After suffering a loss in the NBA regular season opener against the Chicago Bulls, Cleveland Cavaliers got their act going, with back-to-back victories against the Memphis Grizzlies and Miami Heat to be back on track.
With their mojo back, the Cavaliers are set to face Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Monday. The 76ers are yet to win their first match of the season as they lost against Boston Celtics and Utah Jazz, hence they will be more than eager to come up with a big performance against the Cavaliers and get off the mark in the points tally.
However, the 76ers might be aware of the huge task ahead of them with players such as LeBron James and Kevin Love in the other half of the court. James and Love, who are going to be instrumental this season for the Cavs, have looked good in the first few games and the Cavaliers can only get better when Kyrie Irving also returns to the team.
James and Love average 22.3 and 19.7 points per game in the season so far. James has been constantly saying that Love is going to be an important player for the Cavs. Not only does Love have sharp shooting skills, but also makes his presence felt in the defensive end. Love averages 7.7 rebounds per game.
"Kevin Love is our main focal point," AP quoted James as saying. "We want to get Kev to know how great he is and how good he is for our team."
Love, who was injured last season during the Playoffs, is already getting his physical strength tested in the season and expects a similar test in the near future as well.
"Definitely got hit, got pulled, got my arm locked a few times and I'm pretty sore, too, so it's definitely been tested and I'm sure it will continue to be," said Love.
The 76ers, who will be playing in front of their home fans, should be eager to put up an impressive performance, but for which, they will have to depend on key players like Jahlil Okafor, who averages 18 points during the season. Nik Stauskas needs to get his shooting shoes on against the Cavaliers as he needs to drill those three pointers to compete with last season's NBA finalist, Cavaliers.
However, it goes without saying, Cavaliers with James and Love having started the season well; they are being billed as favourites to win their third straight game of the regular season.
Where to watch live
Philadelphia 76ers vs Cleveland Cavaliers live NBA game is scheduled for 7pm local time (5:30am IST) start. There is no live TV coverage for the match in India.
International viewers, including Indians, can watch all the NBA live action by live streaming on NBA Online.
