Cavaliers news, features and notes
- Jason Lloyd: Lottery victory brings Cavs plenty of options through trades and draft
- Cleveland Cavaliers win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 again
- Cavs win draft lottery, will pick No. 1 in NBA Draft
- NBA Draft lottery: Cavs’ third-best odds have history of turning into top selection
- 2103 NBA Scouting Combine: GlenOak graduate C.J. McCollum hopes to be a lottery pick
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine: Cleveland Cavaliers focus on drafting good players, not overall strength of draft
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine: Otto Porter seems like perfect fit for Cleveland Cavaliers but no meeting on agenda
- 2013 NBA Scouting Combine notebook: Nerlens Noel won’t play until late December but still interests Cavaliers
- Projected top pick Nerlens Noel won't be ready for start of season, targeting Christmas
- Former Ohio State star Deshaun Thomas refuses to give NBA team his phone number at combine
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Pregame: Cavs (9-28) at Nuggets (21-16)
Time: 9 p.m.; Place: Pepsi Center; TV/Radio: FS Ohio/WTAM, WLEC, WAKR
Injury report: Cavs: Daniel Gibson (concussion) probable, C.J. Miles (back) probable, Anderson Varejao (knee) out; Nuggets: Wilson Chandler (hip) out.
Officials: Bennett Salvatore, Dick Bavetta, Kevin Cutler
Cavs probables
| Name | Ht, Wt | Pts | Rebs | Asts |
| PG Kyrie Irving | 6-3, 191 | 23.5 | 3.8 | 5.6 |
| SG C.J. Miles | 6-6, 222 | 11.3 | 2.7 | 0.7 |
| SF Alonzo Gee | 6-6, 219 | 11.7 | 4.2 | 2.2 |
| PF Tristan Thompson | 6-9, 227 | 9.7 | 9.1 | 1.1 |
| C Tyler Zeller | 7-0, 250 | 8.2 | 5.6 | 1.2 |
Nuggets probables
| Name | Ht, Wt | Pts | Rebs | Asts |
| PG Ty Lawson | 5-11, 195 | 14.1 | 2.6 | 6.8 |
| SG Andre Iguodala | 6-6, 207 | 14.0 | 5.7 | 4.5 |
| SF Danilo Gallinari | 6-10, 225 | 16.2 | 5.6 | 2.4 |
| PF Kenneth Faried | 6-8, 228 | 12.2 | 10.2 | 0.9 |
| C Kosta Koufos | 67-0, 265 | 7.5 | 6.4 | 0.5 |
Notebook
* Kyrie Irving missed shootaround this morning with flu-like symptoms and is questionable for tonight's game. As soon as Irving stepped on the bus this morning for the ride to the arena, coach Byron Scott (after consulting with trainer Max Benton) immediately sent him back to his room to rest.
* As expected, Luke Walton rejoined the team Friday night and is available. Daniel Gibson and C.J. Miles are also available. Scott said Miles will start at shooting guard and Dion Waiters will return to his bench role.
* Jeremy Pargo wants to participate in the Slam Dunk contest this year over All-Star weekend and has started a grassroots effort to get himself invited. He has taken to Twitter and posting viral videos of his dunks in an effort to catch the attention of the league office and players association. The two groups work in unison in selecting the field for the dunk contest.
* The Nuggets lead the league in points scored in the paint, averaging nearly 56 per game. The next closest team is the Houston Rockets at 46.8. In their most recent game, 68 of Denver's 108 points came in the lane against Orlando. That type of dominance clearly has Scott's attention. "We've got our work cut out for us," he said. "We've got to protect the paint."
* But Scott is also leery of the Nuggets' ability to shoot 3-pointers. If he has to give up something to take something away, he said he'd rather have the Nuggets shooting contested 3s than having layups in the lane.
* The players did a little extra running at this morning's shootaround to help acclimate them to the higher altitude. Scott said the first time he played in Denver as a rookie, the altitude really affected him. "I remember my first time playing here, running to the bench afterwards looking for that oxygen tank," Scott said. "I was like, ‘What the hell is this? I can’t breathe!’ From that point on, I was pretty good with it. I always prided myself on being in great condition, but that thing hit me like a ton of bricks. It was like somebody sitting on my chest."
