NBA Gameday: Kings head to Cleveland to face struggling Cavs

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The Sacramento Kings snapped their five-game losing streak Monday against the Detroit Pistons, improving to 1-2 on their season-long eight-game road trip. But LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are next up on the docket, which is a tall task for any team.  

Ty Lawson continued his strong play of coach Dave Joerger’s bench in the win over the Pistons. The speedy point guard attacked the basket against Detroit, scoring 19 points and handing out six assists in 23 minutes of action. With Rudy Gay done for the season, Lawson, as well as others on the Kings roster are going to have to step up their offensive game to fill the scoring void.

Cleveland has lost two straight and five of its last seven, but still remain atop the standings in the Eastern Conference. James has made it known that he believes the team needs more help if the Cavs have any chance of defending their title. Cleveland isn’t playing well, but they were struggling when they rolled through Sacramento earlier in the month and came away with the 120-108 victory over the Kings.

LINE

Cavs by 11

WHERE THEY STAND

Kings: 17-27, third place in Pacific

Cavs: 30-13, first place in Central

MATCHUP TO WATCH

Darren Collison and Ty Lawson vs. Kyrie Irving -- The last time these teams went at it, Sacramento’s backcourt tandem combined to score 30 points on 12-of-20 shooting and hand out eight assists. But the Kings need more if they are going to upset the Cavs on their home floor. Irving scored 26 on 10-of-22 shooting shooting at Golden 1 Center, including 15 in the second half as Cleveland pulled away. The Cavs present matchup problems at multiple positions on the floor, but Sacramento’s depth at the point could come into play.

INJURY REPORT

Kings: SF Rudy (left Achilles tendon) out for the season, SF Omri Casspi (calf strain) out.

Cavs: SG J.R. Smith (thumb surgery) out, C Chris Andersen (right knee) out.

SERIES HISTORY

This is the second and final meetings between the Kings and Cavs this season, with Cleveland holding a 1-0 lead in the series. The Cavs own a 58-56 advantage in the all-time series and 38-22 margin during the Sacramento-era.   

QUOTABLE

“It’s huge, we had a little stretch where we lost like eight of nine games, something like that. Getting a win going into Cleveland, it makes us feel a little bit better. Now we’ve got to go in and get a tough one.” -Lawson following the Kings win over the Pistons on Monday night

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