Wizards and Cavaliers Meet in Midwest Battle
The Washington Wizards take on the Cleveland Cavaliers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Thursday night.
The Wizards (14-29) check into Thursday's game in the midst of an unfavorable stretch of play, as they've dropped five of their last seven contests. Their most recent stumble was a 134-129 overtime loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Bradley Beal led the way for the Wizards with 38 points, complementing them with nine rebounds, five assists and one steal. Davis Bertans provided 24 points, complementing them with four assists, one rebound, one steal and one block. Jordan McRae and Isaiah Thomas posted 14 points apiece, with McRae dishing out five assists and Thomas pulling in four rebounds. Ian Mahinmi generated a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included four assists, two blocks and one steal.
The Wizards will continue with Garrison Mathews (ankle), Mortiz Wagner (ankle) and Rui Hachimura (groin) for Thursday's game. Anzejs Pasecniks (ankle) will likely be listed as questionable at best.
The Cavaliers (12-32) come into Thursday's contest in the midst of their own spiral, as they've amassed five straight losses. Their most recent defeat came at the hands of the New York Knicks, which throttled them by a 106-86 score Monday afternoon. Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 17 points, including five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. Cedi Osman supplied 14 points and three assists. Tristan Thompson contributed a 13-point, 22-rebound double-double that also included one assist, one steal and one block. Larry Nance, Jr. and Kevin Love had matching 12-point tallies while pulling down 10 and nine rebounds, respectively.
The Cavaliers will likely list Brandon Knight (knee) as questionable at best for Thursday's game, while Kevin Porter, Jr. (knee) and Ante Zizic (illness) will remain out. John Henson (back) will carry a probable tag.
Thursday's game marks the second of three meetings between the teams this season. The Cavaliers own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 113-100 win Nov. 8.
The Wizards (14-29) check into Thursday's game in the midst of an unfavorable stretch of play, as they've dropped five of their last seven contests. Their most recent stumble was a 134-129 overtime loss to the Miami Heat on Wednesday night. Bradley Beal led the way for the Wizards with 38 points, complementing them with nine rebounds, five assists and one steal. Davis Bertans provided 24 points, complementing them with four assists, one rebound, one steal and one block. Jordan McRae and Isaiah Thomas posted 14 points apiece, with McRae dishing out five assists and Thomas pulling in four rebounds. Ian Mahinmi generated a 10-point, 10-rebound double-double that also included four assists, two blocks and one steal.
The Wizards will continue with Garrison Mathews (ankle), Mortiz Wagner (ankle) and Rui Hachimura (groin) for Thursday's game. Anzejs Pasecniks (ankle) will likely be listed as questionable at best.
The Cavaliers (12-32) come into Thursday's contest in the midst of their own spiral, as they've amassed five straight losses. Their most recent defeat came at the hands of the New York Knicks, which throttled them by a 106-86 score Monday afternoon. Collin Sexton led the Cavaliers with 17 points, including five rebounds, four assists, one steal and one block. Cedi Osman supplied 14 points and three assists. Tristan Thompson contributed a 13-point, 22-rebound double-double that also included one assist, one steal and one block. Larry Nance, Jr. and Kevin Love had matching 12-point tallies while pulling down 10 and nine rebounds, respectively.
The Cavaliers will likely list Brandon Knight (knee) as questionable at best for Thursday's game, while Kevin Porter, Jr. (knee) and Ante Zizic (illness) will remain out. John Henson (back) will carry a probable tag.
Thursday's game marks the second of three meetings between the teams this season. The Cavaliers own a 1-0 series lead, having notched a 113-100 win Nov. 8.
Lakers Face Second Game Of Back-To-Back
By Dan Bruno
The Brooklyn Nets play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on Thursday evening.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Lakers (35-9), who are coming off a win in New York on Wednesday night. This marks their fourth-game of a five-game road trip, where they have gone 2-1, so far. They are 19-4 on the road after Wednesday's win and have won eight of their last 10 games. Kyrie Irving (hamstring) is listed as probable for action on Thursday, after missing the last contest. DeAndre Jordan (finger) is listed questionable for action. Spencer Dinwiddie leads the Nets with 21.8 points, 6.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds, per game. Jarrett Allen is averaging 9.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. The Nets are averaging 15.4 turnovers per game, which is third most in the league. They are shooting 44.0 percent from the field, including 33.2 percent from long range, which is third lowest in the league.
