Archives: Previews

Charleston coach Pat Kelsey spent the remainder of the 2023 NCAA Tournament wondering what might have been after his Cougars took a six-point loss in the first round to San Diego State, the eventual national runner-up. On Saturday night, Kelsey will get the most vivid reminder yet of what could have been when Charleston visits another of last season’s Final Four Cinderellas, No. 13 Florida Atlantic, in the final game of the Field of 68

The Phoenix Suns will attempt to bounce back from an unfulfilling night at the arena when they host the Memphis Grizzlies on Saturday night. Suns star Kevin Durant became the 10th-leading scorer in NBA history on Friday, but the ledger shows a 119-111 home loss to the Denver Nuggets. Durant scored 30 points, hitting that mark for the seventh consecutive game. However, his historic night included an 0-for-10 shooting second half as he finished 8-for-25

The Denver Nuggets will seek their third straight win on the road when they play the second night of a back-to-back set Saturday against the Sacramento Kings. It’s a matchup of two division winners from last season but they did not meet in the playoffs because the Kings were upset in the first round by the Golden State Warriors. The Nuggets, meanwhile, went on to win the NBA title. The defending champs have looked the

Everything is coming together for Oklahoma City Thunder star Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, whose team has followed his fast start this season. Gilgeous-Alexander and the Thunder look to maintain their momentum when they face the host Dallas Mavericks on Saturday. After finishing fifth in the Most Valuable Player voting last season, Gilgeous-Alexander again is among the leading candidates. The sixth-year pro is averaging 30.6 points per game on 54.1 percent shooting through his first 17 games. Gilgeous-Alexander

The New Orleans Pelicans generally lean on Zion Williamson and Brandon Ingram to lead them in scoring. However, as they get healthier they have more offensive options. The increased depth might be needed when New Orleans visits the Chicago Bulls on Saturday night. Pelicans guard CJ McCollum returned from a 12-game absence caused by a collapsed lung and has averaged 19.5 games in the two games since his return. Trey Murphy III scored 18 points

At the top of the Eastern Conference standings are the expected teams — Boston Celtics, Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers. Also in the upper echelon are the Orlando Magic, who are building on their improvement from the second half of last season as they enjoy one of the best stretches in team history. Orlando can set a team record with its 10th straight victory Saturday when it visits the Brooklyn Nets and the site of

The Nashville Predators will attempt to bounce back from a bad loss when they host the New York Rangers on Saturday in the finale of a four-game homestand. Nashville was on a six-game winning streak to climb above the .500 mark before dropping a 6-1 decision to the visiting Minnesota Wild on Thursday. “That’s not us,” Nashville forward Ryan O’Reilly said. “It’s disappointing because that’s a divisional team. That’s a big game for us. It’s

The Winnipeg Jets will try to avoid a fourth straight loss when they play host to their Central Division-rival Chicago Blackhawks on Saturday. The Jets have lost back-to-back games to open a four-game homestand and three straight overall dating back to Sunday. Winnipeg’s most recent loss was a 3-1 decision to the visiting Edmonton Oilers on Thursday. “Our biggest problem tonight was faceoffs; they killed us in the faceoff circle, so you’re chasing them all

The Tampa Bay Lightning will match up for two games over a three-day span with the Dallas Stars starting Saturday afternoon in the Lone Star State. For the Lightning, their season that continues to slip away from them can be defined by one word: turnovers. Against the visiting Pittsburgh Penguins on Thursday, Tampa Bay scored twice in the first period and appeared to be on the way to breaking a two-game skid after coming off

Vanderbilt hopes to snap a three-game losing streak when it faces Alabama A&M on Saturday in Nashville, Tenn. The Commodores (3-4) have gone winless after a 3-1 start, with those losses each coming against power-conference opponents. Wednesday’s 80-62 home loss to Boston College was the first time the Commodores had their best two players — guards Ezra Manjon (16 points) and Tyrin Lawrence (six) — on the floor at once. Both have been sidelined with