Guard Daniel ''Boobie'' Gibson (high ankle sprain), forward/center Ben Wallace (back spasms) and guard Delonte West (tendinitis in his left ankle) are all listed as questionable for the Detroit game at 7:30 tonight at The Palace of Auburn Hills. The Cavs (40-32) have lost five in a row on the road.
Delonte West: He's been torched in his last two games by Mo Williams and Chris Paul. Granted, those are two tough customers, but he put up little resistance. It might have been the tendinitis in his foot.
He's averaging 8.9 points, 4.2 assists and 3.6 rebounds since the trade. The Cavs keep waiting for his shooting to come around, but it hasn't. He's shooting 41 percent from the field and 32 percent from behind the arc.
It's added up to some mediocre play by the Cavs, who will likely be the No. 4 seed in the playoffs. They've not been bad and they've not been real good.
Gibson said he expects to play against the Pistons.
''I can never say it's 100 percent,'' he said. ''Right now, I'm planning on playing. It's still sore. There are some things I'm limited of doing. At the same time, I'm capable of playing and being productive.''
The Pistons won't look to make any statements tonight when they host the Cavaliers. But they should be looking to answer some nagging questions, like why do they have so much trouble beating a team that's only eight games over .500?
Actually, the answer to that question is obvious: They can't score against the Cavaliers.
So, next question. Why can't they score against the Cavaliers?
Typically, the Pistons score better against the Cavaliers at The Palace. They scored 109 in a victory this season, although LeBron James got hurt and missed about half the game. But overall, the Pistons have averaged 87.5 points the last eight games, counting the playoffs, against the Cavaliers.
"They are a lot like us," Chauncey Billups said after Detroit lost in Cleveland 10 days ago. "If you walk it up and allow their defense to get set, they will cause you a lot of problems. They are long, athletic and they can rebound. They can really cause you problems if you play at a slow pace.
"I think we need to pick the tempo up and attack the basket."
Richard Hamilton (hip) should play.
Suns guard Raja Bell is not one to rest on the comforts of home.
His 3-pointers have been more apt to fall on the road (41.4 percent) this season than through US Airways Center's rims (36.3 percent).
And with Grant Hill limited by early fouls and an aggravation of his right-wrist sprain, Bell took the brunt of the duty in cooling off Andre Iguodala and had something to do with Willie Green going 2 for 8 in a 107-93 win at Philadelphia.
Hill's right-wrist sprain continues to bother him. Each time he falls on it or takes a hit in the game, it hurts again.
He played only 24 minutes Friday, leaving for good after a two-minute fourth-quarter stint.
Hill still is expected to be available Saturday at New Jersey but he has not been the same since he sprained the wrist during the March 13 home win against Golden State.
Since that game, Hill is averaging 6.3 points per game after entering that game with a scoring average of 14.5.
Center Andrew Bogut underwent a successful surgery to reduce a displaced nasal fracture, or a broken nose, the Bucks announced before tonight's game against Orlando.
Bogut was not available to play against the Magic and was to be listed as day-to-day, beginning with Saturday night's game against the Chicago Bulls in Chicago. He will be required to wear a protective mask for the rest of the season.
Milwaukee's frustration showed on several occasions, as assistant coach Tony Brown and Villanueva picked up technical fouls in the first half.
Ivey admitted the team's collective spirit is flagging, with just 11 games remaining in the season.
"I don't see the same intensity with everybody," Ivey said. "I don't know what to call it. I know I'm not going to give up. I'm going to try to bring energy and finish out strong."
Spotting the Hawks an astonishing 19-point first-quarter lead and surrendering a 15-4 run to open the second half with a 22-point deficit, four of the five starters saw no fourth-quarter action. Only Joakim Noah played 100 seconds as the training staff attended to blood on Aaron Gray.
"We weren't really ready to play," Kirk Hinrich said in a shocking admission for a game of such significance for them. "They had more energy than us to start. And then we had our moments when we started fighting. But the group out there at the end did a good job of getting stops and executing on offense."
In a season where so much has gone so dreadfully wrong for Warriors forward Matt Barnes, there comes a final chance to make things go right.
With forward Mickael Pietrus expected to miss tonight's game in Denver and probably Saturday's contest against Dallas at Oracle Arena, Barnes can make one last pitch to be an integral part in helping determine whether the Warriors (44-27) can hold off either the Nuggets (44-28) or Mavericks (45-27) and clinch one of two Western Conference playoff berths still effectively up for grabs.
"I think if you win 50, you'll get in," said Nelson, calling the game tonight "as big as it gets all season."
On the eve of the monumental game, the teams prepared a bit differently. The Warriors practiced and then flew to Denver.
The Nuggets were off, although not necessarily by design. Karl gives his players a day off when they get 30 assists or more, and they had 31 in a key 118-105 home win against Dallas on Thursday.
The Nuggets are 29-7 at home and have won seven straight. "We play great here," forward Eduardo Najera said. "We have a lot of confidence."
The Bobcats will play the Trail Blazers in Portland tonight to finally get off the road. The Blazers game will be their 10th road game over an 11-game span, as the team cleared out to make way for college basketball at Bobcats Arena.
Chris Kaman had 16 points in his second game back from a nine-game absence with back spasms.
The Clippers waived seldom-used forward Aaron Williams and signed forward Marcus Williams for the remainder of the season.
Signed as a veteran post player before last season, Aaron Williams, 36, suffered through injuries and played only 30 games, averaging 2.3 points and 2.0 rebounds.
Marcus Williams, a forward from Arizona, averaged 19.2 points for the Austin Toros of the Development League.
That other race, the one for lottery pick ping-pong balls, continues tonight with the Clippers. They own the league's sixth-worst record. The Grizzlies have the league's fourth-worst record. Tim Thomas (Achilles') and Quinton Ross (left foot) are doubtful.