February 24th NBA Game Previews

The Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Miami Heat at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Monday evening.

This marks the second game of a home-and-home between the Cavs (15-41) and the Heat (36-20), as the Heat came out on top in their contest in Miami, on Saturday. The Heat got out to a great start in the win, as they held an 82-52 lead at halftime and were able to cruise the rest of the way.

Seven players scored in double digits for the Heat, in the win. Kendrick Nunn led the way with 24 points, eight assists, two rebounds, two steals and a block. Kelly Olynyk added 17 points, two rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, while Bam Adebayo added 15 points, nine assists, three rebounds, a steal and a block. Meanwhile, Cedi Osman led the Cavs with 19 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. Collin Sexton finished with 17 points, nine assists, two rebounds and an assist, while Tristan Thompson added 16 points and seven rebounds.

The Heat have dropped four of their last five road games and look to get back on track and build on their 13-17 road record. The Heat average 112.1 points per game, and they are holding opponents to an average of 108.7 points per game. The Heat are shooting 37.8 percent from long range, which is second best in the league.

The Cavs dropped 12 straight home games before the finally ended the streak with a win in their most recent home contest. They will look to continue on the right path and add to their 7-22 home record. The Cavs average 106.2 points per game, which is fifth fewest the league, and they are giving up an average of 115.0 points against.

The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Atlanta Hawks at Wells Fargo Center on Monday evening.

The 76ers (35-22) are 5-5 in their last 10 games and are 1-1 since the all-star break. They are coming off a loss in their most recent contest, where they fell short in Milwaukee. They will look to get back on track at home, where they have won 12 straight games and add to their league-best 26-2 home record. Joel Embiid leads the 76ers, averaging 23.1 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks per game. Al Horford has been quiet since the all-star break, totaling nine points, 10 rebounds and four assists, over the last two games. Ben Simmons (back) missed the Sixers' last contest and will remain out through Monday's action, while Tobias Harris (knee) is listed as doubtful. The Sixers average 108.5 points per game, and they are holding opponents to an average of 106.4 points per game, which is second fewest in the league.

Meanwhile, the Hawks (17-41) have looked great since the all-star break, with impressive home wins over the Heat and the Mavericks. Trae Young has been amazing since returning to action after his first all-star appearance, with a career-high 50-point performance, followed up by 25 points, 10 assists and six rebounds, in the most recent contest. The Hawks will look to keep the momentum going, however, they have dropped their last three road games and have a 6-24 road record. Young leads the Hawks, averaging 30.0 points and 9.2 assists per game. John Collins has also been a force lately and is averaging 24.6 points, 11.6 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. Cam Reddish tallied 20 points, six rebounds, three assists and three steals, in the Hawks' most recent contest and is averaging 12.5 points, 3.0 rebounds and 1.2 steals, over the last 10 games. The Hawks are shooting a league-worst 32.9 percent from long range and are giving up a league-most 16.0 turnovers per game.

The Milwaukee Bucks take on the Washington Wizards at Capital One Arena on Monday night.

The Bucks (48-8) continue to run roughshod over virtually any team put in front of them, and they'll check into Monday's contest having prevailed in seven of their last eight games. Their most recent success came at the expense of the Philadelphia 76ers, which they defeated by a 119-98 score on Saturday night. Giannis Antetokounmpo paced the Bucks with a 31-point, 17-rebound double-double that also included eight assists and one block. Khris Middleton supplied 25 points, nine rebounds and two assists. Eric Bledsoe totaled 12 points, eight assists and four rebounds. Robin Lopez matched Bledsoe's scoring.

The Bucks will be without Kyle Korver and Brook Lopez for Monday's game due to their respective back injuries.

