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Pistons host Cavaliers in growing rivalry

Mar 29, 2008 - 10:22 AM Cleveland (40-32) at Detroit (51-21) 7:30 pm EDT

AUBURN HILLS, Michigan (Ticker) -- The Detroit Pistons have already clinched a playoff spot but that won't stop them from giving maximum effort against their nemesis.

The Pistons will try to prove they can beat the Cleveland Cavaliers with LeBron James in the lineup when the teams meet on Saturday.

Detroit (51-21) clinched its fourth straight Central Division title Thursday with an 85-69 victory over the lowly Miami Heat. Rookie guard Arron Afflalo, filling in for the injured Richard Hamilton, scored a career-high 15 points to lead the Pistons.

Hamilton has a sore left hip but could be back in the lineup Saturday, which is good news for the Pistons, who suffered an 89-73 loss in their last meeting with the Cavaliers on March 19.

James, the NBA's leading scorer at 30.7 points per game, scored a game-high 30 points and added seven rebounds and six assists in that contest.

The 23-year-old superstar had scored just 15 points before leaving the game in the second quarter with a sprained left index finger during the teams' first meeting on November 28 - an embarrassing 109-74 loss.

James needs to put together another big performance Saturday to help snap a two-game losing streak for the Cavaliers, who endured a narrow 100-99 loss to the Western Conference-leading New Orleans Hornets on Wednesday.

Cleveland should get a boost from Daniel Gibson, who is expected to return Saturday after missing 18 games due to a severely sprained left ankle. Gibson is averaging 11.5 points per game and is shooting 47 percent from the 3-point arc, which ranks third in the NBA.