Wizards, Nets Collide In Pivotal Matchup
The Washington Wizards will play the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday at Orlando.
The Wizards (24-41) are coming off a 125-112 loss against the Phoenix Suns in their previous game, their first since the league restarted. They sit six games behind the Nets in the standings and must win here to keep their playoff chances alive. Rookie Rui Hachimura could be a player to watch for the Wizards, as he scored 21 points in Washington's defeat against Orlando on Friday.
Washington should be shorthanded for this game, as their two best players this season -- Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans -- are out, while star point guard John Wall will also be absent, as he has been all season long. Garrison Mathews (personal) is out as well, while Gary Payton is questionable due to illness.
The Nets (30-35) are also coming off a loss, as they dropped their opener against the Orlando Magic by a 128-118 score. Brooklyn still have a relatively clear path towards securing the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, though, as they hold a six-game lead over the Wizards and a win here could probably end Washington's aspirations of reaching the postseason. The Nets could probably trust on Caris LeVert to carry them to victory in this one, as the talented combo guard registered 17 points with seven assists the last time out. He should be Brooklyn's main offensive threat once again considering how depleted they are.
Just like the Wizards, Brooklyn will be quite depleted ahead of this contest as well. Jamal Crawford (coach's decision) has been listed as questionable, but other key players such as Kevin Durant (Achilles), Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Spencer Dinwiddie (illness) and DeAndre Jordan (illness) have all been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Nicolas Claxton (shoulder), Wilson Chandler (personal) and Taurean Prince (illness) are also out.
This will be the third meeting between both teams this season. Washington won the previous two games.
The Wizards (24-41) are coming off a 125-112 loss against the Phoenix Suns in their previous game, their first since the league restarted. They sit six games behind the Nets in the standings and must win here to keep their playoff chances alive. Rookie Rui Hachimura could be a player to watch for the Wizards, as he scored 21 points in Washington's defeat against Orlando on Friday.
Washington should be shorthanded for this game, as their two best players this season -- Bradley Beal and Davis Bertans -- are out, while star point guard John Wall will also be absent, as he has been all season long. Garrison Mathews (personal) is out as well, while Gary Payton is questionable due to illness.
The Nets (30-35) are also coming off a loss, as they dropped their opener against the Orlando Magic by a 128-118 score. Brooklyn still have a relatively clear path towards securing the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, though, as they hold a six-game lead over the Wizards and a win here could probably end Washington's aspirations of reaching the postseason. The Nets could probably trust on Caris LeVert to carry them to victory in this one, as the talented combo guard registered 17 points with seven assists the last time out. He should be Brooklyn's main offensive threat once again considering how depleted they are.
Just like the Wizards, Brooklyn will be quite depleted ahead of this contest as well. Jamal Crawford (coach's decision) has been listed as questionable, but other key players such as Kevin Durant (Achilles), Kyrie Irving (shoulder), Spencer Dinwiddie (illness) and DeAndre Jordan (illness) have all been ruled out for the remainder of the season. Nicolas Claxton (shoulder), Wilson Chandler (personal) and Taurean Prince (illness) are also out.
This will be the third meeting between both teams this season. Washington won the previous two games.
Celtics, Blazers Lock Horns in Orlando
The Portland Trail Blazers will play the Boston Celtics on Sunday at Orlando.
The Trail Blazers (30-37) are coming off a massive win the last time out, edging the Memphis Grizzlies 140-135 after a thrilling overtime period and inching themselves closer to a potential playoff berth. Portland currently sits 2.5 games behind the Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and a win here could give them a massive confidence boost. The Blazers also are on a two-game winning streak if including the regular-season games before the league was suspended back in March. By all accounts, this will be a huge game for the Blazers and could expect Damian Lillard to rise to the occasion. The star point guard notched 29 points with seven assists against the Grizzlies on Friday.
Trevor Ariza (personal), Rodney Hood (Achilles) and Caleb Swanigan (personal) are out for the season ahead of this one, while Jaylen Adams (back) is questionable with a back issue.
The Celtics (43-22) have already clinched a playoff spot, but they are battling with teams such as the Miami Heat, the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers to finish as one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. Boston debuted with a 119-112 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in the restart opener, however, and have won just one of their last four games including the ones before the season got suspended back in March. Their top performer against Milwaukee was Marcus Smart, who delivered 23 points (7-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 6-8 FT), four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 32 minutes.
The Celtics are at full strength ahead of this contest.
