals in nine consecutive games – their longest such run since 2005-06 (10 GP; excluding shootout deciding goals).

* The Hurricanes’ 17-game point streak marks the 14th instance in the past 40 years of a team recording a run of that length and the first since the Avalanche last season (19 GP; 17-0-2).

* Carolina’s 11-game winning streak trails only New Jersey (13-0-0 from Oct. 25 – Nov. 21) for the longest by a team in 2022-23. It marks the seventh season in NHL history to feature multiple winning streaks of 11-plus games and first since 2016-17.

Of note, there were no divisions from 1917-18 to 1925-26 and 1938-39 to 1966-67 when the League was comprised of no more than seven teams in each campaign.


KARLSSON ESTABLISHES LONGEST POINT STREAK IN SHARKS HISTORY
Erik Karlsson recorded two assists, including a helper on the game-winning goal, to extend his point streak to 13 games and establish a Sharks franchise mark. He also became the sixth defenseman in NHL history to record an assist streak of 13 or more games, equaling Cale Makar (13 GP in 2021-22) for the longest run by a blueliner in the past 30 years.

* Karlsson (13-40—53 in 39 GP) moved into a share of fifth place in overall League scoring this season. He also became the eighth defenseman in NHL history to record 40 assists in a season in fewer than 40 games, joining Bobby Orr (6x; best: 32 GP in 1974-75), Paul Coffey (3x; best: 34 GP in 1987-88), Brian Leetch (37 GP in 1991-92), Borje Salming (37 GP in 1976-77), John van Boxmeer (38 GP in 1981-82), Randy Carlyle (38 GP in 1980-81) and Ray Bourque (39 GP in 1989-90).



LARSSON, FOX COLLECT POINTS IN #NHLSTATS: LIVE UPDATES
Two more defensemen turned in notable performances in the Sunday edition of #NHLStats: Live Updates, with Adam Larsson and Adam Fox finding the scoresheet to help the Kraken and Rangers each earn two points:

* Larssonscored the game-opening goal to extend his point streak to six games, matching Justin Schultz (6 GP from Nov. 17-29) for the longest run by a Kraken defenseman since the club’s inception in 2021-22. With the win, Seattle (19-12-4, 42 points) moved from outside the Western Conference playoff picture into the first Wild Card spot.

* Fox collected two assists to improve his career totals to 31-169—200 (241 GP) and help the Rangers (20-12-6, 46 points) move into a Wild Card position. Fox required the second-fewest games by a Rangers defenseman to reach 200 NHL points, behind Brian Leetch (211 GP).



QUICK CLICKS

* Alex Ovechkin, Connor McDavid, Tage Thompson named NHL’s “Three Stars” for December

* Pyotr Kochetkov named NHL’s “Rookie of the Month” for December

* Sidney Crosby looks back on his baseball days ahead of Winter Classic
* 2022 Year in Review by #NHLStats
* David Pastrnak pays homage to Red Sox, David Ortiz with Winter Classic equipment


MONDAY ALSO FEATURES VEGAS-COLORADO ON SPORTSNET AND TVA SPORTS

Four other teams are in action after the 2023 Discover NHL Winter Classic, with the Pacific Division-leading Golden Knights (25-12-2, 52 points) visiting the defending-champion Avalanche (19-13-3, 41 points) at Ball Arena on Sportsnet and TVA Sports followed by the Ducks (10-23-4, 24 points) hosting the Flyers (13-17-7, 33 points) at Honda Center.
 

NBA Preview: Miami Heat (19-18) at Los Angeles Clippers (21-17)

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NBA Preview: Miami Heat (19-18) at Los Angeles Clippers (21-17)

Paul George just established his top scoring output of the season while being booed vociferously by fans of the Indiana Pacers.

Come Monday, the crowd in Los Angeles will be decidedly pro-George when the seven-time All-Star attempts to follow up the 45-point performance with more success when the Clippers host the Miami Heat.

