After missing two games with various injuries – during which the Cavs lost at Milwaukee and won at home against San Antonio – LeBron James will return to the court when Cleveland plays Philadelphia on Friday night – bet on the game at WagerWeb.com’s NBA odds.
LeBron will have had seven days between games, and it’s not uncommon for contenders to rest stars late this season to keep them fresh for the playoffs. For example, Spurs coach Gregg Popovich often rests center Tim Duncan on the second half of back-to-backs. The Cavs have a comfortable lead in the East over the Magic and for the NBA’s best overall record over the Lakers.
Meanwhile, forward Antawn Jamison left Cleveland’s win against San Antonio in the third quarter with stiffness behind his left knee. An MRI was negative and surgery won’t be necessary, but he has a cyst that behind his left knee that filled with fluid. Jamison will be a game-time decision on Friday against the Sixers but said it was a “no-brainer” he’d play in Sunday’s contest against Boston on national TV. Leon Powe, Jawad Williams or Darnell Jackson would likely start at power forward against Philly because coach Mike Brown wants to keep Anderson Varejao coming off the bench.
“We want to take it slow and make sure we don’t rush anything,” said Jamison, who is averaging 17 points and 7.5 rebounds in 10 games with the Cavs (50-15). “If it was a big game, I’d definitely be out there.”
That’s a bit of a rip at Philly, which is 23-41 and has lost seven of eight games. The Sixers have lost the first two meetings this year with Cleveland with LeBron averaging 34 points and eight assists. Jamison has yet to face the Sixers while a member of the Cavs. He did have two 32-point games against them while with the Wizards.
The Cavs are already missing center Shaquille O’Neal, who is out for another five weeks after undergoing thumb surgery. The team can’t re-sign center Zyrdunas Ilgauskas until March 22.
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