A rematch of the 2007 NBA Finals headlines Wednesday's NBA action, as the Cavaliers host the Spurs, with both teams currently not much resembling last year's finalists.
Cleveland currently is without Anderson Varejao, Sasha Pavlovic and Daniel Gibson (who may return tonight) because of injuries, and Drew Gooden just returned from his right groin strain.
San Antonio, meanwhile, has been without Brent Barry since Jan. 26 and point guard Tony Parker since Jan. 30 because of injuries.
Of course, San Antonio swept Cleveland in the Finals, but when the teams met earlier this season in San Antonio, LeBron James had 27 points, nine assists and seven rebounds to lead the Cavs to a 90-88 victory Jan. 17.
That was only Cleveland's second road win against San Antonio in the last 18 regular season matchups; San Antonio has won 10 of 16 and 20 of the last 28 meetings. The Spurs have lost their last two trips to Cleveland in the regular season, however, and four in a row to the Cavs in the regular season.
MVP favorite James is carrying the Cavs again, averaging 29.6 points over the last six games, four of which are Cleveland wins. LeBron hasn't scored less than 20 points in a contest since dropping 17 in a win over the Indiana Pacers on Dec. 11. Cleveland is 15-5 in 2008 and is coming off a 118-111 victory at Southeast Division-leading Orlando on Monday.Larry Hughes also is playing well for Cleveland, averaging 19.7 points over his last seven games. He has reached double digits in scoring in each of those games, including a season-high 40 points on 12-of-19 shooting against the Magic.
The Spurs, meanwhile, have won five of six, including a 93-88 triumph over the Toronto Raptors on Monday. Manu Ginobili led the way, scoring 34 points while grabbing a career-high 15 rebounds.
A spark for San Antonio has been veteran point guard Damon Stoudamire, who was signed after his contract was bought out by the Memphis Grizzlies.
The Spurs have won four out of five since Stoudamire has arrived. He scored 11 points in his debut. He's averaging 6.6 points and 1.8 assists. Parker is expected back after the All-Star break, but his return won't affect Stoudamire's focus.
"I knew why I was coming here," Stoudamire said. "I knew eventually Tony would return, I know my role and I don't have a problem with that. I'm here to help the team win, and I wanted to be in a situation where I could play with a good group of guys that had a chance to go deep into the playoffs."
The Cavaliers won't miss Parker. The Finals MVP averaged 24.5 points in that series. He had 23 points and six assists in the Jan. 17 loss to the Cavs. Ginobili scored 31 points and Tim Duncan added 20 and 11 rebounds.
James is averaging 31.3 points in his last four regular-season meetings with the Spurs.
ATS | San Antonio | Cleveland |
| Record: | 33-17-0 (.660) | 29-22-0 (.569) |
| As Favorite: | 31-9-0 (.775) | 18-9-0 (.667) |
| As Underdog: | 2-8-0 (.200) | 11-13-0 (.458) |
| At Home: | 20-5-0 (.800) | 15-8-0 (.652) |
| On Road: | 13-12-0 (.520) | 14-14-0 (.500) |
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