7 p.m., Time Warner Cable Arena

TV: Fox Sports Carolinas*. Radio: WFNZ-AM 610

Projected Starters

Matchup to Watch

Mo Williams vs. Charlotte's point guards: No, we're not ignoring LeBron James. He's going to get his no matter what. Everything it takes to contain James, as a scorer and passer, inevitably leaves others open. Williams was spectacular in Cleveland last month, hitting five of eight from 3-point range.

Observations

Predictably, former N.C. State big man J.J. Hickson was a catch for the Cavaliers; so few bigs learn genuine back-to-the-basket post moves these days, and he has them. A great post-up game is more effective in the NBA because defenses can't just swallow up the post in a pure zone.

At least there's a shot at beating the Cavaliers in Charlotte. The Bobcats are 0-10 at Quicken Loans Arena.

Stat that should worry the Bobcats: The Cavs allow the fewest points in the lane (34.1 ppg) in the NBA. Badly as the Bobcats shoot 3s, you don't want that to become the default option.

Tap-ins

Shaquille O'Neal has missed six games with a shoulder strain. He's been medically cleared to play, so tonight could be his return to the lineup.

Bravo to Shaq, who reached out to pay funeral costs for Shaniya Davis, the murdered 5-year-old from the Fayetteville area. O'Neal saw the story on the news and felt compelled to help.

Anderson Varejao has returned to his previous sixth-man role for Cleveland. Between Varejao's energy and versatility, this is the logical way to exploit his strengths.

Did you know?

Zydrunas Ilgauskas is about to break former Duke star Danny Ferry's Cavaliers record for games played (723). Don't know if Ferry minds being written out of the Cavs' record book, but if so he can blame himself; Ferry re-signed Ilgauskas as Cavs general manager. Rick Bonnell

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