Knicks and 76ers Battle in Philadelphia
The New York Knicks take on the Philadelphia 76ers at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday night.
The Knicks (17-41) come into Thursday's contest reeling, as they've dropped five consecutive games. Their most recent stumble came Wednesday night, when they dropped a 107-101 decision to the Charlotte Hornets. Julius Randle paced the Knicks with 18 points, adding nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Bobby Portis provided 17 points, three boards and one block. Allonzo Trier poured in 15 points, while Mitchell Robinson generated a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double that also included two assists, three blocks and one steal. Taj Gibson went for 10 points and three rebounds.
The Knicks will likely list Frank Ntilikina (groin) as no better than questionable for Thursday's game. Kadeem Allen (concussion) is likely to remain out.
The 76ers (36-23) come into Thursday's contest having won five of their last seven games, but as has been the norm most of the season, those two defeats have come on the road. Their most recent stumble came Wednesday night, when they dropped a 108-94 decision to the Cleveland Cavaliers, although Philadelphia did lose Joel Embiid to a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Shake Milton paced the 76ers with 20 points, supplementing them with four rebounds, four assists and one block. Furkan Korkmaz netted 14 points and added two assists, one rebound and one steal. Alec Burks poured in 13 points and also posted two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tobias Harris delivered 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block. Al Horford pitched in 10 points, five boards, five assists and three steals.
The 76ers will list Embiid (shoulder) as questionable for Thursday's contest. Ben Simmons (back) will remain out.
Thursday's game marks the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. The 76ers hold a 3-0 series lead, having notched 109-104, 101-95 and 90-87 wins on Nov. 20, Nov. 29 and Jan. 18, respectively.
The Knicks (17-41) come into Thursday's contest reeling, as they've dropped five consecutive games. Their most recent stumble came Wednesday night, when they dropped a 107-101 decision to the Charlotte Hornets. Julius Randle paced the Knicks with 18 points, adding nine rebounds, three assists and two blocks. Bobby Portis provided 17 points, three boards and one block. Allonzo Trier poured in 15 points, while Mitchell Robinson generated a 12-point, 16-rebound double-double that also included two assists, three blocks and one steal. Taj Gibson went for 10 points and three rebounds.
The Knicks will likely list Frank Ntilikina (groin) as no better than questionable for Thursday's game. Kadeem Allen (concussion) is likely to remain out.
The 76ers (36-23) come into Thursday's contest having won five of their last seven games, but as has been the norm most of the season, those two defeats have come on the road. Their most recent stumble came Wednesday night, when they dropped a 108-94 decision to the Cleveland Cavaliers, although Philadelphia did lose Joel Embiid to a shoulder injury in the first quarter. Shake Milton paced the 76ers with 20 points, supplementing them with four rebounds, four assists and one block. Furkan Korkmaz netted 14 points and added two assists, one rebound and one steal. Alec Burks poured in 13 points and also posted two rebounds, two assists and two steals. Tobias Harris delivered 11 points, four rebounds, three assists, three steals and one block. Al Horford pitched in 10 points, five boards, five assists and three steals.
The 76ers will list Embiid (shoulder) as questionable for Thursday's contest. Ben Simmons (back) will remain out.
Thursday's game marks the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. The 76ers hold a 3-0 series lead, having notched 109-104, 101-95 and 90-87 wins on Nov. 20, Nov. 29 and Jan. 18, respectively.
Trail Blazers and Pacers Clash in Interconference Showdown
The Portland Trail Blazers take on the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Thursday night.
The Trail Blazers (26-33) are trying to keep themselves in the Western Conference playoff picture, but they've done themselves no favors by dropping five of their last seven games, the last three without Damian Lillard (groin). Portland's most recent stumble came Tuesday night, when they fell by a 118-106 score to the Boston Celtics. C.J. McCollum led the way with 28 points, complementing them with 10 assists, four rebounds and three blocks. Hassan Whiteside generated an 18-point, 19-rebound double-double that also included three assists and one block. Trevor Ariza offered 17 points, eight boards, two assists and two steals. Carmelo Anthony poured in 14 points.
