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James, Cavaliers look to remain perfect at home

Dec 25, 2008 - 11:17 AM Washington (4-22) at Cleveland (24-4) 8:00 p.m. EST

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are the last present the Washington Wizards wanted to find underneath their Christmas tree.

Mired in a seven-game losing streak, the Wizards hope to break out of their slump on Thursday when they visit the Cavaliers.

Washington has lost 10 of its last 11 games and has managed only two wins this month, falling 4 1/2 games behind the Charlotte Bobcats in the basement of the Eastern Conference.

The Wizards' drought got worse on Tuesday when they shot a season low 32.2 percent from the floor and were held to their lowest point total of the season during an 80-72 setback to the Bobcats.

"This was just a struggle game tonight," Washington coach Ed Tapscott said. "We were out of sync. It just wasn't smooth."

"The loss was tough tonight," said Caron Butler, who had 31 points. "Every night we try to leave it all on the floor. We just have to continue to work hard each game."

James finished with 27 points - including 15 in the third quarter - to go with nine rebounds and five assists as Cleveland improved to 14-0 at home with a 99-90 victory over the Houston Rockets on Tuesday.

The NBA's second-leading scorer, James recorded at least 31 points in his previous four games. But, the All-Star hit just 1-of-6 shots from the field in fourth quarter, instead taking on the role of facilitator to help close out the victory.

James, who is sponsored by Nike, will debut a new pair of shoes against the Wizards. The Cleveland Plain Dealer reports the sneakers will feature a silhouette of James' well-known ritual of tossing the chalk or rosin into the air before games on the tongue.

The fans will be part of the promotion as well. All fans will receive a packet of chalk to throw in the air along with James during pregame introductions.