Preview Roundups
December 20, 2014
Phoenix at New York 1:00 PM ET
The Phoenix Suns look to climb back to .500 when they continue their Eastern road swing against the New York Knicks on Saturday afternoon. The Suns halted a six-game losing skid with a 111-106 victory over the Charlotte Hornets on Wednesday and hope to stay on the right track by beating the Knicks for the second straight time. "We're just going to keep fighting no matter how bad it gets," Phoenix guard Isaiah Thomas told reporters. "Hopefully, it gives us momentum going into the next game."
Portland at New Orleans 7:00 PM ET
Can Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers possibly have anything left Saturday when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans? Lillard scored 24 of his career-high 43 points after the two-minute mark of the fourth quarter as the Trail Blazers overcame six-point deficits in the each of the first two overtimes Friday at San Antonio. The Pelicans, who have won five of their last seven games, are in the midst of a tough stretch that could decide if they are contenders or pretenders.
Utah at Charlotte 7:00 PM ET
The Utah Jazz have won back-to-back road games for the first time in more than a year and also will attempt to defeat Charlotte for the 11th consecutive time when they visit the Hornets on Saturday. Utah hadn’t posted two straight road wins since Dec. 11-13, 2013, before beating the Miami Heat on Wednesday and the Orlando Magic on Friday. Former Jazz star Al Jefferson will try to help end Utah’s longtime dominance of Charlotte.
Atlanta at Houston 8:00 PM ET
After a very impressive win to begin a challenging three-game road trip, Atlanta meets its next obstacle Saturday in Houston. Playing without leading scorer and assist man Jeff Teague, who sat with a hamstring issue, the Hawks rolled to a 127-98 win at Cleveland on Wednesday, picking up their 11th win in 12 games overall. Atlanta established a season high from the field by a wide margin by shooting 64.5 percent, including 16-for-28 from 3-point range.
San Antonio at Dallas 8:30 PM ET
Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban has never been shy to pull the trigger on any trade he feels will help his team. He struck again Thursday, acquiring NBA assist-leader Rajon Rondo from the Boston Celtics for a first-round pick, guard Jameer Nelson, forward Brandan Wright and spare parts, and Rondo is expected to make his debut Saturday when the weary San Antonio Spurs visit. San Antonio is coming off consecutive triple-overtime losses after a 129-119 defeat to Portland on Friday.
Indiana at Denver 9:00 PM ET
The Denver Nuggets attempt to continue their long-standing series dominance of Indiana when they host the struggling Pacers on Saturday. Denver routed Indiana 108-87 in Indianapolis on Nov. 14 and has won 16 of the past 20 meetings. Both teams played the Los Angeles Clippers in their most-recent game, with the Pacers losing 102-100 on the road Wednesday and the Nuggets prevailing 109-106 at home Friday.
Milwaukee at L.A. Clippers 10:30 PM ET
The Milwaukee Bucks will try to end their four-game road trip on a high note when they meet the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday night. The trip got off to a brutal start when rookie forward Jabari Parker suffered a season-ending knee injury against the Phoenix Suns. It looked even worse when starting shooting guard Giannis Antetokounmpo rolled his ankle Wednesday against the Portland Trail Blazers, but he returned to play a big part in Thursday’s win against the Sacramento Kings.