Preview Roundups
January 28, 2015
Portland at Cleveland 7:00 PM ET
The surging Cleveland Cavaliers look to match their season-high with an eighth straight victory when they host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The Cavs kept rolling with a 103-95 win at Detroit on Tuesday to move six games above .500, one game off their high point of the season. The Trail Blazers have dropped four of their last six but should be well-rested after having Monday's game at Brooklyn postponed because of winter weather.
Detroit at Philadelphia 7:00 PM ET
Not long after it was surging up the Eastern Conference standings, Detroit is in the midst of another losing streak and seeking a break from a busy stretch. The Pistons look to snap their three-game slide as they play for the fourth time in five nights Wednesday at Philadelphia. In the hours after leading scorer Brandon Jennings underwent season-ending surgery to repair a ruptured Achilles, Detroit dropped a 103-95 decision at home against Cleveland on Tuesday.
Sacramento at Toronto 7:30 PM ET
The Toronto Raptors look to continue their winning ways when they host the Sacramento Kings on Wednesday. The Raptors have won four of their last five games — including a 104-91 triumph over the Indiana Pacers on Tuesday — to notch 30 victories before the All-Star Break for the first time in franchise history. Toronto has won five of seven games against Western Conference opponents at Air Canada Centre this season and hopes to improve to 21-4 against teams with a losing record.
Brooklyn at Atlanta 8:00 PM ET
The Atlanta Hawks look to extend their franchise-record winning streak to 17 games when they host the fading Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. Brooklyn stumbled to a 2-10 mark over its last dozen games while the balanced Hawks have lost twice in 32 contests. “It’s not anybody doing something out of the ordinary that makes us win,” Atlanta guard Thabo Sefolosha told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “Everybody is playing to their character. Everybody is playing their role. It’s working for us.”
Dallas at Houston 8:00 PM ET
The Dallas Mavericks have hit a bit of a skid, especially on the defensive end. The Mavericks will look to snap a three-game slide Wednesday when they visit the Houston Rockets, who are coming off back-to-back wins and some tremendous performances from James Harden. The NBA’s leading scorer has taken it up a notch of late and is averaging 37 points over the last four contests while shooting strong from the line and from 3-point range.
Boston at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
Boston once could not buy a road win against the Western Conference, but it has a chance to end a six-game trip out West with a winning mark when it visits Minnesota on Wednesday. The Celtics had lost 24 straight roadies versus West teams after opening the trip with a loss, but they have won three of four since to assure themselves of at least a split on the journey. Tayshaun Prince had his best game since joining Boston by pouring in 19 points off the bench in a 99-90 win at Utah on Monday.
Denver at New Orleans 8:00 PM ET
The New Orleans Pelicans aim to add to their season-best four-game winning streak when they host the struggling Denver Nuggets on Wednesday. The hot streak has pushed the Pelicans a season-high three games above .500 and into ninth in the Western Conference, 1 1/2 games behind eighth-place Phoenix. The Nuggets have lost seven straight following a five-game winning streak.
Oklahoma City at New York 8:00 PM ET
The status of Oklahoma City standout Kevin Durant is in limbo with the Thunder slated to visit the New York Knicks on Wednesday. Durant missed Monday’s victory over the Minnesota Timberwolves due to a sprained big toe on his left foot and his status is expected to be firmed up in the hours prior to game time. The Knicks have won three of their last four games and had Monday’s game with the Sacramento Kings postponed due to the winter storm that ravaged the northeast.
Charlotte at San Antonio 8:30 PM ET
The Charlotte Hornets were just starting to get things going when leading scorer Kemba Walker went down. The Hornets will start trying to figure out how to get around without their floor leader when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The Spurs are no strangers to injury but have Kawhi Leonard, Tony Parker and Tim Duncan all in the lineup and all playing well at the same time and are winners of six of their last seven.
L.A. Clippers at Utah 9:00 PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers bring a five-game winning streak into Wednesday’s contest against Utah when they look to notch their 13th consecutive victory over the Jazz. Los Angeles defeated the Denver Nuggets on Monday and is tied for fourth place in the Western Conference with the Houston Rockets and has also narrowed the gap on third-place Portland. Utah lost to the Boston Celtics on Monday and has dropped six of its last nine contests.
Washington at Phoenix 10:30 PM ET
The Washington Wizards won a pair of close road contests in the last three days and they’ll try to end their four-game West Coast trip on a high note when they meet the Phoenix Suns on Wednesday night. Washington won in overtime Sunday against the Denver Nuggets and then crawled back from 19 points down Tuesday against the Los Angeles Lakers before taking the short flight to Phoenix. The Suns won four in a row to start their franchise-record eight-game homestand but have dropped the last two.