George was 15-of-25 shooting — including 7 of 13 from 3-point range — and recorded nine rebounds and three steals while the Indiana faithful once again expressed their disapproval. George spent his first seven seasons with the Pacers before requesting a trade and being shipped to the Oklahoma City Thunder before the 2017-18 campaign.

But George and the Clippers left the building dejected as their defense wasn’t up to par and Indiana posted a 131-130 win.

The loss was the second straight for Los Angeles and marked a 2-3 ending to a five-game road trip.

The Clippers make a brief stop home to face the Heat before going back on the road for two more games.

While George has been solid with nine 20-point efforts in the past 10 games, fellow star Kawhi Leonard has topped 20 points in consecutive games for the first time since tearing an ACL in his right knee in the playoffs in June 2021.

Leonard had 26 points during a 116-110 loss to the Boston Celtics on Thursday and followed up with 24 points against Indiana. He is averaging 23 points over his last eight appearances, topping 20 five times during the stretch.

Just as encouraging is that Leonard is averaging 35 minutes over the last four games.

Miami has won three of its past four games and knocked off the Clippers earlier this season in South Florida.

Bam Adebayo had 31 points and 10 rebounds in the 115-110 win over Los Angeles on Dec. 8. George had 29 points, eight rebounds and seven assists for the Clippers.

The Heat enter the contest on a high after Tyler Herro buried a 3-pointer as time expired to provide a 126-123 victory over the Utah Jazz on New Year’s Eve.

With Jimmy Butler sitting out to rest his right knee, Adebayo (32 points, eight rebounds), Herro (29 points, nine rebounds, six assists) and Victor Oladipo (season-best 23 points) picked up the slack.

Heat coach Erik Spoelstra said Adebayo’s performance was just as important as Herro’s contributions as the club improved to 1-1 on a five-game road trip.

debayo has topped 20 points in five of his past six games and is averaging 24 points during the stretch.

Herro is averaging 27.5 points, 9.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists over the past two games.

Miami has won the past two meetings after the Clippers won the previous six.

NBA Preview: Detroit Pistons (10-29) at Portland Trail Blazers (18-17)

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NBA Preview: Detroit Pistons (10-29) at Portland Trail Blazers (18-17)

Blazers hope to remain above .500, welcome Pistons to town

The Portland Trail Blazers maintained a winning record throughout December, though they’re in danger of falling to the .500 mark if they lose at home to the Detroit Pistons on Monday.

The Blazers have dropped four of their last five games, including a 118-112 defeat to defending champion Golden State on Friday.

Portland coach Chauncey Billups was limited to an eight-man rotation due to illness and injuries. Starting center Jusuf Nurkic and reserves Keon Johnson and Greg Brown III were too sick to play, while second unit fixtures Nassir Little (hip) and Justise Winslow (ankle) were nursing ailments.

The Trail Blazers were outscored 16-2 in the last five minutes.

The players who started accounted for 95 of the team’s points, led by Damian Lillard with 34. Portland committed six turnovers in the fourth quarter against the Warriors, who were also missing two starters.

Jerami Grant, who was traded by Detroit during the offseason for draft assets, will be facing his former team for the first time since arriving in Portland. Grant is averaging 22 points, 4.4 rebounds and 2.8 assists.

The Pistons still have the league’s worst record, but they’ve won two of their last three games to reach the 10-win mark.

They captured a 116-104 road victory against Minnesota on Saturday, outscoring the Timberwolves 66-40 in the second half.

Starter Bojan Bogdanovic, as usual, led the team in scoring with 28 points.

However, the second unit proved to be the difference. A handful of reserves scored in double digits, contributing 65 points in all.

Marvin Bagley III led that group with 18 points. Alec Burks had 13, Hamidou Diallo tossed in 12 and Cory Joseph and Rodney McGruder added 11 apiece.

Burks, acquired from the New York Knicks in an offseason deal, has provided a big spark off the bench. He’s averaging 14 points in 21.5 minutes per game.

