February 28th NBA Game Previews

The Minnesota Timberwolves take on the Orlando Magic at Amway Center on Friday night.

The Timberwolves (17-40) have had about as rough a go of it this season as their record indicates, but they'll come into Friday's game having just snapped a five-game losing streak with a 129-126 win over the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. D'Angelo Russell paced the Timberwolves with 27 points, adding six assists, five rebounds, three steals and one block. Malik Beasley followed with 21 points, six boards, five assists and two steals. Juancho Hernangomez supplied 17 points, five rebounds, one assist and two steals. Jordan McLaughlin delivered 13 points, five assists, one rebound and three steals. James Johnson and Kelan Martin generated matching 11-point tallies.

The Timberwolves will remain without Karl-Anthony Towns (wrist), Allen Crabbe (personal) and Evan Turner (team decision) for Friday's game.

The Magic (26-32) has had its share of ups and downs this season, but they'll come into Friday's game on an upswing that consists of four wins in their last five games. Their most recent success came at the expense of the Atlanta Hawks, which they toppled by a 130-120 score on Wednesday night. Evan Fournier paced the Magic with 28 points, adding five assists, four rebounds and three steals. Aaron Gordon produced 25 points, 10 rebounds, six assists, three blocks and one steal. Nikola Vucevic generated a 17-point, 12-rebound double-double that also included three assists and one block. Mo Bamba went for 15 points and 10 boards, while Terrance Ross supplied 14 points, six rebounds and three assists. James Ennis poured in 12 points.

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

Friday's game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Timberwolves and Magic split the two-game 2018-19 season series.

The Brooklyn Nets take on the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Friday night.

The Nets (26-31) have been a bit of a mixed bag over their last 10 games, as they'll check into Friday's contest with a 5-5 mark over that span. Their most recent time on the court resulted in a 110-106 loss to the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. Caris LeVert paced the Nets with 34 points, supplementing them with seven assists, six rebounds and four steals. Spencer Dinwiddie provided 18 points, six boards and three assists. DeAndre Jordan generated a 16-point, 16-rebound double-double, while Taurean Prince registered 13 points, four rebounds and one steal.

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

The Hawks (17-43) continue to play out the string of a difficult season, and they'll come into Friday's contest with four losses in their last six games. Their most recent stumble came against the Orlando Magic, which defeated them by a 130-120 score Wednesday night. Trae Young overcame a questionable designation due to an illness to rack up 37 points, which he supplemented with 11 assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block. John Collins registered 26 points, seven boards, four assists and two blocks. Cam Reddish managed 14 points, three rebounds, one assist, two steals and one block. Jeff Teague contributed 12 points, six assists, three rebounds, one steal and one block, while Bruno Fernando drew the start and finished with 10 points, nine boards, one assist and one steal.

The Hawks will list Clint Capela (heel), Skal Labissiere (knee), DeAndre' Bembry (abdomen) and Dewayne Dedmon (elbow) as out for Friday's game. Young (illness) and Damian Jones (illness) will be listed as questionable, while Kevin Huerter (groin) will carry a probable tag.

Friday's game marks the fourth and final meeting between the teams this season. The Nets hold a 3-0 series lead, having notched 130-118, 122-112 and 108-86 wins on Dec. 4, Dec. 21 and Jan. 4, respectively.

The Charlotte Hornets face the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Friday night.

The Hornets (20-38) are in the midst of a difficult season overall, but they've shown some resiliency recently by responding to a five-game losing streak with a 5-2 mark over their subsequent seven games. Charlotte's most recent time on the court resulted in one of those wins, a 107-101 decision over the New York Knicks on Wednesday night. Terry Rozier paced the Hornets with 26 points, complementing them with four assists, three rebounds and one steal. Devonte' Graham followed with 21 points, five assists, one rebound and one steal. Bismack Biyombo and P.J. Washington produced matching 12-point, five-rebound tallies. Miles Bridges pitched in 10 points, three boards and two assists.

The Hornets will be without Malik Monk (suspension) for Friday's game.

The Raptors (42-16) have been on a tear through both conferences since mid-January, but they ran into one of the only squads hotter than them in the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday night. Toronto was upended by a 108-97 score for only their eighth home loss of the campaign. Pascal Siakam paced the Raptors with 22 points, supplementing them with six boards, three assists and one block. Fred VanVleet poured in 14 points. OG Anunoby delivered 11 points, five rebounds, four assists and two steals. Kyle Lowry and Terence Davis had matching 10-point, four-rebound efforts, with Lowry adding six assists. Chris Boucher matched his teammates' scoring tally and added seven rebounds and one block.

The Raptors will continue without Marc Gasol (hamstring) for Friday's game. Serge Ibaka (knee) and Norman Powell (finger) will be listed as questionable, while Patrick McCaw (illness) is probable.

Friday's game marks the third of four meetings between the teams this season. The Raptors hold a 2-0 series lead, having notched 132-96 and 112-110 victories Nov. 18 and Jan. 8, respectively, with the latter contest an overtime win.

The New Orleans Pelicans play host to the Cleveland Cavaliers at Smoothie King Center on Friday evening.

