Cavaliers vs. Kings: game preview, start time, TV information

The Cavs have been a little bit of a mess lately. They’ve lost five of their last They have been varying levels of banged up since the new year. They have been attempting to integrate Kyle Korver with mixed results, and still probably need one more move to add depth. LeBron’s tweeting again.

Things seem bad. But we’ve dealt with this type of stretch before with the Cavs. They’ll get out of it. And what better way to get out of a funk than to host the funkiest funk the NBA has ever funked at home?

Who: Cleveland Cavaliers vs. Sacramento Kings

When: 7 p.m.

Where: Quicken Loans Arena - Cleveland, Ohio

TV Listings: Fox Sports Ohio

Music: King for a Day - Green Day

Game Notes

• The Cavs wrecked the Kings 120-108 in their last matchup, beating the Kings soundly in Sacramento behind 26 points from Kyrie Irving and a 15 assist performance by LeBron James. They also hit 15-of-37 from three, taking advantage of one of the league’s worst perimeter defenses. That's an area the Cavs will take advantage of again tonight, especially on the wings. The Cavs are about the worst matchup for the Kings' defense - They can't contain Kyrie Irving with the small and quick Darren Collison and Ty Lawson, and the ancient Matt Barnes cannot corral LeBron at the point of attack like he once could. That means their defense has to pack the paint against Cleveland, leaving guys like Iman Shumpert, Kyle Korver, and Kevin Love open to drop bombs from outside. That's where the Cavs are going to make their money tonight.
• The Kings are further restricted by the loss of Rudy Gay. Gay was their best response to the Love/LeBron combo, as he has the size and quickness to cover both and not be overwhelmed physically. Without him due to an Achilles rupture, Barnes is going to be getting the majority of minutes on James, and the Kings have responded by going even further in on two-big lineups. Omri Casspi, who is a game-time decision with a calf injury, would be a useful guy here, but if he's not at 100 percent, I would expect Sacramento to try to double down on two-big lineups, using DeMarcus Cousins, Willie Cauley-Stein, and Kosta Koufos in tandem to try to out-muscle and out-rebound the Cavs' smaller lineups.
• DeAndre Liggins has taken a back seat over the past few games as the Cavs have attempted to integrate Korver. This hasn't been ideal, however, as the trio of Korver, Channing Frye and Richard Jefferson have struggled to not be a defensive sieve when sharing the floor together. If the bench-heavy units with Jefferson and Korver struggle again (Especially against the Kings' wings, who are not good), I'd like to revisit Liggins getting more chances again.

Fear the Sword's Fearless Prediction

Cavs get back on track, given the Kings are still the Kings. I expect Cousins to have a big game, but the Cavs offense should get back on track against a team that doesn't match up with them well at all. Cavs 115, Kings 101.