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Cavaliers may have Hughes vs. Pacers

Dec 9, 2006 - 4:37 PM Indiana (11-10) at Cleveland (11-7) 7:30 pm EST

CLEVELAND (Ticker) -- LeBron James hopes he will have some help on Saturday against the Indiana Pacers.

With injured guard Larry Hughes listed as probable, the Cleveland Cavaliers hope the talented guard will be able to give James some assistance against the Pacers at home.

Hughes, who was averaging 13.8 points before being sidelined, has missed the last 10 games with a high ankle sprain, but has practiced the last two days with his status upgraded from questionable to probable. After a 6-2 start, the Cavaliers have gone 5-5 with Hughes out of the lineup.

On Wednesday, James had 26 points and 10 assists and Donyell Marshall added 19 points, including a huge 3-pointer in the final minute, as Cleveland held on for a 95-91 triumph over Toronto.

In his first start, rookie guard Daniel Gibson registered season highs of 18 points and five rebounds for Cleveland, which won its fourth straight game at Quicken Loans Arena.

Jamaal Tinsley scored 11 of his 20 points in the pivotal third quarter and added eight assists and eight rebounds as Indiana rallied for a 108-95 victory over Portland on Friday.

Stephen Jackson scored 25 points for the Pacers, who played without All-Star forward Jermaine O'Neal who was out with an injured hamstring.

Indiana topped Cleveland, 94-84, on November 24 at home in the only meeting between the squads this season. Hughes did not play in the contest.