NBA Previews

There is plenty of misery to go around for the Houston Rockets and Charlotte Hornets. One of them should find at least some temporary satisfaction when they meet Friday at Charlotte, N.C. The Hornets have split their past four games, falling 113-106 to the lowly Pistons on Wednesday night at Detroit. Still, that equals the Hornets’ best four-game stretch of the season. They have won back-to-back games just once. The Rockets are 20-23 yet are

The Dallas Mavericks hit the road to face the Atlanta Hawks on Friday in a matchup in which each team is on a three-game losing streak and could be missing one of its star players. Dallas could be without Kyrie Irving, while Atlanta might be missing Trae Young. Irving, who averages 25.2 points, 5.3 assists and 5.1 rebounds for the Mavericks, sprained his right thumb in a loss to the Boston Celtics on Monday. He

The Miami Heat will attempt to end a four-game losing streak when they face the visiting Boston Celtics on Thursday in a matchup between teams that met in last year’s Eastern Conference finals. Miami took a 105-96 home loss to the Memphis Grizzlies on Wednesday. It was the Heat’s first game since they traded Kyle Lowry to the Charlotte Hornets for Terry Rozier, who spent his first four NBA seasons with the Celtics. Rozier shot

Karl-Anthony Towns scored a Timberwolves franchise-record 62 points on Monday, but his production on the offensive end was an afterthought because of Minnesota coach Chris Finch’s disgust about his team’s defense. Two nights later, the Timberwolves did enough on both ends to avoid their first three-game losing streak of the season. Now they face a quick turnaround Thursday night when they face the reeling Brooklyn Nets in New York. The Timberwolves are allowing a league-low

After a rough stretch for both teams, either the visiting Utah Jazz or the Washington Wizards will snap a cold streak when they play in the nation’s capital on Thursday night. The Wizards lost their fifth consecutive game when the visiting Minnesota Timberwolves beat them 118-107 on Wednesday night. It was Washington’s 11th defeat in 12 games. The Jazz, meanwhile, have dropped three straight outings since reeling off six victories in a row. Utah was

OG Anunoby’s arrival has provided an immediate spark for the New York Knicks, who are 10-2 since the dynamic wing arrived in a five-player trade Dec. 30 from the Toronto Raptors. The Knicks have won four straight heading into Thursday’s matchup against the visiting Denver Nuggets. Anunoby’s arrival has created more scoring opportunities for Jalen Brunson and Julius Randle, who combined for 60 points in a 108-103 comeback win Tuesday over the Brooklyn Nets. “It

Joel Embiid and the Philadelphia 76ers will take their show on the road Thursday when they begin a five-game trek against the Indiana Pacers in Indianapolis. Embiid put on a dazzling display Monday in his last outing, erupting for a franchise-record 70 points in the Sixers’ 133-123 home victory over the San Antonio Spurs. The reigning NBA MVP made 24 of 41 shots from the floor and 21 of 23 attempts from the foul line.

The Oklahoma City Thunder will carry a three-game winning streak into play on Wednesday when they travel to San Antonio to square off against Victor Wembanyama and the Spurs in a Western Conference battle. The Thunder head to the Alamo City for the second of a home-road back-to-back that began with a 111-109 win over struggling Portland on Tuesday. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander hit a technical free throw with 16 seconds left to tie the game before

For lengthy stretches against the Boston Celtics on Sunday, the Houston Rockets appeared to simply not have enough — a legitimate deduction considering the injury attrition of their rotation. Despite missing four key cogs, including starters Fred VanVleet and Jabari Smith Jr., the Rockets shaved a 17-point deficit to three points in the fourth quarter before ultimately succumbing to the Celtics 116-107 in the second game of a back-to-back. It was the sixth loss in