Cleveland @ Los Angeles preview

Last Meeting ( Nov 17, 2017 ) L.A. Clippers 113, Cleveland 118

The Los Angeles Clippers are battling with a host of teams for playoff spots in the Western Conference and could not contain one NBA MVP candidate in a loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday. The Clippers will try to figure out how to defend another MVP candidate when they host LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday.

Los Angeles entered play on Thursday tied with two teams for the No. 8 spot in the West and only four games behind the third-place Portland Trail Blazers. The Clippers missed a chance to do some damage at the expense of another team in front of them in the standings with Tuesday's 121-116 home loss to the Pelicans, in which Anthony Davis went off for 41 points. James is trying to ensure the Cavaliers stay in the No. 3 spot in the East and dragged them to a 113-108 victory at Denver to start the trip on Wednesday with 39 points on 15-of-25 shooting and 10 assists. "Listen, it doesn't matter to me if I'm a 6-seed or a 3-seed or a 2-seed, 8-seed," James told reporters. "If I come into your building for a Game 1, I can be very challenging."

TV: 10:30 p.m. ET, NBATV, FS Ohio (Cleveland), FS Prime Ticket (Los Angeles)

ABOUT THE CAVALIERS (38-26): James is in the 15th season of his career but has yet to miss a game in 2017-18 and is averaging 27 points, nine assists and 8.4 rebounds. "Probably an all-time high," James told ESPN during a postgame interview on Wednesday when asked about the state of his game. "Just because of my body, my mind, the way I go out and approach the game. And then, just the grace of God, giving me the ability to do this. I'm blessed, and I never take it for granted." James is shooting 55 percent from the field while averaging just shy of a triple-double (29.9 points, 10.3 rebounds, 9.9 assists) in eight games since the All-Star break.

ABOUT THE CLIPPERS (34-29): Los Angeles isn't panicking after one loss and still sees plenty of time left to move up the standings. "It's one at a time," guard Lou Williams told the Los Angeles Times after Tuesdays loss. "We're still playing good basketball. It's not the end of the world that we lost tonight. ... There's still (19) games left. There's still a lot of basketball to be played. We've just got to move forward and play one game at a time." Williams finished with 27 points in the loss while Tobias Harris added 27 and Montrezl Harrell exploded for 26 points on 11-of-17 shooting in 31 minutes off the bench.

BUZZER BEATERS

1. Clippers C DeAndre Jordan grabbed 20 rebounds in 28 minutes on Tuesday -- the second time in three games he hit those numbers.

2. Cavaliers SG Kyle Korver is 5-of-9 from 3-point range in the last two games.

3. Cleveland knocked off Los Angeles 118-113 at home in overtime on Nov. 17.

PREDICTION: Cavaliers 110, Clippers 106