Preview Roundups
March 22, 2015
Cleveland at Milwaukee 3:00 PM ET
After nailing down their first playoff berth in five years, Cleveland continues its quest of nailing down the No. 2 seed in the Eastern Conference when it starts a three-game road trip at Milwaukee on Sunday. By virtue of a 95-92 win over Indiana on Friday, the Cavaliers cemented their spot in the postseason, picking up their 15th straight home win in the process. "You're not going to get any roses for it," head coach David Blatt said. "But, you know, that was our first goal when I came here."
Miami at Oklahoma City 3:00 PM ET
Oklahoma City may be without Kevin Durant but the Thunder has opened up a little wiggle room in the playoff mix as they host the Miami Heat on Sunday. Durant could miss the rest of the season with his foot injury as Oklahoma City has won its last two games to open up a two-game lead on the New Orleans Pelicans in the battle for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference. Miami stands seventh in the Eastern Conference.
San Antonio at Atlanta 3:00 PM ET
The surging San Antonio Spurs aim for their ninth straight win over the Atlanta Hawks when they travel to Atlanta on Sunday. The Hawks already have clinched the Southeast Division title and are closing in on locking up the top seed in the Eastern Conference, but they haven't beaten San Antonio since March 21, 2010. The Spurs have won two straight and nine of their last 11 and are tied for sixth in the West.
New Orleans at L.A. Clippers 3:30 PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers look to continue their winning ways when they host the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday afternoon. The Clippers have won three in a row and are coming off a 113-99 victory over the Washington Wizards on Friday to pull within a half-game of the Portland Trail Blazers in the race for the fourth seed in the Western Conference. Los Angeles has beaten New Orleans in four straight meetings at the Staples Center, including the last two by an average margin of 26 points.
New York at Toronto 4:00 PM ET
An ugly loss at New York last month contributed to Toronto's recent slide, but the Raptors have a chance for payback when the Knicks come to town for a Sunday matinee. A 103-98 setback at Madison Square Garden was the culmination of a dismal five-game losing streak to end the month of February for Toronto, which has lost 11 of 15 overall to sink into fourth place in the Eastern Conference entering Saturday. The latest setback came in the form of a 108-92 loss at Chicago on Friday.
Washington at Sacramento 6:00 PM ET
The Sacramento Kings and Washington Wizards meet twice a year and this season they collide only eight days apart, with the second meeting scheduled for Sunday in Sacramento. The Wizards beat the visiting Kings on March 14 as John Wall tied his season high with 31 points and distributed 12 assists in the 113-97 victory. The Wizards enter a game behind the fourth-place Toronto Raptors in the East and within striking distance of the second-place Cleveland Cavaliers and third-place Chicago Bulls.
Detroit at Boston 6:00 PM ET
If the Boston Celtics are going to latch onto one of the final playoff spots in the muddled Eastern Conference they’ll need to put a two-game losing skid behind them when the struggling Detroit Pistons visit on Sunday. The Celtics are coming off a 101-89 loss to San Antonio on Friday and enter the game in the eighth spot, one-half game ahead of Indiana. The struggling Pistons put together a fantastic second half on Saturday to knock off Chicago for just its second win in 13 games.
Denver at Orlando 6:00 PM ET
Rookie point guard Elfrid Payton looks for a third straight triple-double when his Orlando Magic host the Denver Nuggets on Sunday. Payton, the 10th pick in the 2014 draft, recorded 22 points to go along with 10 rebounds and 10 assists as the Magic rallied to defeat Portland 111-104 on Friday and became the first Orlando player to post back-to-back triple-doubles. Payton will be tested against one of the NBA’s top point guards in Ty Lawson of the Nuggets, who have dropped three straight.
Charlotte at Minnesota 7:00 PM ET
The Charlotte Hornets have their eyes on a playoff spot but aren’t taking advantage of opportunities to move into eighth place in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday and they remain behind the Boston Celtics and Indiana Pacers because they have lost five of their last six games. “We can’t put our heads down,” guard Kemba Walker told reporters. “We have to go out and just try to win the next one.”
Dallas at Phoenix 9:00 PM ET
The Dallas Mavericks are coming off a shaky performance and look to get back on track when they host the Phoenix Suns on Sunday. Dallas committed 17 turnovers and got off to a slow start in which it scored just 37 first-half points during Friday’s loss to Memphis. “We were poor in all areas,” Mavericks coach Rick Carlisle told reporters. “I really don’t have anything positive to say and it’s a situation where we all own it. It’s just really a very, very bad performance.”
Philadelphia at L.A. Lakers 9:30 PM ET
The Philadelphia 76ers will attempt to extend their winning streak to a season-high three when they begin a three-game road trip against the Los Angeles Lakers on Sunday night. Rookie Nerlens Noel has played a big part as Philadelphia won four of the last seven contests, including a career-high 23 points to go along with 14 rebounds in the 97-81 victory over New York on Friday. The Lakers have been going in the opposite direction while losing four straight and nine of their last 10 games.