The Cleveland Cavaliers and Houston Rockets are playing on the NBA schedule on Sunday and the game is live from ABC and starts at 3:30 pm ET from the Toyota Center as James Harden and LeBron James battle in a matchup of two of the best teams in the league and it will have Kyrie Irving and Dwight Howard out with injuries.
The Cavaliers come into the game after a loss against the Indiana Pacers and they will be without Irving once again after he suffered a shoulder injury. The team is hoping that Irving won't be out for an extended period of time and it comes after James also sat out against the Pacers. The Cavs come in after getting 21 points from JR Smith and 10 rebounds from Kevin Love and now they have the Rockets, who have 40 wins already this season.
The Cavs are currently second in the central division just behind the Chicago Bulls and the team will next play against the Boston Celtics. The Cavs are ranked eighth in the league in points per game and 12th in defense and they have been much improved since the slow start to the season. The Rockets come into the game after a win against the Nets and they are second in the southwest division this season.
The Rockets come in after getting 12 assists from Harden in the win over the Nets and he comes in as an MVP candidate this season. Harden is leading the team in scoring and he has stepped up with Howard out. The Rockets are playing on the road against the Atlanta Hawks next and that is a top matchup between east and west teams. The Rockets are ranked sixth in the league in scoring and they are 16th in defense.
Harden has put up some strong numbers this season with 27 points and seven assists per game, while James has averaged 26 points and seven dimes. The two are MVP candidates, but James likely will miss out with all the games he has missed this season and Howard being out has helped Harden's case. Steph Curry is also a favorite with the Warriors. James is expected to be back for this game and the Cavaliers need him healthy and strong for the back stretch of the season if they want to make a run to the finals. Derrick Rose is out for the Bulls and that could keep them from making a deep run in the playoffs this year.
The Cavs and Bulls have been going back and forth with the central division title and a win for Cleveland will put them back on top for now. James is averaging over 30 points in the last six games against the Rockets and he has only lost once in the last seven games against the team overall.
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