Cleveland is playing as well as any team in the league and have won eight games in a row, the latest coming in a 99-94 win that saw Kyrie Irving drop 55 points on the Portland Trail Blazers.
Sacramento is on the opposite end of the spectrum having lost seven games in a row, the latest coming 119-102 loss to the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (27-20)
G Kyrie Irving – 22.1 ppg, 5.2 apg
G J.R. Smith – 14.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
F Shawn Marion – 5.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
F Kevin Love – 17.1 ppg, 10.3 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 9.6 ppg, 8.9 rpg
Sacramento Kings (16-28)
G Darren Collison –16.3 ppg, 5.8 apg
G Ben McLemore – 11.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg
F Rudy Gay – 20.2 ppg, 5.9 rpg
F Jason Thompson – 5.6 ppg, 6.3 rpg
C DeMarcus Cousins – 23.8 ppg, 12.3 rpg
What to watch for:
Can Sacramento take advantage of Cleveland missing LeBron James?
James is officially listed as doubtful for tonight's game, and while there's a small chance he'll play, it doesn't seem very likely. That should create an opportunity for the Kings to create an advantage on the perimeter if Rudy Gay or Ben McLemore can have a big game.
What will Kyrie Irving do for an encore?
Irving's 55-point performance was the highest scoring game any player has had in the NBA this season, and if LeBron James doesn't play, he's probably going to try to take over the game in a similar fashion. However, if he forces things, he could take the Cavs out of rhythm on offense. Cleveland needs him to have a big game, but also needs him to keep their offense flowing to be as good as they can be.
Prediction: Cavs win 102-91
Even without LeBron James, Cleveland still has all the momentum Sacramento doesn't. They're playing better and are the more talented and deeper team, which should lead to a fairly convincing victory.
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