Wizards and Hornets Tangle in Conference Battle
The Washington Wizards take on the Charlotte Hornets at Spectrum Center on Tuesday night.
The Wizards (7-15) come into Tuesday's game in the midst of one of their poorest stretches of play of the season, as they've dropped five of their last six games. Their most recent stumble came against the Los Angeles Clippers, which handed them a 135-119 defeat Sunday night. Davis Bertans led the way with 25 points. Troy Brown, Jr. furnished 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Bradley Beal poured in 20 points and added five assists and two rebounds. Rai Hachimura totaled 17 points, seven boards and four assists. Ish Smith managed 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Wizards will be without Isaiah Thomas (calf), Jordan McRae (finger), C.J. Miles (wrist) and Thomas Bryant (foot) for Tuesday's game.
The Hornets (9-16) also come into Tuesday's contest struggling to put wins on the board of late, as they've dropped four of the last five games. Charlotte's most recent defeat came at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, which toppled them by a 122-107 score Sunday night. PJ Washington and Miles Bridges led the way with matching 20-point tallies, with Washington and Bridges pulling down eight and six rebounds, respectively. Devonte' Graham contributed 12 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals. Bismack Biyombo furnished 11 points and four boards.
The Hornets will list Washington (ankle) as probable for Tuesday's game, while Marvin Williams (knee) is expected to be out.
Tuesday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Wizards own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 125-118 win Nov. 22.
The Wizards (7-15) come into Tuesday's game in the midst of one of their poorest stretches of play of the season, as they've dropped five of their last six games. Their most recent stumble came against the Los Angeles Clippers, which handed them a 135-119 defeat Sunday night. Davis Bertans led the way with 25 points. Troy Brown, Jr. furnished 22 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Bradley Beal poured in 20 points and added five assists and two rebounds. Rai Hachimura totaled 17 points, seven boards and four assists. Ish Smith managed 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Wizards will be without Isaiah Thomas (calf), Jordan McRae (finger), C.J. Miles (wrist) and Thomas Bryant (foot) for Tuesday's game.
The Hornets (9-16) also come into Tuesday's contest struggling to put wins on the board of late, as they've dropped four of the last five games. Charlotte's most recent defeat came at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks, which toppled them by a 122-107 score Sunday night. PJ Washington and Miles Bridges led the way with matching 20-point tallies, with Washington and Bridges pulling down eight and six rebounds, respectively. Devonte' Graham contributed 12 points, eight assists, six rebounds and two steals. Bismack Biyombo furnished 11 points and four boards.
The Hornets will list Washington (ankle) as probable for Tuesday's game, while Marvin Williams (knee) is expected to be out.
Tuesday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Wizards own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 125-118 win Nov. 22.
Heat Host Hawks on Tuesday
The Atlanta Hawks travel to South Beach to play the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on Tuesday.
The Hawks (6-17) come into this matchup winning two of their last three games which snapped a season-long 10-game losing streak. That 10-game stretch is a better indicator of what this team is like, as the last two victories came against teams like the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets. Those are two teams that they're expected to beat and fans just have to hope it's the beginning of a good run. The good news is that the playoff race is wide open in the Eastern Conference and a five-game winning streak could push them all the way up to the eight-seed. Getting Kevin Huerter back in the last game is a good kickstart too, as a return from John Collins is right around the corner as well. Once all of these pieces start playing together, we can better analyze just where this team is at.
The Heat (17-6) have bee one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season. The acquisition of Jimmy Butler was the thing that lit the spark under them, with the former All-Star flirting with triple-double averages across the last week. His stellar play has matched beautifully with the breakout of Bam Adebayo, with the young center proving to be one of the best big men in the NBA. Having those two run the show is nice when you have rookies like Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson playing so well and we haven't even discussed Goran Dragic and his journey for a Sixth Man of the Year Award off the bench. All of this depth has them in a great spot and it's even scarier considering they enter this matchup with a perfect 10-0 home record.
Miami has dominated this series over recent years, winning five of their last six games over Atlanta.
The Hawks (6-17) come into this matchup winning two of their last three games which snapped a season-long 10-game losing streak. That 10-game stretch is a better indicator of what this team is like, as the last two victories came against teams like the Golden State Warriors and Charlotte Hornets. Those are two teams that they're expected to beat and fans just have to hope it's the beginning of a good run. The good news is that the playoff race is wide open in the Eastern Conference and a five-game winning streak could push them all the way up to the eight-seed. Getting Kevin Huerter back in the last game is a good kickstart too, as a return from John Collins is right around the corner as well. Once all of these pieces start playing together, we can better analyze just where this team is at.
The Heat (17-6) have bee one of the biggest surprises in the NBA this season. The acquisition of Jimmy Butler was the thing that lit the spark under them, with the former All-Star flirting with triple-double averages across the last week. His stellar play has matched beautifully with the breakout of Bam Adebayo, with the young center proving to be one of the best big men in the NBA. Having those two run the show is nice when you have rookies like Kendrick Nunn and Duncan Robinson playing so well and we haven't even discussed Goran Dragic and his journey for a Sixth Man of the Year Award off the bench. All of this depth has them in a great spot and it's even scarier considering they enter this matchup with a perfect 10-0 home record.
Miami has dominated this series over recent years, winning five of their last six games over Atlanta.
76ers Look To Stay Undefeated At Home
By Dan Bruno
The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Denver Nuggets at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday evening.
