NBA Previews

After seeing their season-high nine-game winning streak come to an end, the Cleveland Cavaliers look to begin a new streak when they face the visiting Chicago Bulls on Wednesday. Cleveland fell just short in a 123-121 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers on Monday after Darius Garland missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Donovan Mitchell scored 36 points to lead the Cavaliers, while Jarrett Allen added 21 points and 10 rebounds. The loss was just the

The Charlotte Hornets are riding a two-game winning streak for just the second time this season and will reach for three straight for the first time when they face the visiting Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night. The Hornets and Hawks will be playing their final game for each before the All-Star break. Trade-deadline acquisitions Grant Williams, Seth Curry and Tre Mann have given the Hornets a boost, most recently combining for 50 points during Monday’s

Fresh off a dynamic performance in a Western Conference showdown, the Minnesota Timberwolves look to avoid a letdown when they visit the struggling Portland Trail Blazers on Tuesday night. The contest will be the first of two games between the Timberwolves and Trail Blazers. The Thursday rematch also will be in Portland, the final game before the All-Star break for both clubs. The Timberwolves led by as many as 24 on Monday night while producing

The All-Star break can’t arrive soon enough for the Miami Heat, who will be missing several key players when they begin a six-game road trip against the Milwaukee Bucks on Tuesday. Jimmy Butler (personal), Josh Richardson (dislocated right shoulder) and Terry Rozier (sprained right knee) will be unavailable for Miami, which has started 28 different lineups in 53 games this season. The Heat could also be without Duncan Robinson, who is listed as questionable after

Shaquille O’Neal was the first superstar in Orlando Magic history. Paolo Banchero is taking steps to become the latest after winning NBA Rookie of the Year honors last season and earning his first All-Star berth this season. Tuesday, the pair will come together when the Magic take on the visiting Oklahoma City Thunder. After the game, O’Neal’s No. 32 jersey will be the first retired by the Magic. Before that ceremony, Banchero will have a

Shortly after the final buzzer, the Boston Celtics were ready to move on from the intensity of another game with the Miami Heat while appreciating the physicality of Jaylen Brown in an exchange with Duncan Robinson in the fourth quarter on Sunday. After a pair of close wins that saw their composure tested late, the Celtics attempt to push their winning streak to five games Tuesday night when they visit the Brooklyn Nets. The Celtics

The San Antonio Spurs will try to avoid their eighth straight loss Monday night when they visit the rebuilding Toronto Raptors. Both teams are coming off decisive losses. In the third of nine consecutive road games, on both sides of the All-Star break, the Spurs lost to the Brooklyn Nets 123-103 on Saturday. The Raptors, who are adjusting their lineup following trades, lost 119-95 to the surging Cleveland Cavaliers on Saturday in the second game

The Memphis Grizzlies lost to one of the worst teams in the NBA on Saturday night, while the New Orleans Pelicans escaped another bottom feeder in the Portland Trail Blazers. The two Southwest Division rivals will meet Monday night in Memphis as the Grizzlies try to rebound from a 115-106 loss at Charlotte. The Hornets, who have the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference, took advantage of a short-handed Memphis team to end a 10-game

The Milwaukee Bucks are just 2-5 since Doc Rivers took over as head coach for Adrian Griffin, but there have been a few encouraging signs for the team. The Bucks will look to build on one of their best defensive games of the season when they host the Denver Nuggets on Monday night. Milwaukee is out to avenge a 113-107 loss to the Nuggets on Jan. 29 in Denver, which was Rivers’ first game with