Bobcats at Cavaliers
If the Cleveland Cavaliers hope to end their three-year playoff drought, they'll first need to figure out how to win on the road. They won't have to worry about that Friday night, however, as they carry an unbeaten home record into their showdown with the Charlotte Bobcats. Cleveland is coming off back-to-back road routs at the hands of the Chicago Bulls and Minnesota Timberwolves, while the Bobcats returned to the .500 mark Wednesday with an 89-83 triumph over Boston.
The early-season struggles of point guard Kyrie Irving have contributed to Cleveland's slow start. Coming off his best season as a pro, the 21-year-old point guard has seen his scoring average drop more than three points to 19.4 points, while his field-goal percentage (38.6), free-throw percentage (73.7) and steals (0.6) have also plummeted from a year ago. Charlotte was buoyed by the return of center Al Jefferson, who had 22 points and 11 rebounds in the win over the Celtics.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, SPSO (Charlotte), FSOH (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE BOBCATS (4-4): Charlotte has established itself as a free-throw shooting juggernaut under new head coach Steve Clifford. Entering Thursday night's action, the Bobcats were averaging 31.4 trips to the foul line per game; only the Houston Rockets - led by the often-hacked Dwight Howard - average more (37.6). According to the Charlotte Observer, that number rises to 34 in the Bobcats' four victories - and with Jefferson back in the fold after missing five games with an ankle injury, those free throws should continue to add up.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (3-6): Little went right for the Cavaliers in Wednesday's 124-95 loss to Minnesota - the Cavaliers allowed the Timberwolves to shoot nearly 55 percent from the field and make half their 3-point attempts. But count coach Mike Brown among those who aren't ready to freak out over the subpar start to the year. "People should feel bad because we're 3-6 and nobody wants to be 3-6," he told the Cleveland Plain Dealer. "But I said this before when I first got here, this is going to be a process. It's a journey."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Charlotte has won consecutive meetings, most recently a 90-84 decision Nov. 1.
2. Cleveland is averaging just 20.9 free-throw attempts through nine games.
3. Jefferson averages 15.9 points and 8.2 rebounds in 16 career games against the Cavaliers.