NBA Previews

The Houston Rockets’ road woes continued Monday as the team lost 120-113 at Miami in the opener of a six-game trip. The Rockets fell to 3-11 away from home this season but they still are off to an improved start. A victory against the host Chicago Bulls on Wednesday would put Houston three wins shy of matching last season’s total of 22. “For me, not surprised or happy,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “They bought

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the NBA’s best-shooting teams this season. Since Christmas, the Thunder have been even better from the field, shooting better than 50 percent every game and leading the league, shooting 54.9 percent over their last eight games. Heading into Wednesday’s game at the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City’s offense has been fueled of late by its distributors. The Thunder are also among the league’s leaders during the stretch in

The Indiana Pacers will look to overcome the absence of All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton on Wednesday when they host the Washington Wizards in Indianapolis. Haliburton injured his left hamstring while driving to the basket during the second quarter of Indiana’s 133-131 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday. The Pacers announced Tuesday that an MRI exam determined that Haliburton had a left hamstring strain. The club didn’t offer a timetable for his return. The

The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t sure if reigning league MVP Joel Embiid will be available on Wednesday when they go on the road to play the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid missed Saturday’s loss against the Utah Jazz because of swelling in his left knee following an incident during Friday’s loss to the New York Knicks. He did not participate in practice on Monday or Tuesday. When asked if Embiid would be available to play against the Hawks,

The Orlando Magic will go for their third win in a row when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Orlando is coming off a 117-110 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday evening, which followed a road victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. The Magic are looking for their first three-game winning streak since stacking up nine wins in a row from Nov. 15-Dec. 1. Paolo Banchero scored 35 points

With a much-needed victory after a difficult week, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to build off the success when the Toronto Raptors visit Tuesday. The Lakers ended a four-game losing streak with a hard-fought 106-103 victory over the surging Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday as LeBron James scored 25 points with eight rebounds and seven assists. Anthony Davis added 22 points with 10 rebounds as the team’s stars took the lead in changing the

The Dallas Mavericks aim to extend their perfect start to their season-long seven-game homestand when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. The Mavericks gave their home fans a thrill with a pair of lopsided victories over the Portland Trail Blazers before recording a 115-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Kyrie Irving, who scored 35 points against the Timberwolves, has averaged 29.3 points and 8.7 rebounds during the team’s current win streak.

After the New York Knicks improved to 14-1 against opponents with losing records, Julius Randle provided an insight into the team’s mentality. “Don’t play with your food,” Randle said Saturday following a 121-105 win in Washington. “Take care of what you’re supposed to take care of and just keep improving. Basketball gods got a funny way of rewarding you or humbling you. We just try to approach each game the right way and play basketball

Mike Brown will not have to apologize to ticket-buying Sacramento Kings fans after Tuesday’s game. The head coach felt bad for the paying customers who witnessed the Kings’ 133-100 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Sunday. The Kings will be far from their home court on Tuesday, when they will be in Detroit to begin a five-game road trip. The Pelicans led by as many as 50 points while defeating the Kings for