Meanwhile, the Nets (18-24) have dropped eight of their last 10 games, including their last four in a row. This marks their third and final game of a home stand, as they look to build on their 11-11 home record. The Lakers average 114.0 points per game, which is seventh most in the league. They are shooting a league-best 48.5 percent from the field and lead the league with an average of 7.3 blocks per game. Anthony Davis finished with 28 points on Wednesday night, in his second game back from injury. He is averaging team-highs with 26.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. LeBron James Is averaging 25.2 points, 11.0 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Dwight Howard has been playing well lately and is averaging 9.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, over the last 10 games.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Lakers (35-9), who are coming off a win in New York on Wednesday night. This marks their fourth-game of a five-game road trip, where they have gone 2-1, so far. They are 19-4 on the road after Wednesday's win and have won eight of their last 10 games. Kyrie Irving (hamstring) is listed as probable for action on Thursday, after missing the last contest. DeAndre Jordan (finger) is listed questionable for action. Spencer Dinwiddie leads the Nets with 21.8 points, 6.4 assists and 3.2 rebounds, per game. Jarrett Allen is averaging 9.7 points, 8.4 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game. The Nets are averaging 15.4 turnovers per game, which is third most in the league. They are shooting 44.0 percent from the field, including 33.2 percent from long range, which is third lowest in the league.
Meanwhile, the Nets (18-24) have dropped eight of their last 10 games, including their last four in a row. This marks their third and final game of a home stand, as they look to build on their 11-11 home record. The Lakers average 114.0 points per game, which is seventh most in the league. They are shooting a league-best 48.5 percent from the field and lead the league with an average of 7.3 blocks per game. Anthony Davis finished with 28 points on Wednesday night, in his second game back from injury. He is averaging team-highs with 26.6 points, 9.2 rebounds, 2.6 blocks and 1.5 steals per game. LeBron James Is averaging 25.2 points, 11.0 assists, 7.6 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game. Dwight Howard has been playing well lately and is averaging 9.6 points, 10.0 rebounds and 1.7 blocks per game, over the last 10 games.
Trail Blazers Host Mavericks on Thursday
The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Dallas Mavericks at Moda Center on Thursday.
The Mavericks (27-16) have been a much better team away from home this season, posting a 14-5 record outside of Dallas. That's a really shocking statistic and it's even crazier when you consider they're 13-11 at home. That doesn't really make sense and it's tough to win any games in the Moda Center. That road form pairs nicely with their recent hot streak, winning four of their last five games heading into this matchup. What's unfortunate is that Dwight Powell tore his Achilles in the most recent defeat on Tuesday though and that's a loss they can't make up. This is a frontcourt that was already thin and many believe they will target someone at the trade deadline with a loss like that.
The Trail Blazers (19-26) just got a historic performance from Damian Lillard in their most recent victory over the Golden State Warriors and every bit of that impressive line was needed. In fact, he finished that game with 61 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on 11-of-20 from three-point range. Getting a performance like that from your best player is a special thing, particularly in an overtime win. It's really no surprise he was so aggressive when you consider that C.J. McCollum missed that game. This roster is already extremely thin through injuries and they probably can't compete with most teams without McCollum in the fold. The good news is that his ankle injury is not expected to be serious and there's a small chance he could return here in a game they desperately need to win.
These teams have split their two meetings this season which is no surprise when you see that they split their four-game season series last year as well.
The Mavericks (27-16) have been a much better team away from home this season, posting a 14-5 record outside of Dallas. That's a really shocking statistic and it's even crazier when you consider they're 13-11 at home. That doesn't really make sense and it's tough to win any games in the Moda Center. That road form pairs nicely with their recent hot streak, winning four of their last five games heading into this matchup. What's unfortunate is that Dwight Powell tore his Achilles in the most recent defeat on Tuesday though and that's a loss they can't make up. This is a frontcourt that was already thin and many believe they will target someone at the trade deadline with a loss like that.
The Trail Blazers (19-26) just got a historic performance from Damian Lillard in their most recent victory over the Golden State Warriors and every bit of that impressive line was needed. In fact, he finished that game with 61 points, 10 rebounds and seven assists on 11-of-20 from three-point range. Getting a performance like that from your best player is a special thing, particularly in an overtime win. It's really no surprise he was so aggressive when you consider that C.J. McCollum missed that game. This roster is already extremely thin through injuries and they probably can't compete with most teams without McCollum in the fold. The good news is that his ankle injury is not expected to be serious and there's a small chance he could return here in a game they desperately need to win.
These teams have split their two meetings this season which is no surprise when you see that they split their four-game season series last year as well.