NBA Previews

The Orlando Magic entered last weekend’s test against fellow Eastern Conference playoff contenders on a high note, having won five straight and eight of nine to get them well over the .500 mark. After wilting in double-digit losses to the New York Knicks and Indiana Pacers — falling by a combined 38 points — the Magic attempt to get back on track Wednesday night when they host the Brooklyn Nets. Orlando shot 52.7 percent in

Josh Giddey’s third NBA season was easily classified as a rough one as he shifts to an off-ball role for Oklahoma City. But with little more than a month to go in the regular season, the Thunder guard is breaking out of the slump. Over the Thunder’s last five games — four wins — heading into Tuesday night’s matchup with the Indiana Pacers in Oklahoma City, Giddey is averaging 13.8 points, 6.2 rebounds and 4.6

The Boston Celtics will be looking to extend their road winning streak to three games when they face the slumping Utah Jazz on Tuesday night. After beating Phoenix 117-107 on Saturday, the Celtics earned a 121-99 victory at Portland on Monday. Jaylen Brown led Boston with 27 points and Jayson Tatum added 26. Sam Hauser came off the bench to make 6 of 10 3-pointers and finished with a season-high 22 points. “We just played

The Houston Rockets will look to build on a season-best road winning streak and stay in the running for a postseason spot when they travel west on I-10 to battle the San Antonio Spurs on Tuesday. The Rockets will be without leading scorer Alperen Sengun, who will be out an extended period of time after sustaining right knee and ankle injuries early in the fourth quarter of a win over the Sacramento Kings on Saturday.

The Los Angeles Clippers and Minnesota Timberwolves hope to have some stars back on the floor when they meet in a key late-season showdown Tuesday in Los Angeles. Anybody with the time, and plenty of cash for tickets, could have scouted both depleted teams Sunday in downtown Los Angeles when the Clippers dropped a 124-117 afternoon decision to the Milwaukee Bucks and the Timberwolves fell 120-109 to the Los Angeles Lakers in the same building

Talented big men and rival guards will be the featured matchups when the Milwaukee Bucks conclude a four-game tour of California with a duel against the host Sacramento Kings on Tuesday night. The Bucks rebounded from consecutive road defeats to the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers with a 124-117 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday afternoon. Damian Lillard scored 35 points and Giannis Antetokounmpo added 34 in the win. A few

One game after facing the Eastern Conference’s first-place team, the Phoenix Suns open a four-game road swing on Monday visiting the East’s current No. 3, the Cleveland Cavaliers. Phoenix lost 117-107 to the Boston Celtics on Saturday despite 45 points from Kevin Durant. The Suns finished a seven-game stretch, during which they played six home games, at 4-3 after the loss. They played the last four games of that stretch without Devin Booker. Suns coach

Cleveland’s Jarrett Allen did not back down when tasked with a matchup against Rudy Gobert and the Minnesota Timberwolves’ stout defense on Friday night. Two nights later, Allen will face the team that drafted him when the Cavaliers host the struggling Brooklyn Nets. Donovan Mitchell will miss his sixth straight game with a bruised left knee, and the Cavaliers are a respectable 9-7 when he does not play this season. They improved to 3-2 in

The Los Angeles Clippers will look to avenge their recent loss in Milwaukee as they host the visiting Bucks on Sunday afternoon. Since losing to the Bucks on Monday, the Clippers have won two straight. The Bucks have gone 0-2 to start their four-game California road trip after falling to the Lakers on Friday night in a heartbreaker, 123-122. The Clippers will be on the second day of a back-to-back at home after taking down