NBA Previews

Most teams welcoming a new coach and a seven-time All-Star likely would experience a few growing pains, and the Milwaukee Bucks are proving to be no exception. After splitting their first four games, the Bucks’ adjustment period continues when they face the visiting New York Knicks on Friday in their first game of the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament. Milwaukee coach Adrian Griffin is looking for an improved defensive effort after his team lost 130-111 to

The Utah Jazz used a near-historic first half to snap out of a funk and get back into the win column Wednesday night. Utah will be hard-pressed to match its first-half production in the blowout win over the Memphis Grizzlies when the Orlando Magic visit Salt Lake City on Thursday night. It will be a rare home back-to-back for the Jazz, who had lost two in a row before their 133-109 victory on Wednesday. Against

The New Orleans Pelicans overcame a 22-point deficit to win Wednesday night. The Detroit Pistons lost despite holding an 18-point lead Wednesday night. Both teams will complete back-to-back sets when the Pelicans host the Pistons on Thursday night. CJ McCollum scored 29 points to lead New Orleans’ comeback in a 110-106 road victory over the Oklahoma City Thunder. He made 10 of 17 field-goal attempts, including 5 of 8 3-point attempts, and added 11 rebounds

The new-look Philadelphia 76ers will host the Toronto Raptors on Thursday in their first game since trading away James Harden. The Sixers sent Harden, Filip Petrusev and P.J. Tucker to the Los Angeles Clippers in a complicated three-team deal that also included the Oklahoma City Thunder. Philadelphia acquired Nicolas Batum, Robert Covington, Kenyon Martin Jr. and Marcus Morris Sr. from the Clippers. The trade, officially announced Wednesday after news broke late Monday night, also involved

The first clash this season between the Cleveland Cavaliers and New York Knicks was a playoff rematch in name only. The Cavaliers will hope to be closer to full strength Wednesday night when they visit New York as a home-and-home set between the Eastern Conference rivals concludes. On Tuesday night, Julius Randle posted 19 points and 10 rebounds for the visiting Knicks, who pulled away in the second half to defeat the undermanned Cavaliers 109-91.

The season is only three games old for the Dallas Mavericks, but Luka Doncic is already in midseason form. Doncic is averaging a league-best 39.0 points per game and has posted two triple-doubles as he looks to lead Dallas to its fourth consecutive victory when it hosts the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. The Mavericks are 3-0 for the first time since the 2004-05 campaign when they won their first four games. Dallas is one

Monty Williams didn’t see his team play up to its new standards in its most recent game. The Detroit coach will expect a better showing when the Pistons host the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night. Following a one-point, season-opening loss to Miami, the Pistons secured double-digit wins over Charlotte and Chicago. Their trip to Oklahoma City on Monday didn’t go as smoothly, though, as they were thumped by the Thunder, 124-112. Oklahoma City jumped

The Boston Celtics will attempt to extend their winning streak to four games when they face the visiting Indiana Pacers on Wednesday night. The Celtics haven’t started a season with more than three straight victories since the 2009-10 season, when they won six a row. Boston is coming off Monday’s 126-107 road victory against the Washington Wizards. Jaylen Brown scored 27 of his game-high 36 points in the first half. He tied a franchise record

The Toronto Raptors will face a former assistant coach Wednesday night when they try to end a three-game losing streak in their meeting with the visiting Milwaukee Bucks. New Bucks coach Adrian Griffin was an assistant to Nick Nurse with Toronto for five years through the end of last season. Nurse is the new coach of the Philadelphia 76ers, who posted a 114-107 win over the Raptors on Saturday night in Toronto. The Raptors have