Cavs host Kings 01.22.2004
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Earlier this season, Sacramento defeated the Cavaliers, 106-92, on October 29, 2003 at ARCO Arena.
Cleveland rookie phenom LeBron James could miss his second straight game with a nagging ankle injury.
James is hampered with a sprained right ankle he suffered during the fourth quarter of Saturday’s 102-96 overtime win at Utah. James, who missed the first game of his career on Tuesday against Seattle, is expected to be out for Thursday’s contest versus Sacramento.
The 19-year-old participated in a shootaround Wednesday and, according to head coach Paul Silas, isn’t ready to return. James leads the Cavaliers in scoring with 20.4 points per contest.
The Cavs are expected to center Zydrunas Ilgauskas back on the court tonight after he served a one-game suspension on Tuesday. Ilgauskas and Utah center Greg Ostertag were each suspended for one game by the league for fighting in Saturday’s game between Cleveland and the Jazz.
Cleveland plays the second of a five-game homestand tonight. On Tuesday, Carlos Boozer scored 32 points and grabbed 20 rebounds to lead the short- handed Cavaliers to a surprising 99-94 win over the Seattle SuperSonics in front of their home crowd.
On Wednesday, the Cavaliers traded forward Darius Miles to Portland. In exchange, the Trail Blazers sent point guard Jeff McInnis and center Ruben Boumtje Boumtje to Cleveland.
Miles, 22, had spent the last two seasons in Cleveland after he played the first two years of his career with the Los Angeles Clippers. During his four campaigns in the NBA, Miles has averaged 9.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per game.
The Cavaliers, who have won two straight at home, are 10-8 as the host this season.
Sacramento failed in their attempt for a sixth consecutive victory on Tuesday with a 109-104 overtime loss to the Trail Blazers at ARCO Arena.
Peja Stojakovic poured in a game-high 34 points in the loss for Sacramento, which overcame a 10-point deficit with less than a minute to play in regulation. Bobby Jackson added 29 points and 10 rebounds for the Kings.
Sacramento has scored over 100 points in eight of its last 10 games.
The Kings, who have won two in a row on the road, are 8-7 as the visitor this season.
Sacramento has won six straight and eight of the last nine contests with the Cavs. The Kings have won two straight and three of their last four at Cleveland.