76ers at Cavaliers
The Cleveland Cavaliers have an abysmal 6-10 record in March but look to begin a turnaround when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Friday. Cleveland matched its season high of three straight losses with Thursday's 99-93 setback against Chicago to fall one-half game behind first-place Boston in the battle for the top seed in the Eastern Conference.
All-Star forward LeBron James was highly irritated after the latest defeat as frustrations continue to boil with the Cavaliers looking nothing like defending champions and the playoffs just around the corner. "We're in a bad spot right now. Not disappointed with the effort, just in a bad spot and we need to figure it out," James told reporters. "(Friday is) another day, another opportunity, but we got some work to do, and we don't have a lot of time." The 76ers have split their last 10 contests and need to go just 2-5 down the stretch to reach 30 victories for the first time since 2012-13. Forward Richaun Holmes scored a career-best 25 points in Wednesday's 99-92 loss to Atlanta and has recorded 24 or more in three of the last 11 contests.
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, CSN Philadelphia, FSN Ohio (Cleveland)
ABOUT THE 76ERS (28-47): Forward Robert Covington (knee) didn't make the road trip that includes Sunday's contest in Toronto and could be done for the remainder of the season. Covington, who averages 12.9 points and 6.5 rebounds, sat out Wednesday's game against the Hawks and underwent an MRI exam to determine the severity of his injury. The loss of Covington leaves Philadelphia even more short-handed as center Jahlil Okafor (knee) and guard Sergio Rodriguez (hamstring) continue to be sidelined.
ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (47-27): James scored 26 points against the Bulls to move into seventh place in NBA history with 28,599 - three more than the legendary Shaquille O'Neal. James' outside shooting has been a factor in the recent slide - he is 1-of-17 from 3-point range over his last five games - but he has plenty of company when it comes to why Cleveland doesn't look playoff-ready. "We've been going through some ups and downs as of late," coach Tyronn Lue told reporters, "but still confident we're the best team right now, and we just gotta start playing like that."
BUZZER BEATERS
1. The Cavaliers have won their last eight meetings with the 76ers, including two this season.
2. Cleveland swingman Kyle Korver (foot) will sit out his third straight game.
3. Philadelphia C Tiago Splitter (calf) is questionable for Friday as he has played in just one game this season due to the injury.