Cleveland lost their sixth game in a row on Tuesday to the Phoenix Suns, dropping their record to under .500 on the season.
Los Angeles has lost four of their last five games, including a 78-75 loss to the Miami Heat on Tuesday.
Projected Starting Lineups
Cleveland Cavaliers (19-20)
G Kyrie Irving – 20.7 ppg, 5.2 apg
G J.R. Smith – 15.0 ppg, 3.0 rpg
F LeBron James – 25.5 ppg, 7.5 apg, 5.3 rpg
F Kevin Love – 17.7 ppg, 10.4 rpg
C Timofey Mozgov– 8.3 ppg, 8.7 rpg
Los Angeles Lakers (12-27)
G Ronnie Price – 5.5 ppg, 3.9 apg
G Kobe Bryant – 22.7 ppg, 5.4 apg, 5.6 rpg
F Wesley Johnson – 9.5 ppg, 3.8 rpg
F Ed Davis – 8.0 ppg, 7.1 rpg
C Jordan Hill – 12.1 ppg, 7.8 rpg
What to watch for:
Who plays with more intensity?
The Cavaliers have seen their season fall incredibly short of their championship aspirations to this point in the year, and with a potential mutiny against head coach David Blatt on their hands, the season is in danger of spiraling out of control. On the flip side, Los Angeles knows they won't be making the postseason this year, and they don't have a lot to play for other than pride. The winner of this game will come down to whoever plays harder.
Kobe Bryant vs. LeBron James
The best thing about this matchup is that we get to see two of the best players in NBA history go at each other, and that will make for some quality TV. These two will compete against each other and make this one fun, and whoever outperforms the other will give their team a major advantage.
Prediction: Cavs win 98-87
Both squads are absolutely reeling right now, but the Cavaliers have the more talented and more desperate team. I think they'll play with a sense of urgency we haven't seen from them in a while as they pull out the victory.
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