The Trail Blazers will continue without Lillard (groin), Jusuf Nurkic (leg) and Zach Collins (shoulder) for Thursday's game.
The Pacers (34-24) recently endured a rare six-game losing streak, but they've snapped out of their doldrums to record wins in three of their last four games. Their most recent victory was especially lopsided, as they throttled the Charlotte Hornets by a 119-80 score Tuesday night. Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers with a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double that also included nine assists. T.J. Warren poured in 19 points and also recorded three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Justin Holiday delivered 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Malcolm Brogdon produced 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Doug McDermott and JaKarr Sampson pitched in matching 10-point tallies.
The Pacers will list both Victor Oladipo (back) and Edmond Sumner (hip) as questionable for Thursday's contest.
Thursday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Trail Blazers own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 139-129 win Jan. 26.
The Trail Blazers (26-33) are trying to keep themselves in the Western Conference playoff picture, but they've done themselves no favors by dropping five of their last seven games, the last three without Damian Lillard (groin). Portland's most recent stumble came Tuesday night, when they fell by a 118-106 score to the Boston Celtics. C.J. McCollum led the way with 28 points, complementing them with 10 assists, four rebounds and three blocks. Hassan Whiteside generated an 18-point, 19-rebound double-double that also included three assists and one block. Trevor Ariza offered 17 points, eight boards, two assists and two steals. Carmelo Anthony poured in 14 points.
The Trail Blazers will continue without Lillard (groin), Jusuf Nurkic (leg) and Zach Collins (shoulder) for Thursday's game.
The Pacers (34-24) recently endured a rare six-game losing streak, but they've snapped out of their doldrums to record wins in three of their last four games. Their most recent victory was especially lopsided, as they throttled the Charlotte Hornets by a 119-80 score Tuesday night. Domantas Sabonis led the Pacers with a 21-point, 15-rebound double-double that also included nine assists. T.J. Warren poured in 19 points and also recorded three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Justin Holiday delivered 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. Malcolm Brogdon produced 15 points, seven assists and six rebounds. Doug McDermott and JaKarr Sampson pitched in matching 10-point tallies.
The Pacers will list both Victor Oladipo (back) and Edmond Sumner (hip) as questionable for Thursday's contest.
Thursday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Trail Blazers own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 139-129 win Jan. 26.
Thunder Look To Remain Undefeated After All-Star Break
By Dan Bruno
The Oklahoma City Thunder play host to the Sacramento Kings at Chesapeake Energy Arena on Thursday evening.
The Thunder (36-22) have won eight of their last 10 games, including their last four in a row, as they remain undefeated since the all-star break. They have won two straight at home, and they look to add to their 19-12 home record. Chris Paul has been playing great lately, averaging 19.0 points on 50 percent shooting, 7.9 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals, over the last 10 games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to play well, averaging 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. Dennis Schroder has been a great sixth-man and is averaging 19.9 points, 4.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds, over the last 10 games. The Thunder average 111.2 points per game, and they are holding opponents to an average of 108.1 points per game. The Thunder are shooting an average of 47.4 percent from the field, which is fourth best in the league.
Meanwhile, this marks the third game of a four-game road trip for the Kings (24-33), where they have gone 2-0, so far, as they look to keep adding to their 12-18 road record. The Kings have won seven of their last 10 games, including their last three in a row. The Kings average 108.4 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 110.6 points against. Buddy Hield leads the Kings with an average of 20.1 points, while shooting 38.7 percent from long range. De'Aaron Fox has been playing well lately and is averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Bogdan Bogdanovic is averaging 14.2 points on 45.3 percent shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists, over the last 10 games. Marvin Bagley III (foot) and Richaun Holmes (shoulder) both remain sidelined, leaving Harry Giles III with more responsibility, but he is playing well, averaging 8.9 points and 6.3 rebounds, in 19 minutes per game, over the last 10 games.
