Tip-off: Saturday, 8:30 p.m. ET
Line: N/A Total: N/A

LeBron vs. Kawhi is this weekend’s must-see matchup.

The new year has brought some struggles to the Cleveland Cavaliers, who have posted an unimpressive record of 5-4 in the month of January. After a 118-103 home win over the Suns on Thursday (CLE -11), they sit at an overall record of 30-11 (18-21-2 ATS) and continue to hold a small cushion over the Raptors for first place in the Eastern Conference. The Phoenix win came on the tails of a 126-91 spanking at Golden State on Monday night (GSW +9), so it served as a necessary boost in morale. While the Cavaliers get to spend the weekend at home, they once again will face one of the NBA’s best teams when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday night. The Spurs have also posted a winning percentage in January that is lower than their season-long mark, as they are 33-9 overall (25-16-1 ATS) and 6-3 in 2017. They have won two straight games after taking down the visiting Nuggets 118-104 on Thursday (SAS -13). Cleveland PF Kevin Love is questionable for Saturday’s game with a back injury and C Tristan Thompson is probable with an injured finger. C Pau Gasol is out for the Spurs and PG Tony Parker is questionable with an ailing ankle.

The Spurs boast the fourth most efficient offense in the NBA, as they average 114.1 points per 100 possessions. They’re just as strong defensively, ranking fourth in the league in allowing only 104.7 points per 100 possessions. They play the fourth-slowest pace in the league at 93.8 possessions per 48 minutes. They are once again led by the two-way brilliance of Kawhi Leonard (25.1 PPG, 5.7 RPG, 3.1 APG, 1.9 SPG). Leonard was named an All-Star starter on Thursday night, and he has certainly earned it this season. He has been especially brilliant as of late, scoring at least 30 points in five straight games. He is 10th in the league in scoring on the year, improving on last season’s career-best 21.2 PPG by nearly four points per game. He’s also fifth in the league in steals. PF LaMarcus Aldridge (17.6 PPG, 6.9 RPG, 1.0 BPG) joins Leonard in the frontcourt as the only players on the team that play over 30 minutes per game and shoot over 11 times per game. In light of Gasol (11.7 PPG, 7.9 RPG, 1.2 BPG) breaking his finger in pregame warmups on Thursday, Aldridge will likely see himself shooting even more. Starting in his place was PF David Lee (6.5 PPG, 5.2 RPG), who scored 10 points and grabbed 16 rebounds in 33 minutes. While he can certainly hit the boards, Lee offers nowhere near the defensive capabilities of Gasol (or pretty much any other big in the league). C Dewayne Dedmon (4.8 PPG, 5.8 RPG, 0.9 BPG) does, and he scored seven points in 19 minutes against the Suns. Rookie PG Dejounte Murray (3.7 PPG) started in place of Parker (11.5 PPG, 4.8 APG) on Thursday and scored a career-high 24 points. PG Patty Mills (9.9 PPG, 3.4 APG) and SGs Manu Ginobili (8.0 PPG, 1.25 SPG) and Danny Green (7.6 PPG, 0.9 SPG) also play important roles in the backcourt.

Cleveland’s offense is just a hair less efficient than the Spurs’ this season in averaging 112.7 points per 100 possessions. They are 14th in the NBA with a defensive efficiency rating of 107.4 points allowed per 100 possessions. They play at a pace of 96.6 possessions per 48 minutes (17th in NBA). As is the case annually, there is an argument to be made that SF LeBron James (25.5 PPG, 7.8 RPG, 8.3 APG, 1.5 SPG) is the most underrated player in the league despite being widely regarded as its best. His brilliance often flies under the radar; on a team filled with stars he is ninth in the league in scoring, fifth in assists (first among forwards), 28th in rebounding (third among small forwards) and 10th in steals. He is shooting over 50% from the floor (51.5%) for the seventh time in eight years, and is fourth among small forwards in shooting percentage. This year, however, his sidekick has taken on a larger role. Somehow still only 24 years old, PG Kyrie Irving (23.7 PPG, 3.4 RPG, 5.6 APG, 1.2 SPG) is averaging career highs in scoring and field goal attempts (18.9 per game to LeBron’s 18.2). He had 26 points for the second time in three games on Thursday, but he’s only shooting 39% from the floor in the month of January (46.2% on the year). Seemingly bolstered by his role in a successful title run last season, PF Kevin Love (20.7 PPG, 10.8 RPG, 0.9 SPG) has returned to the 20-and-10 form for which he was known before joining the Cavs. He sat out the Phoenix game, however, and has appeared limited by a back injury for a couple of weeks now. SF Kyle Korver (8.4 PPG, 3.4 RPG) was recently added to the squad to join PF Channing Frye (9.4 PPG, 3.3 RPG) as a three-point specialist. He has made 10 of 27 attempts from deep (37%) since joining the team. C Tristan Thompson (7.1 PPG, 9.6 RPG, 1.2 BPG) is the team’s lone significant interior defensive presence.