Cavaliers at Lakers
The Cleveland Cavaliers were barely competitive without their Big 3 at the Staples Center on Saturday night, but the star trio is expected back for the second half of the Cavaliers' double-dip in Los Angeles on Sunday when they face the host Lakers. LeBron James (rest), Kyrie Irving (knee) and Kevin Love (knee) all watched from the sidelines during Saturday's 108-78 loss to the Clippers.
Shooting guard Kyle Korver (foot) was also out for the sixth game in a row as Cleveland posted its worst offensive output since Dec. 26, 2015, and saw its lead in the Eastern Conference reduced to 1 1/2 games. James, Irving and Love combined for 74 points, 30 rebounds and 25 assists in a 119-108 win over the Lakers at home earlier this season. Los Angeles has dropped four in a row and saw its loss to Milwaukee on Friday marred by a near-brawl that involved — among others — guards D'Angelo Russell and Nick Young. Both were ejected in a loss that officially eliminated Los Angeles from playoff contention for the fourth season in a row.
TV: 9:30 p.m. ET, FSN Ohio (Cleveland), Spectrum SportsNet (Los Angeles)
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (45-23): Love already was expected to sit Saturday as he goes every other game in his return from knee surgery, while Irving was good enough to play but coach Tyronn Lue chose to give him one more night off to rest the knee. Meanwhile, James was held out so as not to place too much burden on the man who entered Saturday ranked second in the NBA in minutes per game (37.5). Guard J.R. Smith tried to pick up the slack in the loss to the Clippers but was unable to find the mark, finishing 4-for-17 from the floor and missing all seven of his 3-point tries.
ABOUT THE LAKERS (20-49): As they play out the string, the Lakers will continue to give their young players plenty of opportunities, and that means that 20-year-old center Ivica Zubac will play a central role. The rookie had 18 points and eight rebounds versus Milwaukee and is averaging 13.8 points on 66 percent shooting in 21.2 minutes over his last five games — four of them starts. Sunday is the second of six straight games for Los Angeles at home, where it has lost seven straight.
BUZZER BEATERS
1. Cleveland has won five straight meetings and three in a row on the road.
2. Lakers G Jordan Clarkson is averaging 22 points — nearly eight more than his season mark — in the last four games.
3. The Cavaliers need to hit eight 3-pointers to reach 900 for the season.