The 31-year-old McGruder, who has been out of the rotation most of the season, played a season-high 23 minutes against Minnesota.

Starting guard Killian Hayes will serve the final game of a three-game suspension for striking Orlando’s Moritz Wagner from behind during a skirmish on Wednesday. The Pistons are in the midst of a five-game road trip.

NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks (17-19) at Golden State Warriors (19-18)

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NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks (17-19) at Golden State Warriors (19-18)

The Golden State Warriors hope to continue their homecourt roll – and get some help in the process – when they host the struggling Atlanta Hawks on Monday night.

Coming off a 1-5 trip that dropped them three games under .500, the Warriors have opened an eight-game homestand with four consecutive wins, all without injured stars Stephen Curry and Andrew Wiggins.

The defending champs, now a league-best 16-2 at home, expect Wiggins to return Monday from a 13-game absence that began with a strained adductor and has been extended by an illness. Golden State has gone 6-7 over that stretch – 5-1 at home and 1-6 on the road.

The most recent of the wins came Friday against the Portland Trail Blazers, a game the Warriors trailed 105-98 with 6:59 to go before finishing with a 20-7 flurry.

Donte DiVincenzo hit a key 3-pointer with 24 seconds remaining to secure the win and cap what has become a trademark all-around contribution with nine points, nine rebounds, four assists and four steals.

The Warriors will be seeing the Hawks for the first time as Atlanta embarks on a week-long California tour. The club packed a three-game losing streak, including a 130-121 home loss Friday to the Los Angeles Lakers, against whom the Hawks will get a rematch later this week.

Getting on the road might be a good thing for the Hawks, whose two-game homestand was engulfed in rumors about coach Nate McMillan possibly considering stepping down.

That’s what a report in The Athletic insisted was occurring behind the scenes, and McMillan was quick to refute it.

The Hawks now employ two guards who have tormented Golden State.

Trae Young had 28- and 33-point performances when the Hawks split the two-game series against the Warriors last year. Atlanta won 121-110 at home in March after losing 127-113 in San Francisco.

Meanwhile, the Hawks have since added Dejounte Murray, who faced the Warriors 10 times as a member of the San Antonio Spurs and scored 19 or more points in half of them. He put up 23 and 19 points in Spurs wins at San Francisco last season.

Young had 29 points and Murray 20 in Friday’s loss to the Lakers.

NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets (24-12) at Minnesota Timberwolves (16-21)

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NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets (24-12) at Minnesota Timberwolves (16-21)

Wolves attempt to contain Nikola Jokic as Nuggets visit

When the Minnesota Timberwolves acquired Rudy Gobert from Utah this offseason, it looked like he might be the final piece they needed to become a contender.

But with a new calendar year upon it, Minnesota is far from the top and searching for answers.

The Timberwolves have lost six in a row, the last a demoralizing home loss to the Detroit Pistons on Saturday night, and now face the top team in the Western Conference when the Denver Nuggets come to Minneapolis on Monday night.

Minnesota is five games under .500 and sits 11th in the Western Conference. Center Karl-Anthony Towns has not played since Nov. 28 due to a right calf strain but should be returning shortly, but he won’t play against Denver, which makes the task of defending two-time MVP Nikola Jokic that much tougher.

Minnesota is 6-10 since Towns went out with the injury.

Gobert has faced Jokic many times when he was with the Jazz, and Monday should be another challenge for him.

While that is a concern, the bigger issue for Minnesota is getting out of their downward spiral. After the 116-104 loss to Detroit, the Timberwolves held a players-only meeting to try to find solutions.

Monday’s game is the first of four between the teams, and all the games are going to occur in a span of six weeks.

One advantage for Minnesota is the fact that the Nuggets played Sunday night against Boston to wrap up a stretch of five games in eight nights, but they’re coming in with momentum. Denver beat the Celtics, who have the best record in the NBA, 123-111.