This will be the second game of the season between these two franchises. The Celtics won the previous game by a 118-106 score.
The Trail Blazers (30-37) are coming off a massive win the last time out, edging the Memphis Grizzlies 140-135 after a thrilling overtime period and inching themselves closer to a potential playoff berth. Portland currently sits 2.5 games behind the Grizzlies for the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference, and a win here could give them a massive confidence boost. The Blazers also are on a two-game winning streak if including the regular-season games before the league was suspended back in March. By all accounts, this will be a huge game for the Blazers and could expect Damian Lillard to rise to the occasion. The star point guard notched 29 points with seven assists against the Grizzlies on Friday.
Trevor Ariza (personal), Rodney Hood (Achilles) and Caleb Swanigan (personal) are out for the season ahead of this one, while Jaylen Adams (back) is questionable with a back issue.
The Celtics (43-22) have already clinched a playoff spot, but they are battling with teams such as the Miami Heat, the Indiana Pacers and the Philadelphia 76ers to finish as one of the top four teams in the Eastern Conference. Boston debuted with a 119-112 loss against the Milwaukee Bucks in the restart opener, however, and have won just one of their last four games including the ones before the season got suspended back in March. Their top performer against Milwaukee was Marcus Smart, who delivered 23 points (7-11 FG, 3-6 3Pt, 6-8 FT), four rebounds, an assist and a steal in 32 minutes.
The Celtics are at full strength ahead of this contest.
This will be the second game of the season between these two franchises. The Celtics won the previous game by a 118-106 score.
Spurs and Grizzlies Face Off In Key Western Conference Battle
The San Antonio Spurs take on the Memphis Grizzlies in an NBA seeding game in Orlando on Sunday afternoon.
The Spurs (28-36) come into the contest with a chance to put a dent in their current three-game deficit behind the eighth-seeded Grizzlies. San Antonio got their scrimmage games off to a good start by toppling the Sacramento Kings, 129-120, on Friday night. DeMar DeRozan paced the Spurs with a 27-point, 10-assist double-double that also included five rebounds. Derrick White supplied 26 points, eight boards, five assists, one steal and one block. Rudy Gay finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block. Lonnie Walker managed 16 points, four assists and three rebounds. Dejounte Murray collected 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Spurs will be without Bryn Forbes (quadriceps) for Sunday's contest. Patty Mills (rest) is likely to take the floor after sitting for Friday's restart opener against the Kings. Marco Belinelli (foot) will be listed as doubtful. Trey Lyles and LaMarcus Aldridge both opted out of the restart and are not in Orlando.
The Grizzlies (32-34) didn't get the defense of their No. 8 seed off to a good start Friday, as they lost their first scrimmage game by a 140-135 margin to the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime. Jaren Jackson led the Grizzlies with 33 points, adding three rebounds, one steal and one block. Ja Morant forged a 22-point, 11-assist double-double that also included five rebounds and one steal. Brandon Clarke followed with 21 points and also provided seven boards, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Jonas Valanciunas recorded 16 points, four boards and one assist. Dillon Brooks supplied 15 points, four boards, four assists, one block and one steal.
The Grizzlies will continue without Tyus Jones (knee) for Sunday's contest.
Sunday's game marks the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. The Grizzlies hold a 2-1 series lead, having notched 113-109 and 134-121 wins on Nov. 11 and Jan. 10, respectively.
The Spurs (28-36) come into the contest with a chance to put a dent in their current three-game deficit behind the eighth-seeded Grizzlies. San Antonio got their scrimmage games off to a good start by toppling the Sacramento Kings, 129-120, on Friday night. DeMar DeRozan paced the Spurs with a 27-point, 10-assist double-double that also included five rebounds. Derrick White supplied 26 points, eight boards, five assists, one steal and one block. Rudy Gay finished with 19 points, eight rebounds, one assist and one block. Lonnie Walker managed 16 points, four assists and three rebounds. Dejounte Murray collected 11 points, four rebounds and four assists.
The Spurs will be without Bryn Forbes (quadriceps) for Sunday's contest. Patty Mills (rest) is likely to take the floor after sitting for Friday's restart opener against the Kings. Marco Belinelli (foot) will be listed as doubtful. Trey Lyles and LaMarcus Aldridge both opted out of the restart and are not in Orlando.
