NBA Previews

Cleveland welcomed five-time All-Star guard Donovan Mitchell back to its lineup on Wednesday in New Orleans. And given how unevenly they performed during his seven-game injury absence, the short-handed Cavaliers certainly were elated to have Mitchell back and contributing as they prepare to visit the Houston Rockets on Saturday. But what resonated for the Cavaliers (42-24) in their 116-95 victory over the Pelicans was yet another stifling defensive performance, one that came with Cleveland still

The Los Angeles Clippers and the New Orleans Pelicans are both trying to avoid the play-in tournament. The Clippers (42-23) are in fourth place in the tightly bunched Western Conference, three games ahead of the fifth-place Pelicans (39-26) as the two prepare to meet Friday night in New Orleans. Los Angeles increased its lead by beating the Bulls 126-111 on Thursday night in Chicago to end a two-game losing streak. Paul George scored 28 points

The Phoenix Suns have lofty aspirations and a desire to be compared to the best teams in the league. That didn’t go well when the Suns made a stop in Boston on Phoenix’s current four-game road trip. Phoenix (38-28) is presented a chance to rebound in the second game of a back-to-back against the Charlotte Hornets (17-49) on Friday night. The Suns fell for the second time in three games with a 127-112 setback to

The injury-depleted Toronto Raptors are in search of more than another moral victory Friday night when they take a five-game losing streak into their clash against the visiting Orlando Magic. The Raptors completed a 0-4 road trip Wednesday night with a 113-104 loss to the Detroit Pistons. The Raptors will face a challenge in the Magic, who are coming off a 114-106 home victory over the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday and have won six of

The Miami Heat fought their way out of the play-in tournament and reached the NBA Finals last season. They would like to avoid that extra step this spring, which is why their weekend visit to Detroit could prove pivotal. The Heat will be looking to snap a four-game losing streak when they face the Pistons on Friday and will remain in the Motor City for a Sunday afternoon tilt. The Heat (35-30) are currently in

Portland Trail Blazers center Deandre Ayton is making major in-roads on shedding his label as an underperformer. Ayton will chase his seventh consecutive double-double on Thursday night when the Trail Blazers host the stingy New York Knicks. Ayton is in his first season with Portland after five campaigns with the Phoenix Suns. He was the No. 1 overall pick by the Suns in the 2018 NBA Draft — two picks before superstar Luka Doncic —

In any showdown between the Dallas Mavericks and Oklahoma City Thunder, the Mavericks’ Luka Doncic and the Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander figure to be at the center of both attention and action. That could be the case Thursday night when the Mavericks and Thunder meet in Oklahoma City. But all eyes will be on Mavericks 6-foot-10 forward/center Daniel Gafford, who has a chance to make history. After going 5-for-5 from the floor in Wednesday’s win over

Only four games separate the Los Angeles Clippers from the Western Conference-leading Denver Nuggets with 18 games remaining on their regular-season schedule. Sometimes, coach Tyronn Lue wonders whether the Clippers realize that. With Los Angeles on a two-game losing streak, Lue is challenging players to seize a greater sense of urgency beginning with Thursday’s visit to the Chicago Bulls. “We got to get better at understanding that all these games mean something,” Lue said. “Not

One week after the Kings put on an offensive show against the Los Angeles Lakers, they will seek to try it again when the teams meet Wednesday night, this time at Sacramento. The Lakers strutted out to an early 19-point lead last week before the Kings roared back in a dominating second quarter and scored 72 points by halftime. De’Aaron Fox ended up matching his career high with 44 points, and Domantas Sabonis added another