Preview Roundups
March 30, 2015
Boston at Charlotte 7:00 PM ET
The Charlotte Hornets and the Boston Celtics are both on the outside looking in at the top eight in the Eastern Conference. The Hornets will be trying to jump past the Celtics when they host the final meeting of the regular season between the teams on Monday. Boston is coming in on the second night of a back-to-back after getting pounded 119-106 at home by the Los Angeles Clippers and subsequently surrendering its hold on the No. 8 spot.
L.A. Lakers at Philadelphia 7:00 PM ET
After pushing one of the Eastern Conference powers to the finish line on the road, Philadelphia gets a crack at one of the also-rans from the West when it hosts the Los Angeles Lakers on Monday. The 76ers rallied from behind before falling 87-86 at Cleveland on Sunday in a contest that featured a game-ending scoreless stretch of nearly four minutes by both teams. Robert Covington scored 19 points while Nerlens Noel had 11 rebounds as Philadelphia fell to 6-31 on the road.
Milwaukee at Atlanta 7:30 PM ET
The Milwaukee Bucks are striving to shake out of the doldrums when they visit the Atlanta Hawks on Monday. Milwaukee remains in sixth place in the Eastern Conference but has lost seven of its last nine contests and has slipped under .500. Atlanta has lost four of its last six contests but has already wrapped up best record in the East and has been regularly resting different starters and giving its reserves plenty of action.
Houston at Toronto 7:30 PM ET
The Houston Rockets have won four in a row and seven of eight and seem to be gelling at the right time heading into their game Monday at the Toronto Raptors. Houston’s victory Sunday against the Washington Wizards helped the Rockets move into second place as the Memphis Grizzlies later lost to the San Antonio Spurs. The Raptors are in fourth place in the East, 1 1/2 games behind the third-place Chicago Bulls and 2 1/2 ahead of the fifth-place Wizards.
Sacramento at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
Memphis' playoff positioning has taken a hit with an ill-timed three-game losing streak, but it can look forward to a long stretch at home to try to right the ship. The Grizzlies open up a four-game homestand that will spread across 10 days when it hosts Sacramento on Monday. After dropping a pair to powerhouses Cleveland and Golden State by an average of 22.5 points, Memphis' slide continued with a 103-89 setback at San Antonio on Sunday, dropping it into third place in the Western Conference.
Utah at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
Two teams that will be watching other squads enjoy the postseason square off for the second time in eight days on Monday when the Minnesota Timberwolves host the Utah Jazz. Minnesota posted a 106-104 overtime road victory over the Jazz on March 23 and that win is just one of two the Timberwolves have recorded over the past 12 games. Utah registered an impressive 94-89 victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Saturday to halt a four-game skid.
Phoenix at Portland 10:00 PM ET
The Trail Blazers are working to clinch a postseason spot while the Phoenix Suns, who visit Portland on Monday, are just trying to stay in the race. The Suns are going to need to come up with more on the offensive end than they managed when they hosted the Trail Blazers last week and shot 36.8 percent from the field in an 87-81 loss. Phoenix compounded that loss by falling to the Oklahoma City Thunder 109-97 on Sunday.