Cavs target fourth straight win against Orlando 11.13.2005
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The Cavs’ latest win came on Friday, as LeBron James had 16 points and six rebounds to lead Cleveland to an 89-70 win over the Memphis Grizzlies at Quicken Loans Arena.
Zydrunas Ilgauskas added 14 points and 12 rebounds for the Cavs, who are 4-2 on the season.
Drew Gooden tallied 12 points and nine boards and Donyell Marshall had 12 points for Cleveland, which held Memphis to under 20 points in each of the first three quarters and out rebounded the Grizz 49-29. During the course of the winning streak, Cleveland has outboarded its opponents 152-80.
James could reach a milestone tonight, as he needs 10 points to become the youngest player in NBA history to reach 4,000 points. James, who turns 21 on December 30, would break the mark set by Kobe Bryant, who was 21 years, 216 days old when he hit 4,000.
The Cavaliers, who will host Washington on Tuesday, are 1-2 away from home this season.
Orlando, meanwhile, comes into tonight’s tilt on a winning note as well after Steve Francis had 24 points and pulled down eight rebounds to pace the Magic past the New Orleans/Oklahoma City Hornets, 88-83, on Wednesday at the Ford Center.
Dwight Howard netted 16 points and 13 rebounds and DeShawn Stevenson added 13 points for the Magic, who have won two in a row since dropping their first three games of the season.
The Magic could get an added boost tonight, as guard Keyon Dooling is expected to make his season debut. Dooling, an offseason free agent acquisition, had been sidelined since mid-October with a bruised right heel.
Orlando, which will conclude a brief two-game homestand on Tuesday against Charlotte, is winless in its two games at home this season.
Cleveland won three of its four meetings with the Magic last season and has won three straight and five of the last six matchups. The Cavs, though, have dropped eight of their last 10 in Orlando.