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James looks to continue torrid pace vs. Pacers

Mar 8, 2008 - 11:47 AM Indiana (24-38) at Cleveland (35-27) 1:00 pm EST

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- LeBron James looks for his teammates often but, with two starters out, he has taken his offensive game to a whole new level.

A strong league MVP candidate, James looks to lead the Cleveland Cavaliers to their fourth win in five games when they take on the Indiana Pacers on Saturday.

With Zydrunas Ilgauskas (back) and Daniel Gibson (ankle) both sidelined, James has become even more agressive offensively. The 23-year-old leads the league with 30.8 points per game but is averaging a robust 39.0 points in his last four contests.

He heard "MVP" chants at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday as he recorded his fifth career 50-point game. On top of that, he had 10 rebounds and eight assists in the Cavaliers' 119-105 win over the Knicks.

James followed that up with 39 points but was unable to do it alone as Cleveland fell 107-96 to Chicago on Thursday.

James and the Cavaliers look to get back on track against the Pacers, who have lost two straight and eight of their last 11 contests.

Danny Granger led the way with 22 points in a 108-97 loss to San Antonio on Wednesday. Granger, who is averaging 22.3 points in his last eight games, scored 30 points in a 106-97 loss to Cleveland on February 20.

Indiana is just two games behind New Jersey (26-36) for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.