Cavaliers at Rockets
The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a rare losing streak but will be hard-pressed to make it two wins in a row as they face a quick turnaround Sunday, when they visit the Houston Rockets. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving combined for 46 points in the Cavaliers' 116-104 victory at Orlando on Saturday as they halted a three-game slide.
However, Cleveland has dropped six of its last seven in the second halves of back-to-back sets as it has been picking some of those contests to give its stars some rest. Both James and Irving sat out the finale of a back-to-back earlier this month at Miami, leading to a 28-point loss, and rest for either of them could spell trouble against the potent Rockets, who posted a 115-94 win at Chicago on Friday. James Harden overcame a brief injury scare to finish with 19 points and 13 assists against the Bulls as Houston solidified its hold on third place in the Western Conference. Harden recorded 41 points and 15 assists in a 128-120 loss at Cleveland earlier this season, as Irving scored 32 and James fell two assists shy of a triple-double.
TV: 9 p.m. ET, ESPN
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (43-21): James suffered a hip pointer in the loss at Detroit on Thursday but was good for 38 minutes in the win over the Magic. Shooting guard J.R. Smith hit three 3-pointers and scored 11 points in his second game back from a thumb injury while fellow long-range threat Kyle Korver missed his second consecutive contest due to a sore foot, although he is traveling with the team and could return soon. Irving has scored at least 20 points in a career-high 14 straight games, the second-longest active run in the NBA.
ABOUT THE ROCKETS (45-21): Houston indicated it does not plan to rest any players if Cleveland does, and if the team gets past this one in good shape, it can look forward to a softer slate in the coming days. The Rockets' next five opponents all are under .500, and they get a full three days off between home games against Denver and New Orleans near the end of that stretch. Ryan Anderson made six 3-pointers for the second time this month and finished with 21 points at Chicago, but he is shooting 31.6 percent from long distance at home compared to 46.9 percent on the road.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. James also notched 13 assists and 12 rebounds against Orlando to record his ninth triple-double of the season, putting him third in the NBA behind Russell Westbrook (31) and Harden (15).
2. Cleveland is 3-7 on the road against the West.
3. Rockets G Patrick Beverley has scored a total of six points on 1-of-11 shooting over his last two games.