Dec. 22, 2005 -- Now that all your shopping is done, it's a great time to sit back and watch some NBA basketball on TNT. We have a quality double-header for you tonight as the Cavs take on the Bulls at 8 ET and the Mavs travel to Sacramento at 10:30. Below is a look at some interesting facts and figures leading in to tonight's matchups:
.411 The Bulls are second in the league in three-point percentage at .411. Last Saturday, they hit 14-of-17 from downtown, setting franchise records for threes in a quarter (nine in the third) and in a half (11 in the second). The Cavs are last in the league in opponents' three-point percentage at .402.
0-2 Something's got to give tonight as both Cleveland and Chicago are 0-2 against teams in their division.
1 Last season, LeBron James set Cavalier season records for minutes (3388), points (2175), scoring average (27.2) and free throw attempts (636). He also set the single-game scoring record for the franchise with 56 on March 20 in Toronto.
3 The Bulls have won three straight against the Cavs at the United Center. The Cavs have won three straight at home against the Bulls.
7-0 The Bulls have won their division seven times, the Central in each of their six championship seasons and the Midwest Division in 1974-75. The Cavaliers have never won their division.
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Thursday is the best day of the week to face LeBron.
Gary Dineen/NBAE/Getty Images |
23 The Bulls' bench has outscored their opponents' bench in 23 of 24 games this season.
30.7 LeBron James is third in the league in scoring at 30.7 points per game, shooting .504 from the field. On Thursdays, he averages just 22.5 points per game, shooting .447 from the field. The Bulls have yet to play on a Thursday.
.466 The Kings are second in the league in field goal percentage at .466. The Mavs are fourth at .462.
1 Avery Johnson is the first coach in NBA history to earn Coach of the Month honors in his first two full months of coaching. He was the Western Conference Coach of the Month in April and then again in November.
1-9 The Kings have won just one of the 10 games in which Brad Miller has dished out five assists or fewer.
2.0 The Mavericks are the only team in the league whose top three scorers are averaging fewer than 2.0 turnovers per game.
5 The Kings are the only team in the NBA with five players averaging 13.0 points or more.
6 Lost in the Kobe Bryant frenzy on Tuesday was the fact that Didier Ilunga-Mbenga scored a career-high as well.
7 of 9 The Mavericks have won seven of the last nine games against the Kings.
18-18 Since the start of the 2001 calendar year, the two teams have played 36 times including the playoffs. Each team has won 18 of those 36 games. The last time either team swept the season series was in the 1997-98 season, when Dallas took all four games.
58 The largest margin of victory in Kings franchise history came in a 139-81 win over the Mavs in Sacramento on Dec. 29, 1992. It was also the worst defeat in Mavericks franchise history.
62 Kobe Bryant's 62 points on Tuesday was the most points in a game by a Mavericks' opponent.
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