February 22nd NBA Game Previews

The Sacramento Kings take on the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Kings (22-33) have endured plenty of adversity this season, but they have flashed considerably improved play over the last several weeks. Sacramento comes into Saturday's game with a solid 7-4 mark over their last 11 contests, with their most recent success a 129-125 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies on Thursday night. Harrison Barnes paced the Kings with 32 points. De'Aaron Fox checked in with 26 points, complementing them with four assists, two rebounds and one steal. Buddy Hield furnished 20 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Kent Bazemore supplied 18 points, three boards and one steal.

The Kings will likely list Alex Len (hip) as no better than questionable for Saturday's game. Richaun Holmes (shoulder) and Marvin Bagley (foot) will remain out.

The Clippers (37-18) headed into the All-Star break in a modest skid, as they dropped three of their last four games before the extended layoff. Their latest stumble came Thursday, Feb. 13, when they dropped a 141-133 double-overtime decision to the Boston Celtics. Lou Williams led the Clippers with 35 points, adding eight assists, six rebounds, two blocks and one steal. Kawhi Leonard generated a 28-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included four assists, one steal and one block. Montrezl Harrell's line offered 24 points, 13 boards, three assists, three blocks and two steals. Landry Shamet compiled 19 points. Marcus Morris contributed 10 points, eight rebounds, two steals and two blocks.

The Clippers will remain without Paul George (hamstring) and Patrick Beverley (groin) for Saturday's contest.

Saturday's game marks the third of four meetings between the teams this season. The series is split 1-1, with the Clippers notching a 105-87 win Dec. 31 and the Kings countering with a 124-103 victory Jan. 30.

The Charlotte Hornets play host to the Brooklyn Nets at Spectrum Center on Saturday evening.

The Hornets (19-36) look to keep the momentum going, as they came up victorious in their first contest after the all-star break, to mark their third straight win. They dropped their last two home games but have yet to play at home since the break and look to add to their 8-17 home record. Devonte' Graham leads the team with 17.8 points, 7.8 assists and 3.6 rebounds per game, however, he came up scoreless in 33 minutes of action in the Hornets' most recent contest. Terry Rozier is averaging 17.8 points, 4.5 rebounds, 4.1 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Miles Bridges continues to contribute effectively, averaging 13.2 points on 44 percent shooting, including 34 percent from long range, 5.6 rebounds and 1.7 assists per game. The Hornets average 11.1 offensive rebounds per game, which is tied for second most in the league. They average a league-low 102.9 points per game and are giving up an average of 109.9 points against.

Meanwhile, the Nets (25-29) have won six of their last 10 games but dropped their first game back after the all-star break, as they fell short in overtime in Philly on Thursday. Kyrie Irving (shoulder) will remain sidelined for the remainder of the season, leaving much more room for Spencer Dinwiddie and Caris LeVert to continue to operate. Dinwiddie is averaging 21.0 points, 6.6 assists and 3.5 rebounds per game, while LeVert is averaging 15.6 points, 3.7 rebounds and 3.6 assists per game. DeAndre Jordan totaled 14 points, 15 rebounds and four assists in the Nets' most recent contest and does a great job providing energy off the bench. Jordan is averaging 8.2 points, 10.0 rebounds, 2.0 assists and 1.0 blocks, in 22 minutes per game. The Nets average 48.3 rebounds per game, which is second most in the league.

The Atlanta Hawks play host to the Dallas Mavericks at State Farm Arena on Saturday evening.

The Hawks (16-41) have dropped six of their last 10 games but are coming off an impressive home win over the Heat on Thursday. Trae Young dropped a career-high 50 points in the win, as he got straight to business after his first all-star appearance. Young leads the Hawks with averages of 30.1 points and 9.2 assists per game. John Collins continues to play well and is averaging 23.9 points, 11.1 rebounds and 1.1 blocks, over the last 10 games. Kevin Huerter has been solid and is averaging 15.6 points, while shooting 38 percent from long range, over the last 10 games. The Hawks have won two consecutive home games and look to add to their 10-17 home record. They average 110.5 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 119.0 points against, which is second most in the league. They are shooting a league-worst 33.1 percent from long range and are giving up a league-worst 16.1 turnovers per game.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Mavericks (34-22), as they are coming off an impressive win in Orlando on Friday night. Luka Doncic led the way with 33 points, 10 rebounds and eight assists, while Kristaps Porzingis added 24 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and five blocks, and Maxi Kleber tallied 26 points on 10-of-13 shooting, in the win. Doncic picked up right where he left off, as he continues his incredible season, averaging team highs with 28.9 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.7 assists per game. Porzingis is averaging 18.4 points, 9.1 rebounds and a team-high 1.9 blocks per game. Tim Hardaway Jr. has been playing well and is averaging 17.0 points, while shooting 42.5 percent from long range, over the last 10 games. The Mavericks average a league-low 11.9 turnovers per game and are averaging 116.4 points per game, which is third most in the league.

The Chicago Bulls play host to the Phoenix Suns at United Center on Saturday.

The Suns (22-34) come into this matchup losing seven of their last nine games and stretches like that have become way too common for this organization. After getting off to a promising start, Phoenix now finds themselves nearly out of playoff contention altogether. What makes that really frustrating is the fact that this team is full of young talent. Players like Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton make for a nice core while Ricky Rubio and Kelly Oubre Jr compliment those guys brilliantly. Why it hasn't led to wins is up for debate but this franchise simply has a losing mentality. That makes one wonder just how long all of these guys will stick around and it would be really sad if Booker leaves like many people expect him to do.

