Preview Roundups
January 07, 2015
New Orleans at Charlotte 7:00 PM ET
The New Orleans Pelicans look to get back on track when they hit the road to face the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. The Pelicans continued their recent trend of following up a win with a loss after their 92-85 setback to the Washington Wizards on Monday and haven't posted back-to-back victories in almost three weeks. New Orleans has lost three straight games on the road and hopes to turn its fortunes around by beating the Hornets for the sixth time in its last seven tries.
Houston at Cleveland 7:00 PM ET
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been battling through a series of low points of late, but a loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday might have been the lowest. The new-look Cavaliers will try to break out of the funk when they host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Cleveland made a move to shake up the roster on Monday with a three-team trade, sending away Dion Waiters and importing J.R. Smith and Iman Shumpert from the New York Knicks.
Milwaukee at Philadelphia 7:00 PM ET
The Philadelphia 76ers finally have a home victory and now look for their second in a row when they host the Milwaukee Bucks on Wednesday. Philadelphia lost its first 14 home games – the second-longest such streak to open a season – before rallying from 17 down to record a 95-92 victory over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday. Milwaukee has lost two of its last three games and suffered a 102-96 setback against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday.
New York at Washington 7:00 PM ET
The changes have begun for a struggling New York franchise, while the losing could reach a historic high as the Knicks enter a Wednesday night matchup at Washington. New York carries a franchise record-tying 12-game losing streak into the contest - matching skids from 1959-60 and 1984-85 - and seven of the setbacks have come by double digits as a bad season turns into a terrible one. Superstar Carmelo Anthony has missed three straight games with a knee issue and is unlikely to return Wednesday.
Memphis at Atlanta 7:30 PM ET
Division leaders and potential championship contenders square off when the Atlanta Hawks host the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. The Hawks have won five straight and 19 of their last 21 to claim the best start in club history and surge to the top of the Eastern Conference standings. The Grizzlies - also off to the best start in franchise history and sitting third in the West - swept two meetings with Atlanta last season.
Boston at Brooklyn 7:30 PM ET
Brooklyn has a great chance to get back into the win column when it hosts struggling Boston on Wednesday. The Nets made a surge back to .500 with six wins in seven games before suffering two straight narrow defeats, the latest an overtime loss to Dallas in the opener of a three-game homestand on Monday. Forward Kevin Garnett took the night off to rest and point guard Deron Williams sat due to a sore hip as Brooklyn was held under 90 points for the second time in a row.
Utah at Chicago 8:00 PM ET
The Chicago Bulls are enjoying their best stretch of basketball as they move toward the top of the Eastern Conference. The Bulls will be looking for their 11th win in 12 games when they host the Utah Jazz on Wednesday. Chicago built its reputation on the defensive end but has been outscoring teams of late and is averaging 107.5 points in its last 10 wins behind Jimmy Butler and Pau Gasol.
Detroit at Dallas 8:30 PM ET
Two of the hottest teams in the league tangle Wednesday, as the Dallas Mavericks host the resurgent Detroit Pistons in a matchup of clubs riding six-game winning streaks. The Mavericks' hot streak is no surprise — they're tied for third in the Western Conference and boast one of the most potent offenses in the NBA. The Pistons, meanwhile, have won all six games since waiving free-agent bust Josh Smith after going 5-23 with him on the roster.
Orlando at Denver 9:00 PM ET
The Denver Nuggets look to win their third straight game for the first time since late November when they host the struggling Orlando Magic on Wednesday. The Nuggets averaged 112 points in beating Memphis and Minnesota after losing five of their previous six games and posted 120 in both victories against Orlando last season. The Magic have lost three straight as they begin a four-game road trip and could get a big break if Denver’s leading scorer Ty Lawson (bruised knee) can’t go.
Phoenix at Minnesota 9:30 PM ET
The Minnesota Timberwolves are experiencing a dreadful campaign and will attempt to halt a 12-game losing streak when they host the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday. Minnesota hasn’t won since Dec. 10 while playing without starters Kevin Martin, Nikola Pekovic and Ricky Rubio and suffered a 110-101 loss to the Denver Nuggets on Monday. Phoenix won for the ninth time in 11 games when it defeated the Milwaukee Bucks 102-96 on Tuesday.
Oklahoma City at Sacramento 10:00 PM ET
The top two scorers for the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Sacramento Kings haven't faced off in two previous meetings this season and they'll be looking for bounce-back games when the teams meet Wednesday in Sacramento. The high-scoring Oklahoma City duo of Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook combined to shoot 8-for-37 in a blowout loss Monday against the Golden State Warriors. A night earlier, DeMarcus Cousins and Rudy Gay shot 10-for-33 in a 19-point setback to the Detroit Pistons.
Indiana at Golden State 10:30 PM ET
The Golden State Warriors own the best record in the NBA and left no doubt that they intend to keep it that way with their recent performances. The Warriors will be looking for their 13th straight home win when they host the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. Golden State is tied for the best home start in franchise history at 14-1 and has taken the first four of a six-game homestand by an average of 25 points.
L.A. Lakers at L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM ET
Kobe Bryant will be back on the court for the Lakers when the latest installment of the series with the host Clippers is held Wednesday at Staples Center in Los Angeles. Bryant was held out of Monday’s 98-94 road loss to the Portland Trail Blazers to rest his sore body and should be fit and healthy against the Clippers. The Atlanta Hawks dealt the Clippers a 107-98 home loss Monday in one of the sloppier efforts of the season for the Clippers.