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The teams with the best records in the NBA will meet Wednesday night when the Minnesota Timberwolves visit the Boston Celtics. Boston, which has the best record in the league at 28-8, is coming off a controversial 133-131 loss to Indiana on Monday. Boston’s Jaylen Brown appeared to be hit on the head during a shot that could have broken a 131-131 tie with 3.2 seconds to play. A foul was called on Buddy Hield,

The Utah Jazz have won eight of their past 10 games and are suddenly ferocious against top-flight competition. The Jazz look to make it three consecutive victories against elite teams when they face the defending NBA champion Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night in Salt Lake City. Utah is fresh off road wins over two of the best teams in the Eastern Conference, defeating the Philadelphia 76ers 120-109 on Saturday and the Milwaukee Bucks 132-116 on

Two teams that have had two days to respond to shockingly one-sided outcomes meet Wednesday night when the Golden State Warriors host the New Orleans Pelicans in San Francisco. The Pelicans have been rewarded with two days off in California after opening a five-game trip by blowing out the host Sacramento Kings 133-100 on Sunday behind 30 points from CJ McCollum and 61.0-percent shooting. Shortly after New Orleans was running up as much as a

The Houston Rockets’ road woes continued Monday as the team lost 120-113 at Miami in the opener of a six-game trip. The Rockets fell to 3-11 away from home this season but they still are off to an improved start. A victory against the host Chicago Bulls on Wednesday would put Houston three wins shy of matching last season’s total of 22. “For me, not surprised or happy,” Houston coach Ime Udoka said. “They bought

The Oklahoma City Thunder have been one of the NBA’s best-shooting teams this season. Since Christmas, the Thunder have been even better from the field, shooting better than 50 percent every game and leading the league, shooting 54.9 percent over their last eight games. Heading into Wednesday’s game at the Miami Heat, Oklahoma City’s offense has been fueled of late by its distributors. The Thunder are also among the league’s leaders during the stretch in

The Indiana Pacers will look to overcome the absence of All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton on Wednesday when they host the Washington Wizards in Indianapolis. Haliburton injured his left hamstring while driving to the basket during the second quarter of Indiana’s 133-131 victory over the Boston Celtics on Monday. The Pacers announced Tuesday that an MRI exam determined that Haliburton had a left hamstring strain. The club didn’t offer a timetable for his return. The

The Philadelphia 76ers aren’t sure if reigning league MVP Joel Embiid will be available on Wednesday when they go on the road to play the Atlanta Hawks. Embiid missed Saturday’s loss against the Utah Jazz because of swelling in his left knee following an incident during Friday’s loss to the New York Knicks. He did not participate in practice on Monday or Tuesday. When asked if Embiid would be available to play against the Hawks,

The Orlando Magic will go for their third win in a row when they host the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday night. Orlando is coming off a 117-110 overtime win against the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday evening, which followed a road victory over the Denver Nuggets on Friday night. The Magic are looking for their first three-game winning streak since stacking up nine wins in a row from Nov. 15-Dec. 1. Paolo Banchero scored 35 points

With a much-needed victory after a difficult week, the Los Angeles Lakers will look to build off the success when the Toronto Raptors visit Tuesday. The Lakers ended a four-game losing streak with a hard-fought 106-103 victory over the surging Los Angeles Clippers on Sunday as LeBron James scored 25 points with eight rebounds and seven assists. Anthony Davis added 22 points with 10 rebounds as the team’s stars took the lead in changing the

The Dallas Mavericks aim to extend their perfect start to their season-long seven-game homestand when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Tuesday night. The Mavericks gave their home fans a thrill with a pair of lopsided victories over the Portland Trail Blazers before recording a 115-108 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves on Sunday. Kyrie Irving, who scored 35 points against the Timberwolves, has averaged 29.3 points and 8.7 rebounds during the team’s current win streak.