The Grizzlies (32-34) didn't get the defense of their No. 8 seed off to a good start Friday, as they lost their first scrimmage game by a 140-135 margin to the Portland Trail Blazers in overtime. Jaren Jackson led the Grizzlies with 33 points, adding three rebounds, one steal and one block. Ja Morant forged a 22-point, 11-assist double-double that also included five rebounds and one steal. Brandon Clarke followed with 21 points and also provided seven boards, two assists, two blocks and one steal. Jonas Valanciunas recorded 16 points, four boards and one assist. Dillon Brooks supplied 15 points, four boards, four assists, one block and one steal.
The Grizzlies will continue without Tyus Jones (knee) for Sunday's contest.
Sunday's game marks the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. The Grizzlies hold a 2-1 series lead, having notched 113-109 and 134-121 wins on Nov. 11 and Jan. 10, respectively.
Kings Look To Bounce Back Against Magic
By Dan Bruno
The Sacramento Kings play the Orlando Magic on Sunday at Orlando.
Despite a massive night from De'Aaron Fox and five players scoring in double digits, the Kings fell short in their first game of the restart, on Friday against the Spurs. Fox finished with 39 points on 17-of-33 shooting, six assists and three rebounds, in 38 minutes of action. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 24 points, while Nemanja Bjelica chipped in 12 points. Buddy Hield, who was leading the Kings in scoring through the first part of the season, had a tough night in his first game of the restart, as he finished with six points on 2-of-13 shooting, in 20 minutes off the bench. The Kings shot 48 percent from the field, including 12-of-38 from long range, but gave up 25 points off turnovers in the loss.
Meanwhile, the Magic had an impressive start to their restart, as they topped the Nets by 10 points, with six player scoring in double digits. Evan Fournier led the way with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while Nikola Vucevic tallied 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists, in the win. Khem Birch came up big off the bench, with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal, while Jonathan Isaac, who also came off the bench, added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and six rebounds. The Magic shot 53 percent and tallied 31 assists in the win, which is a big improvement over the 44 percent shooting and 24 assists the they averaged during the first portion of the season.
Despite a massive night from De'Aaron Fox and five players scoring in double digits, the Kings fell short in their first game of the restart, on Friday against the Spurs. Fox finished with 39 points on 17-of-33 shooting, six assists and three rebounds, in 38 minutes of action. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 24 points, while Nemanja Bjelica chipped in 12 points. Buddy Hield, who was leading the Kings in scoring through the first part of the season, had a tough night in his first game of the restart, as he finished with six points on 2-of-13 shooting, in 20 minutes off the bench. The Kings shot 48 percent from the field, including 12-of-38 from long range, but gave up 25 points off turnovers in the loss.
Meanwhile, the Magic had an impressive start to their restart, as they topped the Nets by 10 points, with six player scoring in double digits. Evan Fournier led the way with 24 points on 10-of-15 shooting, while Nikola Vucevic tallied 22 points, seven rebounds and five assists, in the win. Khem Birch came up big off the bench, with 12 points, five assists, four rebounds, two blocks and a steal, while Jonathan Isaac, who also came off the bench, added 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting, and six rebounds. The Magic shot 53 percent and tallied 31 assists in the win, which is a big improvement over the 44 percent shooting and 24 assists the they averaged during the first portion of the season.
Rockets and Bucks Run on Sunday
The Houston Rockets play host to the Milwaukee Bucks in Orlando on Sunday.
The Bucks (54-12) pulled off a wire-to-wire win in their return to action on Friday, doing that damage against a tough Boston Celtics team. A return to action like that is all fans could have hoped for and it's really encouraging that they picked up right where they left off. What makes it even more reassuring is the fact that they did it without Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton. Both players continue to miss games because of conditioning from COVID and it's scary to think how good they'll be when these dynamic players return to the court. In any case, they still have Giannis Antetokounmpo, who provided 36 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists on 14-of-20 shooting in that win. He took down MVP honors last season and there's some talk that he'll repeat this year and walk away with the Defensive Player of the Year Award as well.
The Rockets (41-24) pulled off an amazing win in their return to action on Friday. While they trailed for most of the game to the Dallas Mavericks, they went on a late run to send the game into overtime and finished the extra session on a 14-6 spurt to prevail. James Harden was an absolute freak in that game, tallying 49 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks. They also got a near triple-double from Russell Westbrook and it was encouraging to see them win despite allowing 149 points to the Mavericks. That's simply the recipe for the Rockets at this point though, playing up-tempo matchups and trying to out-run opponents with their small-ball.
