NBA Previews

The key question entering Friday night’s matchup between the visiting Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics involves Philadelphia center Joel Embiid, who was scratched from Wednesday’s loss to New Orleans because of an illness. Will Embiid play against Boston? And if he does play, how effective will he be? Embiid has appeared in 16 of Philadelphia’s 18 games this season and is averaging 32.0 points, 11.3 rebounds and 6.6 assists per contest. The 76ers are

Two teams coming off vastly different finishes in Sacramento over the past 48 hours will meet for the first time this season when the Los Angeles Clippers and Golden State Warriors play in San Francisco on Thursday night. The Clippers will be riding the momentum of a Wednesday win in Sacramento, while the Warriors will enjoy the advantage of having had a day off following a loss in the California capital on Tuesday. Golden State

The Detroit Pistons get their latest attempt to end a miserable run on Thursday when they face the New York Knicks, who will close out a four-game homestand. Detroit, which will be playing the second leg of a back-to-back set, took its 15th consecutive loss on Wednesday, a 133-107 decision against the visiting Los Angeles Lakers. The skid is the longest in Pistons history within a single season. “Even though we’re in this low hole,

Los Angeles Lakers coach Darvin Ham wasn’t about to change his approach after his team took a 44-point loss on Monday. The Lakers passed their first test since that pounding in Philadelphia, but the degree of difficulty gets kicked up when Los Angeles visits the Oklahoma City Thunder on Thursday. After the Lakers’ 138-94 loss to the 76ers on Monday, Ham chose to keep things positive. “To me, insults very rarely get you improvement,” Ham

The Minnesota Timberwolves will shoot for their third win in a row when they oppose the Utah Jazz on Thursday night in Minneapolis — and they might have to do so without top scorer Anthony Edwards. Minnesota boasts the best record in the Western Conference at 13-4, including a 119-97 road win over the Memphis Grizzlies on Sunday and a 106-103 home victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Tuesday. Now, the Timberwolves might have

While the Brooklyn Nets were unable to advance in the NBA’s in-season tournament, they earned something more important for the road ahead: another victory Tuesday. The Nets pushed themselves over the .500 mark for the third time with their second three-game winning streak of the season. Brooklyn’s attempt at a fourth straight victory comes Thursday night when it plays host to the Charlotte Hornets. When the Nets reeled off their first three-game winning streak, Oct.

The Miami Heat still do not know whether star forward Jimmy Butler will be available Thursday when they play host to the Indiana Pacers. Miami, which has lost three straight games, will also host Indiana on Saturday. Butler has an ankle injury, which has caused him to miss each of the past two games. He ranks third on the team in scoring with 20.7 points per game. In addition to Butler, the Heat have other

The Sacramento Kings get less than 24 hours to calm the emotions of a dramatic win when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday night. The Kings doubled their pleasure on Tuesday in a 124-123 victory over the Golden State Warriors. Not only did they get the better of their regional rival for the first time in three tries this season, but they also advanced to a home date Monday against the New Orleans

The Denver Nuggets could have several key players return to action for their matchup against the visiting Houston Rockets on Wednesday. Nikola Jokic (lower back pain), Jamal Murray (right hamstring strain) and Aaron Gordon (right heel strain) were all listed as questionable to face the Rockets, who dropped to 0-6 on the road this season by losing 121-115 to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday. Even if all three starters remain sidelined, the Nuggets have proven