Preview Roundups
March 20, 2015
Portland at Orlando 7:00 PM ET
Portland continues a five-game road trip and looks to snap a two-game slide when it visits Orlando on Friday night. The Trail Blazers opened the excursion with an impressive 16-point win at Toronto before losing a pair at Washington and Miami, which has dropped the club into fourth place in the Western Conference entering Thursday's play. Behind 34 points from LaMarcus Aldridge, Portland was primed to knock off the Heat before giving up the final six points in a 108-104 setback.
New York at Philadelphia 7:00 PM ET
The fight for the most pingpong balls in the draft lottery takes another head-to-head turn Friday when the Philadelphia 76ers host the New York Knicks. The Knicks, who earned a shocking overtime victory over the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday, fell to the Minnesota Timberwolves in overtime on Thursday to drop to the bottom of the standings. The 76ers are coming off a 94-83 win over the Detroit Pistons and have taken three of their last seven.
Milwaukee at Brooklyn 7:30 PM ET
The Milwaukee Bucks look to end their current skid when they hit the road to face the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. The slumping Bucks have dropped four straight and nine of their last 11 to see their lead shrink to 2 1/2 games in the race for the sixth seed in the Eastern Conference. Milwaukee has lost nine consecutive road games as it hopes to turn its fortunes around by beating Brooklyn for the third meeting in a row and avoid falling below .500 for the first time since Dec. 27.
Indiana at Cleveland 7:30 PM ET
The Cleveland Cavaliers attempt to notch their 15th consecutive home win when the Indiana Pacers visit on Friday. Cleveland’s home success has helped it rise to second place in the Eastern Conference and there are three teams within close range of the Cavaliers – Toronto, Chicago and Washington. The Pacers are wobbling with three consecutive losses and are tied for eighth place with the Boston Celtics with 15 games remaining.
Denver at Miami 7:30 PM ET
Dwyane Wade is playing his best basketball of the season and the Miami Heat guard will try to continue that pace when his team hosts the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. Wade has scored at least 25 points in seven straight games, his longest such streak since December 2010, and comes in off back-to-back 30-point games for the first time in three years. Wade has been particularly strong down the stretch lately and now leads the NBA in fourth-quarter scoring at 7.3.
Toronto at Chicago 8:00 PM ET
Teams vying for the third spot in the Eastern Conference will meet twice in the next week starting Friday when the Toronto Raptors visit the Chicago Bulls. The Raptors hold a half-game lead and have won the first two meetings this season, including ringing up an all-time series-high 129 points in a nine-point victory Dec. 22. These two games could decide homecourt advantage should the clubs meet in the second round of the playoffs.
Atlanta at Oklahoma City 8:00 PM ET
Word that superstar Kevin Durant could be done for the season surrounds Oklahoma City's matchup at home with Atlanta on Friday. Durant, who has missed nearly a month with lingering foot issues, has halted basketball activities, general manager Sam Presti announced Friday, hinting that the reigning MVP may not return. "He's not making the progress we'd hoped or expected," Presti said of Durant, who underwent surgery Feb. 23 on his right foot and had been participating in portions of practice.
Memphis at Dallas 8:30 PM ET
The Memphis Grizzlies have lost sight of the Golden State Warriors in front of them and are watching a host of other teams grow closer in the rearview mirror. The Grizzlies will try to strengthen their grasp on the No. 2 spot in the Western Conference when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. The Mavericks are tied for fifth in the West but sit only 3 1/2 games behind Memphis and 1 1/2 back of the No. 4 spot.
Boston at San Antonio 8:30 PM ET
The Boston Celtics are in a pack of four teams vying for the final two Eastern Conference playoff spots. Boston can provide a statement that it intends on landing one of those berths when it visits the defending champion San Antonio Spurs on Friday. The Celtics had a season-long five-game winning streak ended by Oklahoma City on Wednesday and are tied for eighth place with the Indiana Pacers.
Charlotte at Sacramento 10:00 PM ET
The Charlotte Hornets continue to cling to playoff hopes, but they’ll need to beat the teams they’re supposed to beat and that includes Friday night’s game at the Sacramento Kings. The Hornets have lost four out of five, including a 113-106 home loss to the Kings last week, and sit a half-game behind the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers for the eighth and final playoff spot in the East. Catching the Celtics seems to be the biggest obstacle, as they’ve won five of their last six.
New Orleans at Golden State 10:30 PM ET
The New Orleans Pelicans are battling for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, where they would very likely have to face the Golden State Warriors. The Pelicans will see how they stack up when they visit the Warriors on Friday. Golden State owns an NBA-best 31-2 record at home and has won 10 straight in its own building, including a 114-95 thrashing of the East-leading Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday.
Washington at L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM ET
The Washington Wizards are in position to climb up the Eastern Conference standings after rolling off five straight victories. Washington attempts to stretch its streak to six when it visits the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday, and Los Angeles can relate to the situation. The Clippers are tied for fifth with the Dallas Mavericks in the Western Conference while Washington is a half-game behind the fourth-place Chicago Bulls and one game behind the third-place Toronto Raptors in the East.