Preview Roundups
December 30, 2014
Detroit at Orlando 7:00 PM ET
Detroit has been a bad basketball team but it sure did look pretty good while delivering a beating on LeBron James and Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday. The Pistons will look for their third consecutive victory when they visit the Orlando Magic on Tuesday and they should be brimming with confidence. Detroit knocked down a franchise-record 17 3-pointers and dominated Cleveland in every facet of the game while registering an easy 103-80 win.
Cleveland at Atlanta 7:30 PM ET
The Atlanta Hawks don't boast the star power of the Cleveland Cavaliers, but they have a big cushion in the Eastern Conference standings. The Hawks aim to add to that lead when they host the Cavaliers on Tuesday. The first two meetings this season - both in Cleveland - have been lopsided affairs with the Cavaliers trouncing the Hawks 127-94 on Nov. 15 and Atlanta repaying them with a 127-98 victory Dec. 17.
Brooklyn at Chicago 8:00 PM ET
Chicago surges into a home-heavy portion of its schedule when it hosts Brooklyn on Tuesday night in the final game of the calendar year for both teams. The Bulls, who claimed their seventh straight win with a 92-90 triumph at Indiana on Monday after surviving an 11-point fourth quarter, have also won six in a row at home, making their early-season struggles at the United Center a distant memory. Chicago started 2-5 at home, where it will play eight of the next nine games.
San Antonio at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
A pair of Western Conference contenders trying to regain some positive momentum square off Tuesday when the Memphis Grizzlies host the San Antonio Spurs. Both are coming off victories and hoping to turn around recent struggles. The Spurs have lost six of their last eight and haven't won consecutive games in more than three weeks while the Grizzlies snapped a four-game skid with a 103-95 win at Miami on Saturday.
Phoenix at New Orleans 8:00 PM ET
The Phoenix Suns look to extend their winning streak to seven games when they face the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center on Tuesday. The red-hot Suns started their four-game road swing with victories over the Sacramento Kings and Los Angeles Lakers and set their sights on beating the Pelicans for the fifth straight time. "This team is a great road team," Phoenix point guard Eric Bledsoe told reporters. "We find a way to get it done and overcome the challenges of the road."
Washington at Dallas 8:30 PM ET
The Washington Wizards are trying to prove they are for real by putting on a good show on a season-high five-game road trip. The Wizards will try to make it four straight wins when they visit the Dallas Mavericks on the second night of a back-to-back on Tuesday. The Mavericks proved they could play in a different style in a 112-107 win over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Sunday when Tyson Chandler sat out with back spasms.
L.A. Lakers at Denver 9:00 PM ET
Kobe Bryant was unable to get his offensive game going all that much in his return from a rest period Sunday. He hopes to provide more of a boost to the last-place Los Angeles Lakers when they visit Denver on Tuesday for the final game of the calendar year for both teams. After sitting out three games to try to get over some aches and pains, Bryant provided 10 points, eight rebounds and seven assists in a 116-107 loss to Phoenix at home.
Minnesota at Utah 9:00 PM ET
The Minnesota Timberwolves attempt to break an eight-game losing streak when they visit the Utah Jazz on Tuesday. Minnesota is winless since recording a stunning victory over the Portland Trail Blazers on Dec. 10 and five of the losses during its skid have been by double digits, including a 110-97 loss to the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Utah has won four of its last six games but fell 101-97 to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday.
Toronto at Portland 10:00 PM ET
The Toronto Raptors and Portland Trail Blazers have been sizzling from long distance lately and they’ll try to continue that trend when they meet Tuesday in Portland. The Trail Blazers have combined for 51 3-pointers in the last three games — the only team in NBA history to make at least 16 in three straight — and the Raptors have sank 46 in the last four. Wesley Matthews owns the hottest hand for the Trail Blazers, with starting backcourt mate Damian Lillard not far behind.
Philadelphia at Golden State 10:30 PM ET
The Golden State Warriors looked more like the team that ripped through a 16-game winning streak in its last victory and will try to make it back-to-back triumphs when they host the lowly Philadelphia 76ers on Tuesday. The Warriors lost back-to-back games last week and three of five overall after their record winning streak but got back to balance and ball movement against Minnesota on Saturday. The 76ers are struggling since their road trip switched to the Western Conference.