The Wizards' (20-35) play has been nowhere near the caliber of their opponents, but they do have a serviceable 5-4 record over their last nine games. However, one of those losses came their last time on the court, with Washington dropping a 126-117 decision to the Chicago Bulls on Sunday night. Bradley Beal led the way with a career-best 53 points, complementing them with five rebounds, four assists, two steals and one block. Davis Bertans followed with 22 points, eight boards, four assists and one steal. Rui Hachimura and Ish Smith generated matching 10-point tallies while recording eight rebounds and five assists, respectively.

The Wizards will check into Monday's game without any short-term injuries to report.

Monday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Bucks hold a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 151-131 win Jan. 28.

The Orlando Magic take on the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Monday night.

The Magic (24-32) check into Monday's game in the midst of a spiral that's threatening to derail their season, as they've dropped nine of their last 12 games. Their most recent stumble came against the Dallas Mavericks, which throttled them by a 122-106 score Friday night. Evan Fournier led the way with 28 points, adding two rebounds, one assist and two steals. Nikola Vucevic followed with a 27-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included one assist, four steals and one block. Terrence Ross provided 19 points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals. Markelle Fultz collected 14 points, nine assists and one rebound. Aaron Gordon generated a 10-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included seven assists, two steals and one block.

The Magic will continue without Al-Farouq Aminu (knee) for Monday's contest.

The Nets (26-29) are making a run for the postseason in a lackluster Eastern Conference, and they'll come into Monday's game having forged a 5-2 record over their last seven games. Their most recent victory was one of the most impressive of the season, as they decimated the Charlotte Hornets by a 115-86 score Saturday night. Timothe Luwawu-Cabarrot paced the Nets with 21 points, complementing them with four rebounds. Caris LeVert finished with 17 points, three rebounds, two assists and six steals. Garrett Temple generated a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included three assists and one steal. Taurean Prince supplied 14 points, four rebounds, one assist, two blocks and one steal. Jarrett Allen posted a 12-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included three assists and two blocks. Joe Harris and DeAndre Jordan matched Allen's scoring total, while Spencer Dinwiddie turned in 10 points, nine assists and six rebounds.

The Nets will come into Monday's game without any short-term injuries to report.

Monday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Magic hold a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 101-89 win Jan. 6.

The New York Knicks take on the Houston Rockets at Toyota Center on Monday night.

The Knicks (17-39) had shown some encouraging signs of life before the All-Star break, but they'll come into Monday's contest having dropped three straight games after a four-game winning streak. New York's most recent stumble came versus the Indiana Pacers, which edged them by a 106-98 score Friday night. Bobby Portis led the way with 19 points, adding six rebounds, one assist and one block. R.J. Barrett followed with 17 points, four boards and two assists. Frank Ntilikina turned in 14 points. Reggie Bullock poured in nine points, supplementing them with four boards, one assist and one steal.

The Knicks will list Elfrid Payton (ankle), Ntilikina (groin) and Wayne Ellington (ankle) as questionable for Monday's game, while Mitchell Robinson (ankle) will carry a probable designation.

The Rockets (36-20) check into Monday's game in fine form, as they've forged an 7-2 record over their last nine games. Their most recent success came at the expense of the Utah Jazz, which they toppled by a 120-110 score Saturday night. James Harden led the way for the Rockets with 38 points, adding seven assists, five rebounds, two steals and one block. Russell Westbrook furnished 34 points, six boards, four assists and one steal. Ben McLemore and Eric Gordon mustered matching 12-point contributions while pulling down four and three rebounds, respectively. Robert Covington delivered eight points, 12 boards, two assists and three blocks.

The Rockets will check into Monday's game without any injuries to report.

Monday's game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Rockets swept the two-game 2018-19 season series from the Knicks.

The Minnesota Timberwolves travel to Texas to face the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Monday.

