After missing the Friday evening contest against the Indiana Pacers resting his sore back, small forward LeBron James is expected to return to the starting lineup Sunday against Houston.

Returning from a one-game absence, James will have the tough task of outplaying James Harden of the Houston Rockets, one of the leading contenders for the MVP award.

Meanwhile, point guard Kyrie Irving is going to miss his second straight game Sunday, but head coach David Blatt announced that Irving would be back Tuesday against Boston.

Cleveland (37-23) is in fourth place in the East, just a half game behind the Bulls and Raptors (37-22) for the second or third spot.