August 6th NBA Game Previews

The New Orleans Pelicans will play the Sacramento Kings on Thursday at Orlando.

The Pelicans (29-38) remain alive in the race for a playoff berth ahead of this matchup, although much of that has been due to the fact the Memphis Grizzlies have gone 0-4, while the Pelicans have won just one of three games since the restart. New Orleans is relying heavily on the duo of Brandon Ingram and Zion Williamson to carry them to the playoffs, and they have not disappointed so far -- Williamson saw extended minutes and posted a 23-point, seven-rebound, five-assist line against Memphis, while Ingram added 24 points, seven boards and five dimes in that game. New Orleans currently sits 2.5 games behind Memphis in the race for that eighth seed, so winning here is key for their chances.

The Pelicans list Josh Gray (not injury related) and Darius Miller (Achilles) out for the rest of the season.

The Kings (28-39) are coming off a disappointing 114-110 overtime loss against the Dallas Mavericks the last time out, and now they have gone 0-3 since the restart, essentially ending their already-slim playoff chances. In fact, Sacramento is riding a four-game losing streak if including the games before the season got suspended, and it would be a shock if they sneak in the postseason, something that's already out of their control. The Kings are 3.5 games behind the eighth-seeded Grizzlies, so they need to find a way to get back to the winning road before it's too late for them.

Sacramento lists Marvin Bagley out due to a foot injury. The promising power forward will be out for the remainder of the season.

This will be the second game between these two teams this season, and the Pelicans won by a tight 117-115 score in the previous H2H meeting.

The Miami Heat will play the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday at Orlando.

The Heat (43-25) are coming off a huge 112-106 win over the Boston Celtics in their previous game, and they have tightened their grip in the fourth seed of the Eastern Conference -- now they own a one-game lead over the Indiana Pacers and a 2.5-game lead over the Philadelphia 76ers in the race for that spot. Miami has gone 2-1 since the restart, but they can't complain about their performances since that lone defeat came against the Toronto Raptors, who have been one of the best teams in The Association since play resumed July 31. This test against the Bucks will be a good measure for Miami if they want to find out where they really are ahead of what promises to be a heated playoff race.

Miami lists Jimmy Butler as out with a foot injury, while Goran Dragic will be a game-time decision due to an ankle problem.

The Bucks (54-14), on the other hand, have been one of the biggest disappointments since the restart of the league, as they have gone 1-2 and have not looked like the team that steamrolled past their opponents during most of the 2019-20 regular season. In fact, Milwaukee has won just one of its last six regular-season games, and head coach Mike Budenholzer seemed to have enough during the team's 119-116 loss against the Brooklyn Nets on Tuesday, as he benched both Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton, perhaps trying to send a message to the team. The Bucks remain the team to beat in the Eastern Conference, but it's not a secret that they need to improve before the 2019-20 NBA playoffs start.

Milwaukee lists Wesley Matthews (calf) and Brook Lopez (rest) as game-time decisions ahead of this contest. It also remains to be seen how involved will Middleton and Antetokoumpo be following their benching Tuesday against the Nets.

This will be the third meeting between these two teams this season, and Miami has won the two prior contests -- 131-126 on October 26, and 105-89 on March 3.

The Indiana Pacers take on the Phoenix Suns in an NBA seeding game in Orlando on Thursday afternoon.

The Pacers (42-26) haven't let key absences interfere with their quest to improve playoff positioning, as they've won each of their first three games in the bubble. Indiana's most recent win came on the strength of another stellar performance by T.J. Warren, as they knocked off the Orlando Magic by a 120-109 score on Tuesday evening. Warren led the Pacers with 32 points that he complemented with three assists, two rebounds, three steals and one block. Myles Turner finished with 21 points, six boards, two assists, one steal and one block. Victor Oladipo compiled 13 points, five rebounds, two assists and two steals. Malcolm Brogdon and Aaron Holiday generated matching 12-point, four-rebound efforts, with Brogdon adding eight assists. T.J. McConnell also poured in 12 points and supplemented them with five assists, four rebounds and one steal.

The Pacers will list Brogdon (neck) and Goga Bitadze (knee) as questionable for Thursday's game, Domantas Sabonis (foot) remains away from the Orlando bubble.

The Suns (29-39) have duplicated the Pacers' feat in their first three seeding contests, as they've now prevailed over the Wizards, Mavericks and Clippers, the latter two contests by just a single basket. Phoenix's 117-115 win over Los Angeles came during their most recent time on the court Tuesday, with Devin Booker's turnaround jumper at the buzzer sealing the victory. Booker compiled a team-high 35 points overall and added eight assists and four rebounds. Deandre Ayton followed with 19 points, seven boards and four assists. Ricky Rubio supplied 18 points, four assists and three rebounds. Dario Saric compiled 13 points, eight boards and one assist, while Cameron Payne finished with 12 points.

