Pre-game report: LeBron James back in Cavs lineup vs. Bucks

CLEVELAND - LeBron James, to nobody's real surprise, is playing Monday night against the Milwaukee Bucks.

James missed the Cleveland Cavaliers' 117-99 loss to Chicago on Saturday night due to strep throat. But Cavaliers coach Tyronn Lue said in his pre-game remarks that James would play against the Bucks in the game televised by TNT.

Bucks coach Jason Kidd said his team prepared as if the 13-time all-star would be suiting up.

"Medicine works fast on LeBron," Kidd said. "We know what he means to them, so we've got to bring our A game."

Cleveland has lost its last seven games without James on the floor and is 4-19 without him in the last two-plus seasons since he returned to the Cavaliers from the Miami Heat.

"You're talking about the best player in the world, so you can see that (record) might show what he means to Cleveland," Kidd said. "With him being back, they'll all be ready to go tonight.

"This part of the season everybody is positioning themselves for the seeding. Just the minutes he's playing, it shows no matter how young you are you can play a lot of minutes and be successful."

James is averaging 25.7 points, 8.9 assists and 7.8 rebounds while playing 37.5 minutes per game.

In the first three games against the Bucks this season, James has averaged 28.3 points on 49.2% shooting and is 12 for 24 on three-point attempts.

Kidd was asked in what ways he thinks James and Bucks all-star Giannis Antetokounmpo are similar.

"You would have to go back and look at the footage of LeBron at 22," Kidd said. "LeBron growing into who he is today and Giannis has the opportunity to grow into a player of his caliber, a guy who can fill up the stats sheet.

"The big thing is LeBron came in the league as a winner, and that winning spirit never left. Now they didn't win a lot early on, but in due time he understood and he got the guys around him to help him achieve that (championships). Giannis has that same opportunity going forward in his journey.

"He has that winning spirit, that winning work ethic. Once he gets the guys around him, it will turn for him, too."

Former Brooklyn Nets point guard Deron Williams has signed with Cleveland to provide some playmaking skills in relief of Kyrie Irving. And former Bucks center Andrew Bogut reached a buyout deal with Philadelphia on Monday and also could be headed to the Cavaliers.

Kidd coached Williams with the Nets during the 2013-'14 season.

"He knows what it takes to win," Kidd said. "He fits in this league with the three-pointers. He can post up the smaller guards. He's a vet. He's not going to shy away from the pressure situations."

Kidd said Michael Beasley will start for the Bucks with Khris Middleton still not playing in the second of back-to-back sets. Middleton played 28 minutes Sunday in the Bucks' 100-96 victory over the Phoenix Suns but did not travel to Cleveland.

Best to Jabari: Jared Dudley remembers the first time Jabari Parker tore his left anterior cruciate ligament.

That was in 2014-'15 when Dudley was a member of the Bucks and a key factor off the Milwaukee bench. Parker suffered that injury in Phoenix on Dec. 15, 2014 and he was sidelined until the following November.

Now it has happened to the same knee again and Parker already has undergone a surgical procedure at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colo.

Dudley is playing for the Suns now and faced the Bucks in Milwaukee on Sunday, on the same day Parker visited the Bucks locker room and saw some of his teammates for the first time since his surgery.

After the game, Bucks guard Tony Snell asked everyone "to say a prayer" for Parker and his recovery.

"Once I heard the news, I felt devastated," Dudley said. "When Jabari first tore his ACL, that summer he came to my camp. He was dunking off that leg, and I was like, 'Should he be doing that?' Then you saw this year how explosive he was.

"Overall, it's tough, man. You look at these athletes that are so explosive. Sometimes they are more susceptible than other players. He's jumping out of the building.

"You look at Jabari's body type and you wouldn't think it, but he was the quickest, fastest player we had on our team. It's not his fault. I just think it was a freak accident. Amar'e (Stoudemire) had two microfractures and came back. You've just got to be on your rehab and on your preparation for that."

Parker will not turn 22 until March 15 and the Bucks have announced a 12-month recovery period, which would put him back in February 2018.

Dudley said Antetokounmpo has made crazy strides since the two were teammates two years ago.

"When I played with him before, he was always a good weakside (defender), blocking shots, getting steals," Dudley said. "His biggest improvement is guarding the ball. He always wanted to guard the best player, but he would foul a lot.

"I don't think he understood the NBA defensive game, how it would be called. He's at a point now he can use his length and wingspan much more to his advantage. He was pressing up on guys, getting in foul trouble early.

"J-Kidd has always done a good job of teaching guys the mental aspect of the game, watching film. We watched more film (with the Bucks) than any team I've ever played on, because we were such a young team.

"This is where you thought they would take the next step. Khris (Middleton) being hurt, hurt them in the first half. If Khris was there, I think they would be a 5 or 6 seed right now, if not better. Now they're trying to play catch-up. Now Jabari is hurt again so it's going to be difficult, but Giannis has to take even more on his shoulders now."

Snell told reporters after Sunday's game that Parker was "in good spirits" when he talked with his teammates.

Kidd said it was good to see Parker.

"We saw him there in the training room doing his rehab," Kidd said. "He's already started his rehab process.

"Seeing him back is good for everybody, even for Jabari to see his teammates. We've been through this once before, so we're going to try to have him around as much as possible."