Preview Roundups
December 08, 2014
Atlanta at Indiana 7:00 PM ET
The Atlanta Hawks are roping in victories and look for their seventh straight win when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Monday. Atlanta stretched the winning streak to six by delivering a 96-84 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Sunday and now get a chance to beat the struggling Pacers for the second time this season. Indiana went 0-4 on a four-game road trip and is beginning a stretch in which four of five games are at home.
Boston at Washington 7:00 PM ET
The Boston Celtics look to beat the Washington Wizards for the second time in as many days as the two teams conclude their home-and-home set in the nation's capital on Monday. The Celtics had dropped six straight home games for the first time since the 2006-07 season before reeling off three straight wins at TD Garden, including a nervy 101-93 victory over the Wizards. Boston hopes to string together its first four-game winning streak and beat Washington for the 10th time in its last 13 tries.
Cleveland at Brooklyn 7:30 PM ET
Cleveland can extend its winning streak to seven games for the first time since LeBron James' first stint with the team when it visits Brooklyn on Monday. The Cavaliers ran their current surge to six with an impressive 105-91 win at Toronto in the second half of a back-to-back set on Friday. James had 24 points and 13 assists as Cleveland's winning streak matched its longest since an eight-game run near the end of the 2009-10 season.
Denver at Toronto 7:30 PM ET
DeMar DeRozan is one of the leading scorers for the Toronto Raptors, but apparently it is his defense that the team misses the most. The Raptors will try to hold an opponent under 100 points for the first time since DeRozan went down with a groin injury when they host the Denver Nuggets on Monday. Including the game on Nov. 28 in which DeRozan was injured, Toronto has lost three of five while allowing an average of 110.6 points.
Golden State at Minnesota 8:00 PM ET
The streaking Golden State Warriors look to remain hot and extend their franchise-record winning streak to 13 games when they visit the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday. Golden State also will be looking for its sixth straight victory at Minnesota as well as improve on its gaudy 10-1 road mark. The Timberwolves are struggling with five straight losses and own the worst record in the Western Conference while the Warriors have the best record in the NBA.
Utah at Sacramento 10:00 PM ET
The Sacramento Kings will be without their best player for at least a little longer after DeMarcus Cousins was reportedly diagnosed with viral meningitis. The Kings will try to get by with the standout center when they host the Utah Jazz on Monday. Cousins has missed the last five games and was hospitalized last week while undergoing treatment and is expected to be out another 7-10 days, according to the USA Today Sports report.
Phoenix at L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM ET
Eric Bledsoe of the Phoenix Suns hasn’t had much luck in his last two visits to Staples Center to play the Los Angeles Clippers, the team he played for his first three NBA seasons. He’ll try to turn things around Monday when the Suns visit the Clippers for the second time this season. Bledsoe missed all six of his field-goal attempts and scored one point in a 13-point loss last month, and last December suffered a knee injury in his first visit to the Clippers and missed the next 2 ½ months.