The Pelicans (25-33) have won six of their last 10 games but are coming off a hard-fought loss to the Lakers in their most recent contest. Brandon Ingram led the way with 34 points and seven rebounds, while Zion Williamson finished with 29 points and six rebounds, in the loss. Williamson has been playing great and is averaging 25.7 points, 6.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists, over the last 10 games. Brandon Ingram leads the team with 24.7 points per game, while Lonzo Ball is averaging 11.7 points, 6.8 assists, 6.1 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. The Pelicans average 115.8 points per game, which is fourth most in the league, but they are giving up an average of 117.0 points against, which is third most in the league. This marks their first game of a three-game home stand, as they look to add to their 11-17 home record.

Meanwhile, the Cavaliers (17-41) have dropped six of their last 10 games but have won their last two in a row. They have dropped two of their last three road games but look to build on an 8-19 road record. The Cavs average 106.6 points per game, which is fifth fewest in the league, and they give up an average of 114.7 points against. They average 22.5 assists per game, which is sixth fewest in the league, while they are giving up a league-most 15.9 turnovers per game. Collin Sexton leads the team in scoring and has been playing well lately, averaging 21.7 points on 46.6 percent shooting, including 44 percent from long range. Andre Drummond (calf) missed the Cavs' last contest and will remain out through Friday's action. With Drummond out, Larry Nance Jr., Tristan Thompson and Kevin Love will all have some extra responsibility.

The Dallas Mavericks takes on the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on Friday night.

The Mavericks (36-23) continue to make their push in the Western Conference playoff race, and they'll enter Friday's game with an impressive 5-2 record over their last seven contests. Their most recent success came at the expense of the San Antonio Spurs, which they toppled by a 109-103 score Wednesday night. Kristaps Porzingis led the Mavericks with 28 points, adding 12 rebounds, one assist, three blocks and two steals. Luka Doncic followed with a 26-point, 14-assist, 10-rebound triple-double that also included one steal. Tim Hardaway, Jr. poured in 17 points, while Dorian Finney-Smith furnished 14 points, four rebounds, one assist, three blocks and two steals.

The Mavericks will be without Jalen Brunson (shoulder) and Willie Cauley-Stein (personal) for Friday's game. Doncic (thumb) will be listed as questionable.

The Heat (36-22) is also in the thick of the race to the postseason in their conference, but they come into Friday's contest uncharacteristically having dropped seven of their last nine games. Their most recent stumble was an extremely rare home loss, as they dropped a 129-126 decision to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Kendrick Nunn led the Heat with 24 points, complementing them with six assists and two rebounds. Bam Adebayo generated a 22-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included seven assists and two blocks. Jimmy Butler supplied 18 points, nine assists, four rebounds and two blocks. Goran Dragic delivered 16 points, four rebounds, four assists and one steal. Derrick Jones, Jr. turned in 14 points, while Kelly Olynyk managed 11 points, eight boards, one assist, two blocks and one steal.

The Heat will continue without Tyler Herro (foot) and Meyers Leonard (ankle) for Friday's game. Adebayo (ankle) will be listed as probable.

Friday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this seasons. The Heat holds a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 122-118 overtime win Dec. 14.

The Milwaukee Bucks play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Fiserv Forum on Friday evening.

The Bucks (50-8) have won nine of their last 10 games, including their last four in a row. The Bucks have won their last four home games and look to continue building on their 26-3 home record. The Bucks average a league-best 119.8 points per game, and they are holding opponents to 107.6 points per game. They are shooting 48.1 percent from the field, which is second best in the league, and they lead the league with 51.8 rebounds per game. Giannis Antetokounmpo leads the Bucks with 29.7 points, 13.7 rebounds, 5.8 assists, 1.1 steals and 1.1 blocks per game. Khris Middleton continues to play very well, averaging 24.6 points on 51.7 percent shooting, including 43.8 percent from long range, 8.2 rebounds, 4.9 assists and 1.1 steals, over the last 10 games. Eric Bledsoe is averaging 17.4 points, 6.5 assists and 6.1 rebounds, over the last 10 games.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Thunder (37-22), who are coming off an impressive comeback win over the Kings on Thursday night. The Thunder trailed by 19 points in the third quarter but used a 22-4 run to make it a one-point game heading to the fourth, and then they closed out the contest by coming up clutch through the fourth. The win marked their fifth straight, as they remain undefeated since the all-star break. Six players scored in double digits in the win, which is a testament to the great teamwork that is a major factor in the Thunder's success. The Thunder average 111.2 points per game, and they are holding opponents to an average of 108.1 points per game. They are shooting 47.4 percent from the field, which is fourth best in the league, including 35.7 percent from long range.

The Memphis Grizzlies play host to the Sacramento Kings at FedEx Forum on Friday evening.