The Timberwolves (16-39) roster is a shell of itself right now. Since the beginning of the year, they've lost Karl-Anthony Towns, Andrew Wiggins, Robert Covington, Jeff Teague and Shabazz Napier. Towns is actually the only one remaining on the roster and the only really valuable piece they got from all of those guys is D'Angelo Russell. The southpaw from Golden State is also injured himself and it's left this roster almost unrecognizable. That's forced guys like Naz Reid, Jordan McLaughin, Juancho Hernangomez and Malik Beasley into huge roles and one has to wonder just where this franchise is headed behind average players like those.

The Mavericks (34-23) are one of those rare teams that play better away from home. In fact, they own a 15-14 record in Dallas and a 19-9 record outside of of their home building. There's really no explanation for that, especially when you consider how rowdy the Dallas crowd usually is. One has to believe that it will inevitably positively regress but it also makes them a dangerous team come playoff time. The most important thing heading into the postseason is the health of Luka Doncic and Kristaps Porzingis though. Those two guys were actually rested in the team's most recent loss on Saturday against the Atlanta Hawks and it's clear that having them healthy come April is the most important thing for this franchise.

These teams have played once this season, with Dallas prevailing, 121-114, on December 4. Prior to that, the T'Wolves won six of their previous eight games over the Mavs.

The Phoenix Suns travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Monday.

The Suns (23-34) own a 3-3 record over their last six games but that ended an ugly four-game slide prior. The four-game stretch has been more common for this team this season rather than the .500 run and it's sad that such a talented team is struggling so mightily. Having Devin Booker and Deandre Ayton is obviously a great young core and it pairs nicely with guys like Kelly Oubre Jr and Ricky Rubio. That's way too good of a foursome to be sitting outside of playoff contention and one has to wonder just how much longer this franchise can deal with all this losing. That makes some believe that guys like Booker and Oubre are on their way out and that would just set this team back even further.

The Jazz (36-20) typically play much better at home and that's certainly been the case again this season. In fact, Utah owns a 20-7 record at VSHA this year, with most of that coming recently. What is strange about that is the fact that they enter this matchup losing two-straight, both at home. It came against the Houston Rockets and San Antonio Spurs, giving them a 4-7 record over their last 11 games in total. That ironically followed up a stretch in which the Jazz won 21 of their previous 22 games and it's making this team difficult to figure out. That prior stretch got them all the way up to fifth in the west though, just two games back of the Denver Nuggets in second. Obviously, finishing second would be huge for a team who thrives at home, especially when they could drop all the way out of homecourt advantage altogether.

This marks the second meeting between these teams, with Utah prevailing, 96-95, on October 28. That gives the Jazz eight-straight wins over the Suns in total.

The Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Memphis Grizzlies at Staples Center on Monday.

The Grizzlies (28-28) come into this matchup losing their last two games and that has dropped them right back to .500. Prior to that, Memphis won 15 of their previous 19 games and that run catapulted them up to the eight-seed in the west. They now find themselves 3.5 games up on the Portland Trail Blazers in eighth and it's nice to have a small cushion like that with the stretch run right around the corner. It'll be interesting to see if this young team can hold on to that spot too, especially with Jaren Jackson Jr missing the next two weeks because of a knee issue. He's one of the most valuable players on this team and losing him is obviously going to hurt their chances, particularly with the toughest schedule in the NBA ahead of them.

The Clippers (37-19) enter this matchup in the midst of a three-game losing streak and it has people wondering just how good this team really is. What needs to be taken into consideration is the fact that Paul George continues to deal with hamstring issues. One has to believe that they're just trying to keep him healthy for the postseason but it's scary that it's been a reoccurring issue all season long. What it also has done is threaten this team's hopes at homecourt in the playoffs. Los Angeles is now third in the east and just one game up of the Utah Jazz in fifth. Falling all the way down to fifth would be an absolute nightmare too, with Los Angeles owning a 22-6 record at home and a 15-13 record outside of LA. That's why Kawhi Leonard called his team out, saying now is the time to start playing better.

These teams have played twice this season, with the road team winning both outings. Prior to that, the Clippers won five of their previous six outings against the Grizzlies.