These teams faced off in the season opener, with Milwaukee prevailing, 117-111. This game is expected to be even more high-scoring, with both clubs picking up their pace since then.
The Bucks (54-12) pulled off a wire-to-wire win in their return to action on Friday, doing that damage against a tough Boston Celtics team. A return to action like that is all fans could have hoped for and it's really encouraging that they picked up right where they left off. What makes it even more reassuring is the fact that they did it without Eric Bledsoe and Pat Connaughton. Both players continue to miss games because of conditioning from COVID and it's scary to think how good they'll be when these dynamic players return to the court. In any case, they still have Giannis Antetokounmpo, who provided 36 points, 15 rebounds and seven assists on 14-of-20 shooting in that win. He took down MVP honors last season and there's some talk that he'll repeat this year and walk away with the Defensive Player of the Year Award as well.
The Rockets (41-24) pulled off an amazing win in their return to action on Friday. While they trailed for most of the game to the Dallas Mavericks, they went on a late run to send the game into overtime and finished the extra session on a 14-6 spurt to prevail. James Harden was an absolute freak in that game, tallying 49 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, three steals and three blocks. They also got a near triple-double from Russell Westbrook and it was encouraging to see them win despite allowing 149 points to the Mavericks. That's simply the recipe for the Rockets at this point though, playing up-tempo matchups and trying to out-run opponents with their small-ball.
These teams faced off in the season opener, with Milwaukee prevailing, 117-111. This game is expected to be even more high-scoring, with both clubs picking up their pace since then.
Mavericks and Suns Face Off on Sunday
The Phoenix Suns play host to the Dallas Mavericks in Orlando on Sunday.
The Mavericks (40-28) had a devastating loss in their Orlando opener, blowing a late lead at the hands of the Houston Rockets. Allowing 153 points is obviously the major reason why and it's clear they couldn't keep up with the Rockets small-ball. Kristaps Porzingis was plenty happy being the tallest player in that game though, falling just short of a 40-point, 20-rebound game. Luka Doncic provided a triple-double of his own as well but he committed eight turnovers and fouled out after going 11-of-27 from the field. That is obviously not efficient enough in an offensive showdown like that and it's scary to think he played poorly and still got a triple-double. An encouraging sign from that defeat was the help from their role players. Tim Hardaway Jr had 26 points and Trey Burke dropped 31 off the bench. If they can keep doing that, this team is in great shape going forward.
The Suns (27-39) are long-shots to reach the postseason at this point but a win on Friday is a step in the right direction. That victory needs to be taken into consideration though, beating up on a shorthanded Washington Wizards club. That team is without Bradley Beal, John Wall and Davis Bertans, so, anything but a win would have been a major disappointment. The young talent on this club is hard not to be impressed by though, with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton both performing at All-Star levels. If they can get Kelly Oubre Jr back from his injury and run with these guys, this club could be a threat in this short eight-game season.
This is the third meeting between these teams, with the two clubs splitting the first two matchups. In fact, the road team won both of those outings, with both games totaling over 233 points between them.
The Mavericks (40-28) had a devastating loss in their Orlando opener, blowing a late lead at the hands of the Houston Rockets. Allowing 153 points is obviously the major reason why and it's clear they couldn't keep up with the Rockets small-ball. Kristaps Porzingis was plenty happy being the tallest player in that game though, falling just short of a 40-point, 20-rebound game. Luka Doncic provided a triple-double of his own as well but he committed eight turnovers and fouled out after going 11-of-27 from the field. That is obviously not efficient enough in an offensive showdown like that and it's scary to think he played poorly and still got a triple-double. An encouraging sign from that defeat was the help from their role players. Tim Hardaway Jr had 26 points and Trey Burke dropped 31 off the bench. If they can keep doing that, this team is in great shape going forward.
The Suns (27-39) are long-shots to reach the postseason at this point but a win on Friday is a step in the right direction. That victory needs to be taken into consideration though, beating up on a shorthanded Washington Wizards club. That team is without Bradley Beal, John Wall and Davis Bertans, so, anything but a win would have been a major disappointment. The young talent on this club is hard not to be impressed by though, with Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton both performing at All-Star levels. If they can get Kelly Oubre Jr back from his injury and run with these guys, this club could be a threat in this short eight-game season.
This is the third meeting between these teams, with the two clubs splitting the first two matchups. In fact, the road team won both of those outings, with both games totaling over 233 points between them.