Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers Sacramento Kings 01/04/08
GAME: Sacramento Kings (12-18) at Cleveland Cavaliers (15-17)
DATE/TIME: Friday, January 04 - 7:30 PM EST
SPREAD: Cleveland -8 TOTAL: 193
The Sacramento Kings are trying to make do without perhaps their three best players. Losing LeBron James alone put the Cleveland Cavaliers into a tailspin in early December, and only now do they seem to be rounding back into form.
Facing an injury-depleted Kings team missing its best defender, James and the Cavaliers look for their fourth win in five games as the teams conclude their season series Friday night.
James sat out practice Thursday due to a sore right big toe, but is listed as probable for this game and Cleveland coach Mike Brown said he would likely play.
The same can't be said for Kings forward Ron Artest, the two-time All-NBA Defensive first team selection who had surgery on his right elbow Wednesday and will miss three to four weeks.
His absence leaves Sacramento (12-18) without three core players. The Kings were already missing leading scorer Kevin Martin (strained right groin) and starting point guard Mike Bibby (left thumb). All three are expected to return later this month.
Sacramento , though, won on the road without that trio Wednesday night, beating hapless New York 107-97 to snap a four-game losing streak.
"We have to stay focused and stay in the mix until we get healthy," Kings coach Reggie Theus said. "This is basically just surviving for the next couple, two, three weeks for us."
Artest's absence leaves Sacramento without the player it likely would use to defend James, as was the case in these teams' first meeting this season. With Artest - the 2003-04 NBA Defensive Player of the Year - sitting out due to a league suspension, James scored eight of his 26 points in the final 2:57 to rally Cleveland to a 93-91 victory on Nov. 9.James is averaging 28.8 points, 7.6 assists and 5.8 rebounds in his last five games versus Sacramento, which has lost three straight against the Cavaliers.
Cleveland (15-17) lost all five games it played when James was sidelined with a sprained left index finger from Nov. 30-Dec. 8, averaging 80.7 points while shooting 39.1 percent from the field. That slump came after the Cavaliers started the season 9-6 and were averaging 102.1 points a contest.
The defending Eastern Conference champions lost four of their first seven games after James returned, but has won three of its last four and hopes to position itself among the league's elite again.
"The time is definitely now to make our run and to gain ground on the other teams in the Eastern Conference," struggling Cavaliers guard Larry Hughes said. "We have to go out and play. It's not going to be easy and nothing is going to be given to us."
Hughes is averaging 7.5 points - half his career average - over the last 10 games while shooting 28.4 percent from the field and 2-of-19 from 3-point range.
The Cavaliers won their first game of 2008, beating Atlanta 98-94 on Wednesday night with James scoring 32 of his 36 points in the second half. James scored or had an assist on 26 of Cleveland 's final 27 points.
Though James may get a break by not facing Artest, the Kings' new starting small forward has been playing well. Francisco Garcia had 30 points in a loss to Phoenix on Sunday, and scored 22 on Wednesday as the Kings posted their third straight road win.
Sacramento lost its first nine road games before winning four of the last five.
"We've got to do it all as a group," said Kings guard John Salmons, who had a career-high 32 points against the Knicks. "We've all got to team rebound. I think that's the only way we can win with all those guys out."
Salmons had 11 rebounds while Brad Miller led the Kings with 16 to edge the Knicks 51-42 in that category. Sacramento had been outrebounded in its previous six games.
The Kings will conclude a three-game trip against East teams on Saturday night against Chicago .
