NBA Previews

The San Antonio Spurs will look to build on their most impressive three-game stretch of the season when they host the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. San Antonio and Chicago will meet for the third time this season, a rarity created by the teams’ performance in the NBA’s inaugural in-season tournament. Saturday’s contest will represent the second game between the teams in the Alamo City. The Bulls have captured the first two meetings this season,

The Utah Jazz are in the midst of an impressive roll and the Los Angeles Lakers are in a deep funk. Utah will strive to win its fifth straight game and 11th in the past 13 when it hosts the Lakers on Saturday night in Salt Lake City. The Jazz own their first four-game winning streak of the season and all of the victories have been by double digits. The largest margin was Friday night’s

The New Orleans Pelicans and Dallas Mavericks are tied for first place in the Southwest Division. That tie will be broken when they face each other Saturday night in the first of two head-to-head matchups in three nights in Dallas. The tie arose after the Pelicans lost Friday night at Denver, 125-113, which was only New Orleans’ second defeat in eight games and ended a seven-game road winning streak. “It definitely gives a playoff feel

Two seasons ago, the Oklahoma City Thunder and Orlando Magic were in a race toward the bottom of the NBA standings. In the process of a rebuild, the teams were battling for the top picks in the 2022 NBA Draft. The Magic ultimately won out, selecting Paolo Banchero with the top overall pick. The Thunder got the second overall pick, taking Chet Holmgren. While Holmgren missed all of last season with a foot injury, Banchero

The Milwaukee Bucks catch a huge break in the schedule for the second consecutive game when they host the Golden State Warriors on Saturday night. As was the case when Milwaukee took advantage of a Boston Celtics back-to-back to crush its Eastern Conference rival 135-102 on Thursday, the Bucks enjoyed Friday off while the Warriors were involved in a basketball-style track meet in Chicago. A short-handed Golden State squad prevailed 140-131 but had to burn

Their five-game winning streak snapped, the New York Knicks will look for a complete effort when they visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday. The Knicks will need a stronger start after allowing 44 points in the first quarter of a 128-124 loss to the host Dallas Mavericks on Thursday. The defeat was New York’s first since acquiring OG Anunoby from the Toronto Raptors in a five-player trade on Dec. 30. Julius Randle scored 32 points

Outside of facing the Washington Wizards, the Atlanta Hawks haven’t had much success this season. Luckily for Atlanta, it gets a chance for a fourth win over Washington already this season when the Hawks host the reeling Wizards on Saturday. Coming off a 126-108 loss to the visiting Pacers on Friday — the Hawks’ third defeat in as many tries against Indiana — Atlanta experienced the same old story: not being able to get stops

The Boston Celtics will try to retain the NBA’s only unbeaten home record when they face the Houston Rockets on Saturday night. Boston set a franchise record for consecutive home wins at the start of a season when it improved to 18-0 by beating the Minnesota Timberwolves 127-120 in overtime Wednesday. The 1957-58 Celtics won their first 17 home games. “Any time you get a chance to, to sketch yourself down to history, there’s been

The Golden State Warriors get a chance to vent some frustration on the NBA’s losingest team when they host the Detroit Pistons on Friday night in San Francisco. Both teams are coming off heartbreaking defeats, the biggest difference being the Pistons have had a day off since their 154-148 overtime disappointment in Salt Lake City on Wednesday against the Utah Jazz. The Warriors must endure the second night of a back-to-back after blowing an 18-point