One player who could be rested for Monday’s game is guard Jamal Murray. Murray sat out Sunday’s game as part of management for his surgically-repaired left knee, a strategy the Nuggets have used this year as he works his way back to full health.

Other than Murray and Jeff Green, who is out with a fractured right hand, Denver is playing with a stacked roster and has been getting better defensively over the last three weeks. The Nuggets are 10-2 since dropping three straight at the beginning of December, and coach Michael Malone said one key is defense.

It helps having a unique player like Jokic, who notched his ninth triple-double of the season after putting up 30 points, 12 rebounds and 12 assists against the Celtics.

NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks (21-16) at Houston Rockets (10-26)

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NBA Preview: Dallas Mavericks (21-16) at Houston Rockets (10-26)

Prior to Dec. 23, Dallas Mavericks guard Luka Doncic had recorded one 50-point game in his five-season career. In the five games played over the next eight days, Doncic has been on an offensive tear unlike anything ever witnessed in the history of the NBA.

The Houston Rockets will try to better cope with the red-hot Doncic when they host the Mavericks on Monday.

Doncic produced 51 points, six rebounds and nine assists in the Mavericks’ 126-125 victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday for his third 50-point performance over his last five games. Doncic torched the Rockets for 50 points, eight rebounds and 10 assists two days before Christmas and demolished the New York Knicks with a historic 60-point, 21-rebound, 10-assist triple-double on Dec. 27.

Against the Spurs, Doncic shot 18 of 29, made 6 of 10 3-pointers and added four steals to lead the Mavericks to their sixth consecutive victory. He is averaging 42.2 points (on 58.7 percent shooting), 10.8 rebounds and 10.2 assists during the win streak.

Doncic has playfully referenced his exhaustion during this stretch of extraordinary efforts, but there was a troubling truth behind the sheepish grin he offered when he said he needed a “recovery beer” following the overtime win over the Knicks.

Doncic is averaging just under 40 minutes per game during the win streak, and with the Mavericks missing Dorian Finney-Smith (groin) and Maxi Kleber (hamstring) from their rotation, Doncic is shouldering an even heavier workload than usual. He is third in the league in usage rate behind Philadelphia 76ers center Joel Embiid and Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo.

At this moment, Doncic appears unstoppable. The question is, how long can he keep this going?

The Rockets have been victimized by Doncic twice during his run of dominance, with Doncic adding a 35-point, 12-rebound, 13-assist triple-double on Dec. 29 to the 50-point display that ignited this stretch.

Houston has dropped eight of nine games since opening a seven-game homestand with consecutive victories over the Bucks and Phoenix Suns. Completing the season series against Dallas on Monday should provide some measure of relief for its beleaguered defense.

Houston owns a minus-10.5 net rating over the last nine games, the worst in the NBA, in large part because of a 118.1 defensive rating during that stretch that is 24th in the league.

The Rockets’ defense was relatively decent in their 108-88 home loss to the Knicks on Saturday, but it was another season-long bugaboo — turnovers — that greased the skids to their latest demise. The Rockets committed 25 turnovers against the Knicks.

NBA Preview: San Antonio Spurs (12-24) at Brooklyn Nets (24-12)

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NBA Preview: San Antonio Spurs (12-24) at Brooklyn Nets (24-12)

The Brooklyn Nets enjoyed such a unique 2022 that they endured the frustration of an 11-game losing streak and the excitement of an 11-game winning streak.

The win streak is still intact, and the Nets go for their 12th straight victory Monday night when they open the 2023 portion of their schedule by hosting the San Antonio Spurs.

Brooklyn dropped 11 straight Jan. 23-Feb 12 when Kevin Durant was unavailable due to a knee injury and Kyrie Irving was unavailable for home games due to a vaccine mandate in New York. The skid contributed to a 44-win season that ended with an unceremonious four-game sweep by the Boston Celtics in the first round followed by a turbulent summer when Durant reportedly asked to be traded.

