Already struggling with inconsistent play amid rumors that coach David Blatt is losing the players, the Cleveland Cavaliers are now having to deal with injuries to two of their stars.
With LeBron James and Kevin Love possibly game-time decisions, the Cavaliers hope to avoid their third straight loss Wednesday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, losers in their last four visits to Cleveland.
The Cavaliers (18-13) have scuffled defensively while going 5-6 since a season-best eight-game winning streak, giving up 102.2 points per game on 49.3 percent shooting over their past 10.
They're also having to deal with an off-court distraction after reports surfaced earlier this week about a disconnect between Blatt and his players. Before Tuesday's 109-101 loss at Atlanta, Blatt addressed speculation of unrest on the team.
"I didn't feel a necessity to talk to the guys about that because that's simply not the case," Blatt said. "And just because things are reported or said, it doesn't mean that they're true."
As if that wasn't enough adversity, the Cavaliers will now try to avoid their longest skid since a season-worst four-game losing streak in November while James deals with a sore left knee and Love tries to overcome back tightness.
James was ruled out on his 30th birthday about 90 minutes before tip-off Tuesday, while Love had seven points on 1-of-8 shooting before leaving in the third quarter. Love said he's had a similar problem once before and was fine the following day.
Frontcourt mate Shawn Marion also sat because of a left ankle sprain.
"Obviously, we want to get (James) right," said Blatt of sitting his All-Star forward, who also was held out of Cleveland's Dec. 11 loss at Oklahoma City with soreness in the knee.
Kyrie Irving finished with a team-high 35 points and nine assists Tuesday in his return from a two-game absence due to a bone bruise in his knee. Tristan Thompson also stepped up with 18 points and 13 rebounds while making 9 of 13 shots.
"I had to be aggressive; we had some guys down," Irving said. "I just kept shooting. ... We gave ourselves a chance to win. We just couldn't get over the hump."
Irving finished with 28 points, Love had 27 and James 26 in a 111-108 home win over Milwaukee on Dec. 2. Love has averaged 29.0 points and 12.0 boards in his last three meetings with the Bucks dating to his time with Minnesota.
Milwaukee (16-16) looks to move above .500 following Monday's 104-94 overtime win at Charlotte. The Bucks are averaging 105.3 points on 50.0 percent shooting - including 40.2 from 3-point range - in their last four away from home.
"We had a (21-point) lead offensively, but defensively we started to slip a little bit," coach Jason Kidd said. "We got some great looks that just did not play out, but our guys just kept their composure."
Brandon Knight finished with 18 points against the Hornets, including a layup to force overtime. The point guard has totaled 51 points while hitting 8 of 15 from 3-point range in his last two versus Cleveland.
Milwaukee is shooting a league-best 48.9 percent from the field in December.
Larry Sanders (flu) and Ersan Ilyasova (concussion) sat out Monday and their status is uncertain against the Cavaliers. Zaza Pachulia has filled in nicely at center, averaging 13.3 points and 9.0 boards in three starts.
The Bucks haven't won three straight road games since November 2012 and they're seeking their first win in Cleveland since that December.
