NBA Previews

The Denver Nuggets overcame the early departure of their best player to snap a four-game road skid in their last outing. With two-time NBA MVP Nikola Jokic back in the lineup, the Nuggets will look to record their second straight win on Wednesday night when they visit an Orlando Magic team that is on the rise. Denver weathered the storm after Jokic was ejected in the first half and pulled out a 107-103 victory over

Giannis Antetokounmpo will have an opportunity to score at least 40 points for the third straight game when the Milwaukee Bucks visit the Boston Celtics in a matchup of division leaders Wednesday night. Antetokounmpo tossed in 40 during Milwaukee’s 132-125 victory over the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Saturday and followed up that performance by scoring 42 in a 142-129 win against the host Washington Wizards on Monday night. Antetokounmpo, who is averaging 30.2 points per

Charlotte’s fourth-quarter comeback and eventual overtime victory against the visiting Boston Celtics on Monday night were the highlights of the season so far for the Hornets. The challenge will be doing it again. The first chance for that comes on Wednesday against the visiting Washington Wizards. “They know this. We talk about it all the time,” Charlotte coach Steve Clifford said. “This league isn’t about a great win. This league is about, ‘Can we come

The Atlanta Hawks will try to end a three-game, home-court losing streak on Tuesday night when they face the Indiana Pacers in the NBA in-season tournament. This will be the first of four regular-season meetings between Atlanta and Indiana. The Hawks won two of three against the Pacers last season. The Hawks have lost two straight and three of their last four after Friday’s 126-116 home loss to Philadelphia in the in-season tournament. Indiana is

The Golden State Warriors will get an opportunity to pick on one of their favorite guests when they host the Houston Rockets on Monday night in San Francisco. The Warriors have dropped six in a row, including the first five contests of a six-game homestand. The last two defeats have come without Draymond Green, who is out on suspension for his role in an altercation vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Golden State is

The Sacramento Kings will look to extend their winning streak to seven games on Monday night when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans. The Kings’ latest win was an emphatic 129-113 victory over the Dallas Mavericks on Sunday night. Sacramento scored 35, 35 and 37 points over the first three quarters and finished with 34 assists on 48 field goals. The Kings shot 53.3 percent from the floor and 42.5 percent from 3-point range. “It

The defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets will look to snap a four-game road losing streak when they face the foundering Detroit Pistons on Monday night. Denver’s latest road setback came Sunday when the team fell to Cleveland 121-109. The Cavaliers shot 54.9 percent from the field and outrebounded the Nuggets 47-33. “They were just better today,” Nuggets star center Nikola Jokic said. “Offensive glass, paint — they were getting everything they want.” Jokic was limited

The Boston Celtics have been among the best teams in the NBA for the first month of the season. That’s not the case for the Charlotte Hornets, who need something good to happen. The teams with opposite types of streaks will meet Monday night in Charlotte, N.C., where the Celtics will conclude a four-game road stretch. Kristaps Porzingis scored 26 points to lift Boston to its sixth straight victory on Sunday with a 102-100 win

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Chet Holmgren have the potential to develop into one of the NBA’s top tandems. Then again, the two Oklahoma City players already are mixing pretty well just 13 games into Holmgren’s NBA career. Gilgeous-Alexander and Holmgren are coming off an epic outing in which they combined for 76 points. The Thunder will seek their fifth straight victory when they visit the hapless Portland Trail Blazers on Sunday night. Gilgeous-Alexander recorded 40 points,