NBA Previews

The Toronto Raptors will chase a third consecutive road victory when they face the Boston Celtics on Saturday night. It will be the final stop on a four-game road trip for Toronto, which opened the trek with a 114-99 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers before beating the San Antonio Spurs 123-116 in overtime and topping the Dallas Mavericks 127-116. The Raptors erased a 22-point deficit in their victory at San Antonio on Sunday, then Pascal

At the outset of a minimum two-week stretch without their leading scorer, the Miami Heat might need to get creative beginning Saturday at the Atlanta Hawks. Tyler Herro sustained a Grade 2 ankle sprain, sustained when he landed on the foot of Memphis’ Jaren Jackson Jr. during the first quarter of Wednesday’s 108-102 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies. Without Herro’s 22.9 points per game, where will coach Erik Spoelstra find his offense? Naturally, Bam Adebayo

The Charlotte Hornets will begin pool play for the NBA in-season tournament Friday when they visit the Washington Wizards. Friday’s matchup is the second in as many games between Charlotte and Washington, though the first in East Group B competition for the in-season tournament. The Wizards dropped their opener in the pool on Nov. 3 at Miami, 121-114, part of a four-game losing skid. The Wizards pulled out of their funk on Wednesday at Charlotte,

Two Eastern Conference foes playing the second night of back-to-backs face off as the Indiana Pacers oppose the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday night in Indianapolis. Milwaukee comes in off a late comeback win against the visiting Detroit Pistons, 120-118. Notably, the Bucks rallied without Giannis Antetokounmpo, who was ejected early in the third quarter when he received second technical foul of the night, for staring down an opponent after a dunk. Damian Lillard stepped up

One of the more intriguing matchups of the young season will take place Wednesday when the Philadelphia 76ers host a longtime rival, the Boston Celtics. The Sixers have won five straight since an opening night one-point loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. Philadelphia crushed the Washington Wizards 146-128 on Monday as reigning Most Valuable Player Joel Embiid led the way with 48 points, 11 rebounds and six assists. Guard Tyrese Maxey added 22 points and a

Unlike their next opponent, the Indiana Pacers are on an offensive roll heading into Wednesday night’s game in Indianapolis against the Utah Jazz. In their past three games, they’ve scored at least 121 points, including a 50-point quarter against the Hornets and a 152-point outburst against the Spurs. Indiana’s most recent performance also gave Pacers coach Rick Carlisle his 900th career victory, including 245 wins in two different stints as the bench boss in Indianapolis.

There might be some experimentation going on for the Washington Wizards and Charlotte Hornets. They begin a home-and-home set Wednesday night in Charlotte, with both in need of some alterations in results. Neither team has exactly soared in the early going, with the Hornets at 2-4 and the Wizards at 1-5. The Hornets wasted LaMelo Ball’s triple-double in Sunday night’s 124-118 loss at Dallas. With 30 points, the point guard registered just the second regular-season

The Orlando Magic will need to adjust with injured center Wendell Carter Jr. sidelined for the next few weeks, but altering their defensive focus won’t be among the changes. The Magic have been one of the league’s top defensive teams early this season, and they’ll need another strong effort when they face the visiting Dallas Mavericks on Monday. Dallas improved to 5-1 with a 124-118 win over the Charlotte Hornets on Sunday. Luka Doncic scored

The James Harden Show returns to New York on Monday night. But the New York Knicks are more concerned with ensuring they are more than the Jalen Brunson Show. Harden will make his 2023-24 debut Monday, when he and the Los Angeles Clippers visit the Knicks in the first clash of the season between the teams. The Clippers have been off since Wednesday, when they fell to the host Los Angeles Lakers 130-125 in overtime.