The Thunder (36-22) have won eight of their last 10 games, including their last four in a row, as they remain undefeated since the all-star break. They have won two straight at home, and they look to add to their 19-12 home record. Chris Paul has been playing great lately, averaging 19.0 points on 50 percent shooting, 7.9 assists, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 steals, over the last 10 games. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander continues to play well, averaging 18.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. Dennis Schroder has been a great sixth-man and is averaging 19.9 points, 4.4 assists and 3.5 rebounds, over the last 10 games. The Thunder average 111.2 points per game, and they are holding opponents to an average of 108.1 points per game. The Thunder are shooting an average of 47.4 percent from the field, which is fourth best in the league.
Meanwhile, this marks the third game of a four-game road trip for the Kings (24-33), where they have gone 2-0, so far, as they look to keep adding to their 12-18 road record. The Kings have won seven of their last 10 games, including their last three in a row. The Kings average 108.4 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 110.6 points against. Buddy Hield leads the Kings with an average of 20.1 points, while shooting 38.7 percent from long range. De'Aaron Fox has been playing well lately and is averaging 21.8 points, 6.3 assists, 3.5 rebounds and 1.1 steals per game. Bogdan Bogdanovic is averaging 14.2 points on 45.3 percent shooting, 3.2 rebounds and 2.2 assists, over the last 10 games. Marvin Bagley III (foot) and Richaun Holmes (shoulder) both remain sidelined, leaving Harry Giles III with more responsibility, but he is playing well, averaging 8.9 points and 6.3 rebounds, in 19 minutes per game, over the last 10 games.
Warriors Host Lakers on Thursday
The Los Angeles Lakers travel to San Francisco to face the Golden State Warriors at Chase Center on Thursday.
The Lakers (44-12) come into this matchup in the midst of a six-game winning streak. While they had the top seed in the west prior to that run, they're just securing that spot heading into the final months of the season. What makes them so scary is the Anthony Davis-LeBron James duo. There might not be two better players outside of Milwaukee and it has this franchise in its best spot in quite some time. What also makes them dangerous are their role players. Guys like Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard and Alex Caruso have been key cogs and it's added a dynamic to this team that many people thought they'd be lacking.
The Warriors (12-46) own the worst record in the NBA and it's hard to imagine things getting much better from here on out. This roster is a shell of the one that dominated the NBA for the last decade and it's strange to say that they own the worst record in the league. There is one bit of good news though and that's the return of Stephen Curry. The superstar point guard has been out for months because of a hand issue and there's some thought that he could be back by the end of the week. Getting him acclimated with Andrew Wiggins is probably the biggest thing to figure out for the remainder of the season and it'll be interesting to see what these guys look like together.
These teams have played twice this season, with the Lakers prevailing in both outings. Prior to that, the Warriors won 10 of their last 11 games over Los Angeles.
The Lakers (44-12) come into this matchup in the midst of a six-game winning streak. While they had the top seed in the west prior to that run, they're just securing that spot heading into the final months of the season. What makes them so scary is the Anthony Davis-LeBron James duo. There might not be two better players outside of Milwaukee and it has this franchise in its best spot in quite some time. What also makes them dangerous are their role players. Guys like Danny Green, Avery Bradley, Dwight Howard and Alex Caruso have been key cogs and it's added a dynamic to this team that many people thought they'd be lacking.
The Warriors (12-46) own the worst record in the NBA and it's hard to imagine things getting much better from here on out. This roster is a shell of the one that dominated the NBA for the last decade and it's strange to say that they own the worst record in the league. There is one bit of good news though and that's the return of Stephen Curry. The superstar point guard has been out for months because of a hand issue and there's some thought that he could be back by the end of the week. Getting him acclimated with Andrew Wiggins is probably the biggest thing to figure out for the remainder of the season and it'll be interesting to see what these guys look like together.
These teams have played twice this season, with the Lakers prevailing in both outings. Prior to that, the Warriors won 10 of their last 11 games over Los Angeles.