The Bulls (19-37) come into this matchup in the midst of a seven-game winning streak and it's plummeted any playoff hopes that this team once had. They now find themselves 5.5 games back of the Orlando Magic in eighth and that's quite the margin to make up with only 26 games remaining. While coaching has been a major issue, the injuries certainly haven't helped either. Wendell Carter Jr, Lauri Markkanen, Kris Dunn and Otto Porter have all missed significant time this season and it's absolutely crippled this frontcourt. Anyone would struggle with all of those absences and the really annoying part about it is that it's stunted the growth of many of these young players.

This is actually the first meeting between these teams. Chicago swept the two-game season series last year which followed up a season sweep by Phoenix in the year prior.

The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on Saturday night.

The Cavaliers (15-40) have endured a season as difficult as their record implies, but they turned the page with a new head coach in the first game following the All-Star break. Cleveland made J.B. Bickerstaff a winner in his debut Friday night, as it notched a 113-108 victory against the Washington Wizards. Collin Sexton paced the Cavaliers with 25 points, adding two rebounds and two assists. Cedi Osman generated a 16-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included two assists and one steal. Darius Garland provided 15 points, four assists and two rebounds. Larry Nance, Jr. furnished 13 points, six boards and two assists. Andre Drummond generated a 12-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included two assists, two steals and two blocks. Tristan Thompson and Dante Exum poured in 10 points apiece, with Thompson also pulling down 11 boards.

The Cavaliers will likely remain without Alfonzo McKinnie (foot) for Saturday's game. Ante Zizic (illness) figures to be questionable at best.

The Heat (35-20) have some of the more disparate home-road splits in the NBA this season, with Miami an exponentially better team at home. That much was corroborated during the team's just-concluded road trip that was sandwiched around the All-Star break, one in which they dropped five of six games. Their most recent stumble came Thursday night, when they fell to the Atlanta Hawks by a 129-124 score. Bam Adebayo paced the Heat with a 28-point, 19-rebound double-double that also included seven assists, three steals and one block. Goran Dragic provided 19 points, three rebounds and three assists. Jimmy Butler delivered 17 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, two steals and one block. Jae Crowder and Kendrick Nunn supplied matching 14-point tallies, with Crowder also pulling down four rebounds and recording two blocks. Duncan Robinson registered 10 points.

The Heat will remain without Meyers Leonard (ankle) for Saturday's game.

Saturday's contest marks the third of four meetings between the teams this season. The Heat holds a 2-0 series lead, having posted 108-97 and 124-100 victories Nov. 14 and Nov. 20, respectively.

The Milwaukee Bucks play host to the Philadelphia 76ers at Fiserv Forum on Saturday.

The Sixers (35-21) have one huge issue and it's going to be on full display here. That happens to be their road form, posting a 9-19 record outside of Philly. That's a truly unacceptable mark from such a talented team and it's hard to understand how they can do that with a 26-2 home record. That's truly evident when you look at the last eight games. While they do enter this matchup winning four-straight, they lost their previous four before that. Ironically, all of the wins were at home and all of the losses were on the road. No one can doubt that this is one of the most talented teams in the NBA but they simply won't get very far this season unless they start having some success outside of Philly.

The Bucks (47-8) have a 25-3 record at home but have been performing just as well on the road. The simple fact is, this is the best team in basketball. What makes them so scary is the fact that they rank Top-5 in both offensive and defensive efficiency. They're the only club in the league who has that designation and it says a lot about how scary they can be on both ends of the floor. It's all about Giannis Antetokounmpo though. The superstar forward is only playing 31 minutes a game this season but is still averaging 30 points, 13.5 rebounds and 5.5 assists. He'd become the first player ever to play fewer than 34 minutes and average over 30 points and he's actually well on his way to obliterating that rate in such limited playing time compared to the rest of the list.

These teams have split their two meetings this season, with the home team winning both matchups. Prior to that, the Bucks have won 15 of their last 24 games against the Sixers dating back to 2013.

The Houston Rockets travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Saturday.

The Rockets (35-20) come into this matchup winning six of their last eight games. It could easily be seven wins, with one of those being a one-point defeat at the hands of this Jazz club. The direct correlation with that run is the fact that they're playing small. Sending off Clint Capela at the trade deadline seemed like a silly move at the time but these results would say otherwise. It's forced the Rockets into a frontcourt consisting of Robert Covington and P.J. Tucker but it's also causing havoc for opponents on the other end of the floor. To put it simply, the floor spacing is ruining opposing team's defenses and opening up the floor for James Harden and Russell Westbrook. It remains to be seen if that can work come playoff time but you have to give Houston credit for trying something unique and giving themselves the best opportunity to make a run.

The Jazz (36-19) enter this matchup winning four of their last five games and they've quietly been one of the best teams in the NBA since November. In fact, they only have seven losses over their last 33 games in total which is easily one of the best marks in the league. While the defense has always been solid, the boost in offense is the thing that's gotten them going. In fact, they were 28th in scoring when they were barely cracking .500 a month into the season but have climbed up to 16th in that statistic with that recent run. The resurgence of Mike Conley is surely a major reason why and it's scary to think how good this team could be if he returns to his Memphis form.

These teams have played twice this season, with the road team splitting each outing. Prior to that, the Rockets won seven of their previous 10 games over the Jazz.