PREVIEW: Cavs continue 5-game homestand against Nets on Tuesday

Sustain defensive success

With four additions and six subtractions in the last month, Cleveland is still working through the peaks and valleys of a revamped roster. It has lost 2-of-3 games and shot 23.1 percent (16-of-69) from beyond the arc since the All-Star break, but the defense has taken on an improved form.

The younger lineup has kept the opposition below 45 percent shooting in five of the last six games, improving their defensive rating to 104.0 since the trade deadline, the 10^th-best mark in the league.

Here are the top six defenders in the past five games, a testament to general manager Koby Altman’s deadline strategy…

1. Kyle Korver, 92.5 defensive rating
2. Jordan Clarkson, 93.3 defensive rating
3. Larry Nance Jr., 93.3 defensive rating
4. Jeff Green, 99.5 defensive rating
5. Rodney Hood, 99.8 defensive rating
6. George Hill, 105.1 defensive rating

With championship aspirations still in mind, it is evident that the new additions have injected life on the defensive end. The Cavaliers rank 28^th in defensive rating (109.3), but that figures to improve based on these results.

The Nets are 26^th in the NBA in offensive rating (103.0), as only D’Angelo Russell and DeMarre Carroll present serious challenges for an opposing unit.

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