Hornets at Cavaliers
LeBron James is more interested in winning his fourth NBA title than where he stands on the all-time scoring list, so the health of teammate Kevin Love and others for the rest of the season - beginning with Saturday's game against the Charlotte Hornets - is paramount. Love missed Friday morning's shootaround and was a game-time decision with back spasms, but responded with 28 points in 15 rebounds to help Cleveland win its third straight game, 114-84 over the Miami Heat.
James, meanwhile, scored 27 points to increase his career total to 27,315, passing Elvin Hayes (27,313) for ninth all-time as he continues pursuit of Kareem Abdul-Jabbar's record of 38,387. "It's a tribute to his hard work, staying healthy and dedication to the game. I am happy for him,'' Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue told reporters about James, who is also four assists shy of becoming the 16th player in NBA history with 7,000. Charlotte rides a three-game winning streak and red-hot guard Nicolas Batum into Cleveland while kicking off a five-game road trip that also takes them to Indiana, Washington, Boston and Atlanta. Batum had a string of three straight double-doubles snapped in Friday's 109-88 victory over the Orlando Magic, instead recording 16 points, nine rebounds and seven assists.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, FSN Southeast (Charlotte), FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE HORNETS (14-9): Shooting guard Kemba Walker scores a team-best 23.3 points per game and could have plenty in the tank Saturday after playing 25 minutes Friday - more than eight below his season average. Charlotte's balanced attack features five players averaging double-figure points and three more scoring better than nine per game, with Batum leading the octet at 13.6. The Hornets are 6-3 on the road - their best start since 2000-01 - and their bench averages 41.4 points away from home, which was fifth-best in the NBA through Thursday's games.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (16-5): Shooting guard J.R. Smith missed the last two games with a hyperextended left knee but participated in Friday morning's shootaround and could return to the lineup Saturday, according to Lue. Channing Frye (10.4 points, 17.7 minutes per game) will not play Saturday and also missed Friday's game to attend his father's funeral. Point guard Kyrie Irving averages a team-best 24.5 points followed by James (24.1), Love (21.7) and Frye.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. James' career averages versus Charlotte - 27.2 points, 7.6 rebounds and 7.1 assists - mirror his career numbers of 27.1 points, 7.2 rebounds and 6.9 assists.
2. James needs 95 points to pass Moses Malone for eighth all-time and is on pace to eclipse Shaquille O'Neal (28,596) for seventh before season's end.
3. Cleveland prevailed 100-93 on Nov. 13 in the first of four meetings this season for its third straight victory in the series, seventh in the last eight encounters and fifth in a row at home with James registering 19 points, eight rebounds and eight assists.