NBA Previews

The Boston Celtics are coming off one of their worst shooting performances of the season and will try to avoid a third straight home loss when they face the New Orleans Pelicans on Monday night. Boston shot 36 percent from the floor in its 115-96 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Saturday. The Celtics missed their first 10 3-point attempts and finished the game 10-of-40 from behind the 3-point arc. The Clippers used a

Two of the hottest teams in the NBA will go head-to-head when the Cleveland Cavaliers host the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Cleveland has won nine of its past 10 games, while the Clippers have captured five in a row and 13 of 15 since Christmas. The Cavaliers are coming off a win against one of the few teams ahead of them in the Eastern Conference standings, pulling off a 112-100 victory against the host

The New York Knicks seemed to have encountered some turbulence during their best stretch of the season. Knicks star forward Julius Randle suffered a dislocated right shoulder on Saturday against the Miami Heat and will undergo an MRI, according to multiple reports. Randle, who is averaging 24 points and 9.2 rebounds per game, likely will be unavailable for the Knicks against the host Charlotte Hornets on Monday. “He’s a guy that plays through things and

The Oklahoma City Thunder will carry a five-game winning streak and the best record in the Western Conference into a Sunday matinee against the team with the NBA’s worst record, the host Detroit Pistons. Oklahoma City continued its winning streak on Friday with a 107-83 win in New Orleans and one of its best defensive performances of the season, holding the Pelicans to 32-of-82 shooting (39 percent) from the floor while forcing 20 turnovers. The

The Atlanta Hawks and Toronto Raptors try to end four-game losing streaks Sunday when they meet in Atlanta. Atlanta, playing the second game of a six-game homestand, is coming off a 148-143 loss to the Dallas Mavericks and is 10th in the Eastern Conference. Toronto, beginning a six-game road trip, was beaten 127-107 by the LA Clippers on Friday. The Raptors have lost eight of their past nine and are 12th in the Eastern Conference.

Two teams showcasing potential top available talent at the Feb. 8 trade deadline meet Sunday night when the Chicago Bulls visit the Portland Trail Blazers. The meeting is the first of the season between the teams, and the rosters might look quite a bit different by the time they see each other again in Chicago in March. The Bulls are more likely to make the playoffs, but at 21-25, they currently find themselves in what

After weathering nine of the past 10 games without Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers hope to have the All-Star guard back in the lineup on Sunday afternoon when they face the Memphis Grizzlies in Indianapolis. Haliburton has been hampered by a hamstring injury that he initially sustained in a victory over the Boston Celtics on Jan. 8. Following a five-game absence, Haliburton returned to rack up 21 points and 17 assists in 35 minutes against

Devin Booker did all he could to extend the Phoenix Suns’ winning streak to a season-high eight games. Alas, Booker’s season-high 62-point performance came in a loss on Friday. The three-time All-Star will look to shake off his team’s setback on Sunday when the Suns continue a seven-game road trip against the Orlando Magic. Booker didn’t miss a beat following his 46-point effort in Phoenix’s 132-109 win at Dallas on Wednesday. He erupted for a

The Minnesota Timberwolves will look to expand on a two-game winning streak and stay atop the Western Conference standings when they travel to San Antonio to play the reeling Spurs on Saturday. Minnesota heads to Texas for the third of a four-game road trip and on the heels of a 96-94 victory in Brooklyn on Thursday. Karl-Anthony Towns led the Timberwolves with 27 points and dished out an assist to Rudy Gobert for the tiebreaking