The Grizzlies (28-30) have dropped six of their last 10 games, including their last four in a row, as they went win less on a four-game road trip. This marks their first game back home, where they have won four straight and have a 16-3 record. Ja Morant continues to lead the Grizzlies, averaging 17.5 points, 5.3 assists and 2.9 rebounds, over the last 10 games. Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 12.3 points, 12.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks, over the last 10 games, while Dillon Brooks has been struggling lately, shooting 29.5 percent from the field, including 22.0 percent from long range, over the last 10 games. The Grizzlies average a league-best 27.1 assists per game, and they are shooting 47.0 percent from the field, which is sixth best in the league. The Grizzlies are averaging 112.8 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 115.3 points against, which is fifth most in the league.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back the Kings (24-34), as they are coming off a tough loss in OKC on Thursday, where they led by 19 in the third quarter but fell short in the end. This marks the fourth and final game of a road trip for the Kings, where they have gone 2-1, and they look to add to their 12-19 road record. Buddy Hield leads the Kings with 20.1 points per game, but has seen a reduction in minutes since coming off the bench, as he is averaging 27.5 minutes per game over the last 10 games, which is five minutes less than his season average. Harrison Barnes has been playing well lately, as he is averaging 21.8 points per game, since the all-star break. De'Aaron Fox (abdomen) missed the Kings last contest but is probable for action on Friday. The Kings average 108.4 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 110.6 points against.

The Detroit Pistons travel to Arizona to face the Phoenix Suns at Talking Stick Resort Arena on Friday.

The Pistons (19-41) come into this matchup in the midst of a seven-game losing streak and some believe that they're trying to do this purposefully. The Blake Griffin surgery was the start of it and then the trade deadline secured the full-on collapse. The Pistons decided to trade Andre Drummond at the trade deadline for almost nothing and then proceeded to release Markieff Morris and Reggie Jackson. That has left this roster with a shell of itself and the most bizarre thing about all of this is that they haven't even been starting Christian Wood regularly. He's undoubtedly the team's best players at this point and bringing him off the bench confirms the tanking that many have been speculating.

The Suns (24-35) have been a much better team recently, despite their record entering this matchup with a 4-4 record over their last eight games. What really makes that encouraging is the fact that the losses came against the Clippers, Lakers, Raptors and Nuggets. Those are arguably four of the best teams in the league and it's impressive that they're .500 in the midst of a schedule like that. It has kept some small playoff chances alive for this team but they need to make up a 4.5 games deficit to catch them. While that's not impossible, fighting off teams like the Pelicans. Spurs, Kings and Trail Blazers in between them will be a very tough task.

Detroit won the first meeting between these teams, 116-108, on February 5. That gives the Pistons six-straight victories over the Suns and nine in their last 10 meetings in total.

The Washington Wizards travel to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Friday.

The Wizards (21-36) actually have some playoff hopes and that says a lot about the dysfunction of the Eastern Conference. They currently sit ninth in their conference, just 4.5 games back of the Orlando Magic. That's truly miraculous for a team with a 21-36 record and six wins over their last 11 games have them in this spot. The man running the show has been Bradley Beal and he's been the best player in the NBA the last week. In fact, Beal is averaging 36.7 points, 4.1 rebounds, 5.1 assists and 1.4 steals over his last 15 games played. If he keeps balling out like that and carrying this team to wins, don't count them out quite yet.

The Jazz (36-22) come into this matchup losing nine of their last 13 games in total, dropping them to the six-seed in the Western Conference. They're now just half a game up on the Dallas Mavericks in seventh but are also just four games back of the Denver Nuggets in second. That means anything could happen from here on out but that seven-seed looks way more likely with their recent slump. What's really amazing is that they enter this matchup losing four-straight home games. This is a club that's typically dominant at home, posting a 20-5 record at VSHA before this most recent four-game slide. Many people consider this one of the most dangerous teams in the league but losing homecourt in the playoffs could make them a candidate for an early exit come April.

Utah won the first meeting between these teams, 126-116, on January 12. That gives the Jazz eight-straight wins over the Wizards dating all the way back to 2016.

The Los Angeles Clippers play host to the Denver Nuggets at Staples Center on Friday.

The Nuggets (40-18) come into this matchup winning 10 of their last 14 games. That run has catapulted them up to the two-seed in the Western Conference but they're currently trying to stray off teams like the Clippers and Rockets right on their tails. The thing that makes this a different team from past seasons is their defense, with Denver sitting fifth in points allowed. That's not something you see from a Denver team too often and it pairs beautifully with the emergence of Nikola Jokic as a superstar player. The big man is leading the team with 20.8 points, 10 rebounds and 6.8 assists per game and should be in the discussion for MVP despite not having a realistic chance to win it.

The Clippers (39-19) have been a different team when they play at home. In fact, they enter this matchup with a 23-6 record at Staples Center and a 16-13 record on the road. The good news is that they come into this game off of a road victory, picking up double-digit victories in their last two matchups. That ended a season-worst three-game losing streak and it's no surprise that it correlates with the return of Paul George and Patrick Beverley. While those two haven't been great in their returns, it gives them a much-needed defensive presence. If they can get their 13th-ranked defense to live up to their sixth-ranked offense, this could become the scariest team in the league come playoff time.

This is the second meeting between these teams, with Denver winning the first matchup, 114-104, on January 12. That gives the Nuggets five wins in their last six matchups with the Clippers.