Cleveland is coming off a loss that should bother them more than a preseason loss normally would. Boston sat 8 players, including Jayson Tatum, Paul George, Derrick White and Payton Pritchard, and still won 124-113. The Celtics won the glass 74-46, and the Cavs cut a 9-point halftime hole to 3 before getting outscored 25-17 in the 4th. Cleveland shot better than Boston and lost anyway, because a 28-rebound gap means a lot of extra possessions.
The rebounding is the thing to watch Sunday. Cleveland started Donovan Mitchell, Jaylon Tyson, Peyton Watson, Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen against Boston, with Tyson filling in for Harden (right ankle soreness). That lineup has 2 bigs, and Boston's bench still pushed it around. Khalifa Diop and Nae'Qwan Tomlin also sat Thursday, so the Cavs had very little behind Mobley and Allen. Orlando plays big and physical by design, and Vučević is a high-volume rebounder, so a Magic frontcourt that kept Cleveland off the boards for long stretches would make the Boston game look like a pattern, not a one-off.
Harden is the other storyline. Ankle soreness in October usually means caution, not something serious, and the Cavs have no reason to rush him into a Sunday exhibition with a rematch 2 nights later. If he plays, it's the first real look at how he and Mitchell share the ball. If he doesn't, expect more Tyson and more of Mitchell running the offense.
Tipoff is 6:30 PM ET. Watch for minutes, not the final score: how long Sweeney leaves his starters on the floor, whether Orlando's guards are healthy enough to dress, and whether Cleveland's bigs can win a rebounding battle this time.