NBA Previews

Sacramento Kings coach Mike Brown said he will be watching the Super Bowl. Brown’s son, Cameron, is a defensive quality control coach for the San Francisco 49ers. “I’m excited,” Mike Brown said earlier this week. “I’m watching it. I’m carrying my 49ers shirt with me. I’m going to have it on and I will be into it 100 percent for sure.” Just before that game, though, Brown will coach the Kings as they take on

The New Orleans Pelicans are hoping their defense makes the trip to Portland. One night after a poor defensive effort, the Pelicans crave a better showing when they face the struggling Trail Blazers on Saturday night. New Orleans saw a four-game winning streak come to an end Friday as it dropped a 139-122 road decision against the Los Angeles Lakers. The Pelicans gave up an astounding 51 points in the second quarter and 87 in

The Cleveland Cavaliers will be going for their ninth consecutive victory when they visit the rebuilding Toronto Raptors on Saturday night. The Cavaliers are coming off a 118-95 road win over the Brooklyn Nets on Thursday. Toronto opened a five-game homestand Friday night with a 107-104 win over the Houston Rockets. The Raptors expect to play Kelly Olynyk and Ochai Agbaji, who were obtained in a trade with the Utah Jazz before the trade deadline

There’s a prize out there for the taking when the Memphis Grizzlies and host Charlotte Hornets meet for the first time this season Saturday night. The Grizzlies have lost seven games in a row, most recently a 118-110 home loss to the Chicago Bulls on Thursday night. The Hornets are on a 10-game skid after Friday night’s 120-84 setback at Milwaukee. “They went after us early in the game,” Hornets coach Steve Clifford said. “We

Two teams trending in opposite directions face off Saturday when the Atlanta Hawks host the road-weary Houston Rockets in the second night of back-to-back sets for both teams. On Jan. 26, the Hawks fell to a season-worst nine games under .500 after a home loss to the Dallas Mavericks in which Luka Doncic scored 73 points. Atlanta has rattled off five wins in its last seven games since that contest, including a 127-121 road victory

The Philadelphia 76ers hope that new arrivals Buddy Hield and Cameron Payne can play key roles during a lengthy playoff run later this season. For now, the two are just being asked to keep the injury-plagued Sixers afloat during a particularly rough stretch. Philadelphia has lost four straight heading into a road matchup against the Washington Wizards on Saturday. Hield and Payne were acquired at Thursday’s trade deadline and immediately inserted into the starting lineup

Two teams that hope to have beefed-up supporting casts square off Saturday night when the Phoenix Suns visit the Golden State Warriors in San Francisco. Both teams have won three in a row, but each has even more reason for optimism as they could be getting reinforcements in the clubs’ fourth and final meeting of the regular season. Phoenix won the first three matchups, but by just a total of 15 points as the Suns’

After laying an egg upon their return from a mammoth seven-game road trip, the Los Angeles Clippers are out to get back on track when they face the visiting Detroit Pistons on Saturday afternoon. The Clippers were an impressive 6-1 on a trip through the Eastern Conference but dropped a 117-106 decision to the New Orleans Pelicans at home Wednesday. Despite the defeat, Los Angeles is 26-6 since the start of December and has lost

The Oklahoma City Thunder and Dallas Mavericks were tied together at the NBA trade deadline after both made deals with the Charlotte Hornets on Thursday to bolster their playoff hopes. Then the Thunder helped facilitate another Mavericks deal with the Washington Wizards, acquiring a draft pick swap down the road. On Saturday, the Mavericks and Thunder square off in Dallas. Dallas came into the trade deadline wanting to add size and frontcourt depth, and the