LEBRON JAMES|Cleveland Cavaliers at Dallas Mavericks preview

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Scouting the Cavaliers

Their relentless pursuit to put the right people around LeBron James landed them Shaquille O'Neal and Anthony Parker this season, along with a 20-7 record. ... James has been in scoring mode of late, topping 33 points in three of the last five games and averaging 32.6 during that stretch. He missed a triple-double by two assists Friday in a win at Milwaukee. He's had 25 triple-doubles in his career, one this season. ... This is the start of a four-game trip for the Cavs, which includes a Christmas Day visit to the Los Angeles Lakers. ... Mo Williams is coming off a 17-point outing and has made 44 percent of his 3-pointers.

Scouting the Mavericks

They will go into survival mode, most likely, without Dirk Nowitzki. Nowitzki has a remarkable ability to come back from aches and injuries, but with three stitches put in his shooting arm Friday night, he might need a game or so to get back into action. ... The Mavericks have lost four consecutive games against the Cavaliers, including the last two at AAC. ... In late November, Dallas lost, 111-95, at Cleveland, when LeBron James had 25 points and 12 assists. The Mavericks allowed the Cavaliers to shoot 58 percent. ... Jason Kidd tried to will the Mavericks to a win Friday after Nowitzki exited with 11 rebounds, 10 assists and eight points, but they came up short. They are hoping to avoid consecutive losses for only the second time this season.