This marks the third and final game of a home stand for the 76ers (17-7), where they have gone 2-0 so far, with wins over the Cavs and Raptors. The Sixers remain undefeated, 12-0, at home. They are averaging 27.0 assists per game, which is third most in the league. They are also averaging 8.9 steals per game, which is second best in the league. They are shooting 47.8 percent from the field, which is third best in the league. Joel Embiid leads the Sixers with team highs of 21.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Ben Simmons is averaging 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and a team-high 8.5 assists per game. Tobias Harris is averaging 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, while Al Horford is averaging 13.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Josh Richardson (hamstring) is questionable for action.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets (14-7) have dropped four of their last five games, including their last two in a row. This marks the fourth and final game of a road trip, where they have gone 1-2, with a win in New York, followed by losses in and Brooklyn. The Nuggets are 6-4 on the road this season. The Nuggets are scoring an average of 106.5 points per game and are holding their opponents to a league-low 101.9 points per game. They are averaging 26.0 assists per game, which is sixth most in the league, and they are limiting themselves to 13.1 turnovers per game, which is third fewest in the league. Jamal Murray leads the Nuggets in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game. Nikola Jokic is averaging 16.1 points and team highs with 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Will Barton is averaging 14.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
This marks the third and final game of a home stand for the 76ers (17-7), where they have gone 2-0 so far, with wins over the Cavs and Raptors. The Sixers remain undefeated, 12-0, at home. They are averaging 27.0 assists per game, which is third most in the league. They are also averaging 8.9 steals per game, which is second best in the league. They are shooting 47.8 percent from the field, which is third best in the league. Joel Embiid leads the Sixers with team highs of 21.9 points, 12.5 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Ben Simmons is averaging 14.3 points, 6.9 rebounds and a team-high 8.5 assists per game. Tobias Harris is averaging 19.2 points, 7.0 rebounds and 3.1 assists per game, while Al Horford is averaging 13.9 points, 6.7 rebounds and 4.0 assists per game. Josh Richardson (hamstring) is questionable for action.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets (14-7) have dropped four of their last five games, including their last two in a row. This marks the fourth and final game of a road trip, where they have gone 1-2, with a win in New York, followed by losses in and Brooklyn. The Nuggets are 6-4 on the road this season. The Nuggets are scoring an average of 106.5 points per game and are holding their opponents to a league-low 101.9 points per game. They are averaging 26.0 assists per game, which is sixth most in the league, and they are limiting themselves to 13.1 turnovers per game, which is third fewest in the league. Jamal Murray leads the Nuggets in scoring, averaging 18.2 points per game. Nikola Jokic is averaging 16.1 points and team highs with 10.1 rebounds and 6.1 assists per game. Will Barton is averaging 14.2 points, 6.5 rebounds, 3.3 assists and 1.0 steals per game.
Trail Blazers Host Knicks on Tuesday
The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the New York Knicks at Moda Center on Tuesday.
The Knicks (4-19) had some high hopes coming into the season but it's been the same old Knicks so far. That's why they were the first to fire their head coach, with David Fizdale being given his walking papers last week. That's really no surprise when you see his results and New York fans are hopeful that getting rid of him will spark a fire underneath this talented roster. A one-point loss against the Indiana Pacers in the first game without him is definitely a promising sign and fans have to love seeing their team play so hard against a potent Pacers bunch. What is annoying is the fact that they missed 14 of their final 15 shots in that game, despite outscoring Indiana 5-0 across the final six minutes. That screams defensive effort and that's the first step for any team to get out of the gutter.
The Trail Blazers (9-15) come into this matchup losing three of their last four games which actually snapped a season-best three-game winning streak. Many people were hopeful that the Trail Blazers tough times were over when that winning streak happened but this most recent stretch would say otherwise. The most recent defeat has to be a very worrisome sign, with Oklahoma City coming into Portland and handing the Blazers a double-digit defeat. That's something you would have never seen from this team in past years and a 4-6 home record really shows just where this club is at right now. Carmelo Anthony's resurgence has been impressive though, with the former All-Star averaging 15.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. That's all you can ask for from a player who's been absent for a year and it may be just what this Portland team needs.
Portland has won 12 of its last 14 games over New York dating back to 2013.
The Knicks (4-19) had some high hopes coming into the season but it's been the same old Knicks so far. That's why they were the first to fire their head coach, with David Fizdale being given his walking papers last week. That's really no surprise when you see his results and New York fans are hopeful that getting rid of him will spark a fire underneath this talented roster. A one-point loss against the Indiana Pacers in the first game without him is definitely a promising sign and fans have to love seeing their team play so hard against a potent Pacers bunch. What is annoying is the fact that they missed 14 of their final 15 shots in that game, despite outscoring Indiana 5-0 across the final six minutes. That screams defensive effort and that's the first step for any team to get out of the gutter.
The Trail Blazers (9-15) come into this matchup losing three of their last four games which actually snapped a season-best three-game winning streak. Many people were hopeful that the Trail Blazers tough times were over when that winning streak happened but this most recent stretch would say otherwise. The most recent defeat has to be a very worrisome sign, with Oklahoma City coming into Portland and handing the Blazers a double-digit defeat. That's something you would have never seen from this team in past years and a 4-6 home record really shows just where this club is at right now. Carmelo Anthony's resurgence has been impressive though, with the former All-Star averaging 15.9 points and 5.8 rebounds per game. That's all you can ask for from a player who's been absent for a year and it may be just what this Portland team needs.
Portland has won 12 of its last 14 games over New York dating back to 2013.