Then came a rough start to the season resulting in Jacque Vaughn replacing Steve Nash as coach when the Nets lost five of their seven. Then came an eight-game suspension for Irving but the Nets figured it out and are on their longest win streak since setting a franchise record with 14 straight March 12-April 6, 2006, when Vaughn appeared in every game as a reserve guard.

Brooklyn’s winning streak is the longest in the NBA since the Phoenix Suns won 11 straight Jan. 11-Feb. 1, and the Nets are attempting to become the first team with a 12-game run since the Suns won 18 straight Oct. 30-Dec 2, 2021.

Brooklyn kept it going by ending a three-game road trip with a 123-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets. After getting close wins in Cleveland and Atlanta, the Nets shot 60 percent from the floor, marking the fourth time they shot at least 60 percent in the streak and 21st time this season they shot at least 50 percent.

Durant has played in 10 games during the streak, only sitting out to rest on the second night of a back-to-back in Indiana on Dec. 10. He scored 23 points Saturday and is averaging 29.2 points during the streak.

Irving led the Nets with 28 points and is averaging 29.5 points in the nine games he has played during the streak after going 16 of 31 from 3-point range on the trip.

San Antonio is 6-6 in its past 12 games since an 11-game skid Nov. 14-Dec. 4. The Spurs have produced their best four shooting performances in that span, including Saturday when they shot 55.3 percent in a 126-125 loss to the visiting Dallas Mavericks.

San Antonio was unable to stop Luka Doncic, who scored 51 points as the Mavs shot 58.1 percent. It was the fifth time an opponent made at least 58 percent from the floor against San Antonio and 21st instance of the Spurs allowing at least 50 percent shooting.

Despite allowing a big night from Doncic, the Spurs nearly erased a 17-point deficit over the final 17-plus minutes thanks to big games from Keldon Johnson (30 points) and rookie Jeremy Sochan (20 points).

NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (23-13) at Philadelphia Sixers (21-14)

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NBA Preview: New Orleans Pelicans (23-13) at Philadelphia Sixers (21-14)

The Philadelphia 76ers ended 2022 with a resounding 115-96 victory on the road against the Oklahoma City Thunder.

The Sixers will now look to build on that positive momentum in 2023 when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday.

Philadelphia played a stellar game on Saturday even without James Harden, Tyrese Maxey and P.J. Tucker for injury management. All three players are expected to be available against the Pelicans.

Tobias Harris led the way with 23 points while Joel Embiid produced 16 points, 13 rebounds, 10 assists and four blocked shots. Shake Milton scored 18 points and De’Anthony Melton added 17.

Eleven different Sixers scored, including deep reserves Paul Reed and Jaden Springer.

The Sixers held Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to 14 points on 4-of-15 shooting. Gilgeous-Alexander entered the game averaging 31.4 points.

The Sixers will have another daunting defensive challenge against New Orleans’ Zion Williamson and CJ McCollum. In the Pelicans’ 127-116 win over the Sixers last Friday, McCollum hit a career-high and franchise-record 11 shots from 3-point territory on his way to a 42-point night.

The Pelicans will look to rebound after falling 116-101 to the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday.

Six players reached double figures in scoring for New Orleans. Williamson scored 20 points on 6-of-16 shooting, but that also came with a career-high nine turnovers.

After that amazing performance against the Sixers, McCollum scored 10 points on 4-of-16 shooting, including 1-of-7 on 3-pointers. McCollum also committed six turnovers.

The Pelicans did receive some good news with the return of Herb Jones, who had been out since Dec. 23 in health and safety protocol.

Jones shot 2-of-12 for four points but added 11 rebounds and some solid defense.

The Pelicans will enter this matchup with a 7-9 road record. They have won 16 of 20 at home.

NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors (16-20) at Indiana Pacers (20-17)

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NBA Preview: Toronto Raptors (16-20) at Indiana Pacers (20-17)

Tyrese Haliburton has become a late-game force for the Indiana Pacers and he’ll have another chance to prove it Monday night against the visiting Toronto Raptors at Indianapolis.

Haliburton scored 18 of his 24 points in the fourth quarter Saturday in the Pacers’ 131-130 victory over the visiting Los Angeles Clippers.

His fourth quarter also included one blocked shot, one of his four steals and one of his 10 assists in helping the Pacers to their fifth victory in the past six games.

Haliburton scored 12 of his 23 points in the fourth quarter Tuesday to help the Pacers defeat the Atlanta Hawks and hit the game-winning 3-pointer in the final seconds to cap a 43-point outing against the host Miami Heat on Dec. 23.

The Pacers will be playing the Raptors for the second time this season, earning a 118-104 home win on Nov. 14.

The Raptors are coming off a 113-104 victory over the visiting Phoenix Suns on Friday, their third win in their past five games following a six-game losing streak.

Toronto opened a stretch of nine of 10 games at home with losses to the Clippers and the Memphis Grizzlies.

Raptors coach Nick Nurse criticized the team’s effort against Memphis on Thursday and told them what he thought in a 20-minute session on Friday. The team responded with a solid effort against Phoenix with Gary Trent Jr. matching his season high of 35 points to lead the way.

The Raptors forced 27 Phoenix turnovers with Thaddeus Young collecting four steals and Trent and Scottie Barnes each adding three.

The Raptors played Friday without Fred VanVleet (back) and Precious Achiuwa (ankle). Both players are listed as questionable for Monday’s game.

NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (16-20) at Cleveland Cavaliers (23-14)

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NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls (16-20) at Cleveland Cavaliers (23-14)

The Chicago Bulls and Cavaliers will begin 2023 by facing the same opponent against which they closed 2022 — each other — as the teams play in Cleveland on Monday.

Cleveland won the New Year’s Eve encounter Saturday in Chicago, 103-102, to snap a three-game losing streak. Cavs guards Donovan Mitchell and Caris LeVert successfully denied DeMar DeRozan’s game-winning shot attempt to preserve the win, despite going the game’s final two minutes without a point.

LeVert capped Cleveland’s scoring for the contest with the final two of his game-high 23 points. LeVert also grabbed seven rebounds and dished four assists. Kevin Love added 20 points and nine rebounds, and Cedi Osman and Isaac Okoro scored 12 and 11 points off the bench.

Mitchell — one of the NBA’s top 10 scorers at 28 points per game — was held to 15 points on 5-of-16 shooting from the floor. He also committed seven turnovers.

Mitchell’s uncharacteristically off performance on offense made Cleveland’s defense all the more important to snapping its losing streak, Cavs coach J.B. Bickerstaff said.

Cleveland boasts the NBA’s top scoring defense, holding opponents to 106.2 points per game. Saturday’s effort came in spite of the Cavs playing without Evan Mobley, a stingy rim-protecting presence in the paint alongside Jarrett Allen, and Darius Garland.

Garland is averaging 1.3 steals per game, while Mobley is averaging 1.3 blocked shots per game. Garland and Mobley missed Saturday’s game with a thumb injury and ankle injury, respectively.

For Chicago, Saturday’s loss ended a seven-game streak scoring at least 110 points, including a run of four straight posting at least 118 points.

Crucial to the Cavs’ defensive effort against the Bulls was holding Zach LaVine — one game removed from scoring 43 points in a win over Detroit — to just 15 points on 6-of-16 shooting from the floor.

Despite its scoring struggles, Chicago’s own defensive effort — including limiting Mitchell — gave the Bulls an opportunity to win. DeRozan noted the team’s defense as a key for the Monday rematch.

Chicago had won five of its preceding six games going into Saturday’s contest, with DeRozan’s scoring playing a central role. The three-time All-NBA honoree has scored at least 21 points in the last eight games and averaged a shade less than 28 points per game over that stretch.

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