NBA Previews

The Chicago Bulls didn’t envision themselves jockeying for position in the Eastern Conference play-in tournament. Of course, the Bulls didn’t foresee encountering so many injuries, either. Still, that’s where Chicago stands entering Tuesday’s home game against the Detroit Pistons. After closing out a tight victory in New Orleans on Sunday, the Bulls will try to earn consecutive wins for the second time this month. “It’s always easy when you have any type of adversity to

Jordan Poole gets a rematch with his former team, this one at his new home, when the Washington Wizards host the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night. The Wizards have lost 11 in a row, but they were nine minutes from surprising the Cleveland Cavaliers on Sunday before seeing a six-point lead turn into a 114-105 defeat. Poole’s 3-pointer — his sixth of the game — gave Washington its 94-88 advantage before the Wizards missed

The Cleveland Cavaliers snapped a modest two-game skid in their last outing, but their performance wasn’t received with open arms by coach J.B. Bickerstaff. The Cavaliers will look for a better showing on Tuesday night when they host Luka Doncic, Kyrie Irving and the Dallas Mavericks. Cleveland squandered an 11-point lead in the third quarter and overcame a six-point deficit in the fourth of a 114-105 victory over the Washington Wizards on Sunday. “I thought

The Miami Heat seek a fourth straight win in a third different time zone but will have to do so without at least two key players on Monday when they visit the Sacramento Kings. Heat star Jimmy Butler was one of five players suspended by the NBA after having been involved in a skirmish during Friday’s 106-95 road win over the New Orleans Pelicans. Miami’s Thomas Bryant and New Orleans’ Jose Alvarado got the harshest

Through two games under interim coach Kevin Ollie, fourth quarters and fast-break points are among the numerous trouble spots for the Brooklyn Nets. Fading from the play-in race in the Eastern Conference, the Nets attempt to correct both areas, show some improvement on offense and stop their latest losing streak at four games in Monday’s visit to the struggling Memphis Grizzlies. Ollie’s first two games as an NBA coach are a 121-93 loss at Toronto

The banged-up New York Knicks go from one extreme to the other during the first two games of their homestand. After league-leading Boston defeated the Knicks for the fourth time this season on Saturday, New York hosts the league’s worst team, the eight-win Detroit Pistons, on Monday night. The Knicks have lost six of their past eight games, but it’s been a long time since the Pistons defeated them. The Knicks have won the past

The Orlando Magic will try to complete a three-game road sweep on Sunday night when they visit the Atlanta Hawks, who will be without star guard Trae Young due to an injury to his left pinkie finger. Orlando has beaten the Cleveland Cavaliers and Detroit Pistons on the road since the All-Star break. They will return home Tuesday against the Brooklyn Nets to start a three-game homestand. The Magic can expect resistance from the Hawks,

Winners in seven of their last nine, the Los Angeles Lakers look to keep rolling Sunday when they visit the Phoenix Suns in a matchup with Western Conference playoff implications. Phoenix sits in eighth place in the West, 2.5 games ahead of Los Angeles, after both sides returned from the All-Star break with back-to-backs on Thursday and Friday. The Lakers split theirs, rebounding from a 128-110 loss on Thursday at Golden State with a 123-118

The Philadelphia 76ers will look for their second consecutive victory when they host former coach Doc Rivers and the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday afternoon. Tyrese Maxey scored 24 points to lift the short-handed Sixers to a 104-97 win over the Cleveland Cavaliers on Friday. Without Joel Embiid, Robert Covington and Kyle Lowry, Maxey responded with 15 points in the fourth quarter. Former Buck Cameron Payne scored 16 points off the bench, Tobias Harris added 15