Preview Roundups
December 17, 2014
Phoenix at Charlotte 7:00 PM ET
Two teams that are experiencing a lot of losing square off when the Phoenix Suns visit the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday. Phoenix has lost six consecutive games and the latest setback was the most cruel as Milwaukee’s Khris Middleton banked in a 3-pointer at the buzzer to send the Suns to a 96-94 defeat on Monday. The Hornets fell behind 21-0 against Cleveland in a 97-88 defeat on Monday that marked their 13th loss in 15 games.
Atlanta at Cleveland 7:00 PM ET
The Atlanta Hawks surged up the Eastern Conference standings by taking advantage of weak competition, but now they're trying to keep up their hot streak against some of the league's elite teams. Atlanta has won 10 of its last 11 heading into a tough road test against the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday. The Cavaliers have won nine straight against Eastern Conference opponents and are 12-3 overall against the East.
Orlando at Boston 7:30 PM ET
Two teams trying to make a leap forward in their rebuilding process this season meet when the Orlando Magic visit the Boston Celtics on Wednesday. The Celtics have won four of their last seven, including Monday’s 105-87 home victory over Philadelphia, after a discouraging 4-11 start. The road-weary Magic have recorded only two more wins than they had at this time last season, but are showing signs of progress with improved defense and four players averaging at least 14 points.
Dallas at Detroit 7:30 PM ET
After finally finding a degree of success on the road, Detroit attempts to snap a long stretch of failure at home when it takes on Dallas on Wednesday. The Pistons won two of three on a challenging West Coast road trip, but they dropped the finale by 22 points at the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday and return to Auburn Hills staring at a 10-game home losing streak. That skid is tied for the longest single-season slide at home in franchise history.
Utah at Miami 7:30 PM ET
For one night at least, Dwyane Wade gave his teammates some hope that life without Chris Bosh may not be so bad. Asking the veteran to provide the same output when the Miami Heat host the Utah Jazz on the second night of a back-to-back Wednesday may be asking too much. Wade put up 28 points in a 95-91 win at Brooklyn on Tuesday, a day after the team learned that Bosh (calf) will be out indefinitely and Josh McRoberts (knee) is likely done for the season.
Brooklyn at Toronto 8:00 PM ET
The Toronto Raptors have a chance to further separate themselves from the Eastern Conference pack with a stretch of six straight games against teams with losing records. The Raptors, who lead the East by a half-game over Washington, continue that string when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday. The Nets had a modest two-game winning streak snapped with a 95-91 home loss to Miami on Tuesday.
Memphis at San Antonio 8:30 PM ET
The Memphis Grizzlies had to host the team with the best record in the NBA on Tuesday and don’t get much of a break the next night. The Grizzlies will endure the second night of a brutal back-to-back when they visit the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday. The defending champion Spurs have dropped three of their last five games and expect to again be without Tony Parker due to a nagging hamstring injury.
Milwaukee at Portland 10:00 PM ET
The Milwaukee Bucks have reportedly lost rookie forward Jabari Parker for the rest of the season as their four-game road trip marches on Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers. The Bucks are prepared to announce that Parker has a torn ACL in his left knee after he was carried off the floor early in the second half on Monday against the Phoenix Suns and wasn’t around to see Khris Middleton bury a 3-pointer at the buzzer to give the Bucks a 96-94 victory.
Indiana at L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers have put aside their first two-game skid of the season and look to knock off the Indiana Pacers for the second time in eight days on Wednesday. The Clippers rolled to a 113-91 victory over the Detroit Pistons on Monday in a balanced effort. “After losing two games in a row, it feels like we lost 10 in a row,” center DeAndre Jordan told reporters. “Coming back home and being able to win a basketball game and close a team out is always a really good feeling.”
Houston at Denver 10:30 PM ET
The Houston Rockets look to continue their winning ways when they hit the road to face the Denver Nuggets for the second straight game on Wednesday. The Rockets were buoyed by the return of Dwight Howard - who missed the previous 11 games with a knee injury - in the 108-96 victory over the Nuggets on Saturday at the Toyota Center. Houston has won seven of its last eight games to stay hot on the trail of the Memphis Grizzlies, who hold a one-game lead at the top of the Southwest Division.