The Suns will list Kelly Oubre (knee) as doubtful for Thursday's contest. Jalen Lecque (coach's decision) is likely to be questionable at best, while Aron Baynes (knee) will remain out.

Thursday's game marks the second and final meeting between the teams this season. The Pacers hold a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 112-87 win on Jan. 22.

The Dallas Mavericks play host to the Los Angeles Clippers in Orlando on Thursday.

The Clippers (45-22) have been a slight disappointment in this Orlando restart, losing two of their first three games. While the Lakers loss was acceptable, the one against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday was not. That's a team that's lucky to be playing in Orlando and it's not a good sign for the Clippers headed forward. The main issue in that defeat was their defense, allowing the Suns to shoot 47 percent from the field and 53 percent from three-point range. This is a team that was supposed to be elite on the defensive end with Kawhi Leonard, Paul George and Patrick Beverley but sitting 12th in points allowed simply isn't good enough. In any case, they still own the second-seed in the west and that's the ultimate goal with first out of the realm of possibility at this juncture.

The Mavericks (41-29) were one misstep away from entering this matchup with an 0-3 record in the Orlando restart but an overtime victory over the Sacramento Kings on Tuesday is hopefully the start of a good run. What's really discouraging about this poor showing in Orlando is their defense, allowing nearly 130 points per game. The poor form certainly can't be blamed on Luka Doncic though, who's triple-doubled twice in these games and provided 34 points, 20 rebounds and 12 assists in that OT victory on Tuesday. This kid is just 21-years-old and it's scary that he can put up lines like this despite being so young. Kristaps Porzingis has also been stellar in this reboot, averaging 30 points, 10 rebounds, 1.7 steals and 1.7 blocks per game. These two will have to carry this club and they look plenty capable of doing just that for years to come.

These teams have played two games in Dallas this year, with the Clippers prevailing in both road outings.

The Portland Trail Blazers play the Denver Nuggets on Thursday at Orlando.

The Trail Blazers are coming off an impressive, 110-102, win over the Rockets on Tuesday, where they led for almost the entire contest. Damian Lillard led the way with 21 points, nine rebounds and eight assists, while C.J. McCollum followed up with 20 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Jusuf Nurkic totaled 18 points, 19 rebounds, three assists and three blocks, while Carmelo Anthony totaled 15 points and 11 rebounds. The Blazers have had a huge boost with Nurkic back in the lineup, as he is averaging 22.0 points, 12.3 rebounds, 4.3 assists, 3.3 blocks and 1.7 steals, over the last three games. His presence has pushed Hassan Whiteside to the bench, from where he has played an average of 17 minutes per game over the last three games. The Blazers average 114.1 points per game, which is seventh most in the league, while they are shooting 37.5 percent from long range, which is third best in the league.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Nuggets, as they are coming off a hard-fought win over the Spurs on Wednesday, where they pulled ahead with a strong fourth quarter. The win was fueled by another great performance from Michael Porter Jr., who followed up his career-high 37-point outing, with 30 points and 15 rebounds, in Wednesday's win. Nikola Jokic came up large once again, with 25 points, 11 assists and four rebounds, while Jerami Grant chipped in 22 points, off the bench. Jamal Murray (hamstring) did not play on Wednesday and remains questionable for action on Thursday. The Nuggets are one of the more offensively efficient teams in the league, as they are shooting 47.0 percent from the field, while averaging 26.5 assists per game, which is fourth most in the league, and limiting themselves to 13.0 turnovers per game.

The Los Angeles Lakers play the Houston Rockets, on Thursday at Orlando.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Lakers, as they are coming off a rough loss against the Thunder on Wednesday, where they trailed for nearly the entire contest and could not get it together offensively. The Lakers shot 35 percent from the field, including 5-of-37 from long range in the loss, while LeBron James led the way with 19 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and a steal. Dion Waiters added 14 points on 5-of-13 shooting, off the bench, while Anthony Davis was quiet, with nine points, eight rebounds and five assists, in 29 minutes. The loss moved the Lakers to 2-2 since the restart, however, they have already clinched the top spot in the West. The Lakers have been a great team this season largely because of their defense, which although could not save them on Wednesday night, is still one of the best in the league, as they hold opponents to an average of 106.8 points per game, which is second fewest in the league.

Meanwhile, the Rockets are also coming off a tough loss, where they trailed for almost the entire contest and shot poorly from the field. James Harden was the high-point man in the loss, with 23 points, while Jeff Green followed up with 22 points and six rebounds, off the bench. Russell Westbrook finished with 15 points, three rebounds, nine assists and two steals, while the team shot 39 percent from the field, including 19-of-53 from long range. The Rockets are 2-1 in the bubble, so far, and will need to get back on track as soon as possible, before they slip in the crowded western conference standings, where they sit in fifth place, just 2.5 games ahead of seventh. The Rockets average 118.4 points per game, which is second most in the league. They average a league-high 44.7 three-pointers attempted per game and hit an average of 34.9 percent of them, which is eighth worst in the league.