NBA Previews

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.

An uneven four games saw the Milwaukee Bucks struggle immensely on defense, and following a blowout in Toronto, players suggested a change in defensive strategy to new coach Adrian Griffin. Coming off their best defensive showing under Griffin, the Bucks will attempt to produce another stout performance Monday night when they visit the Brooklyn Nets. Milwaukee allowed its first four opponents to average 122 points and gave up at least 50 percent shooting in three

The Los Angeles Lakers continue a four-game road swing Monday, visiting a host Miami Heat team fresh off snapping an early-season skid. Tyler Herro came one assist away from his second career triple-double Friday, with 24 points and 10 rebounds in Miami’s 121-114 victory over Washington. “He’s made himself more dynamic to the point where if you blitz him, he makes a crosscourt pass,” Bam Adebayo said of Herro. “He’s really improved on looking off

The Philadelphia 76ers dropped a gut-wrenching season opener by one point on the road against the Milwaukee Bucks. Philadelphia hasn’t lost since. The Sixers will try to land their fifth consecutive victory when they host the Washington Wizards on Monday. Following the blockbuster trade of James Harden to the Los Angeles Clippers, the Sixers have been moving the ball much more than in Harden’s ball-dominant style. The Sixers defeated the Phoenix Suns 112-100 on Saturday