The Utah Jazz return to the site of their biggest blowout victory of the season on Thursday night when they take on the host Portland Trail Blazers. Utah wraps up a five-game, cross-country road trip in Portland, where they defeated the Trail Blazers by 42 points — 141-99 — on Dec. 6.

In that game, reserve Johnny Juzang led the Jazz with 22 points, stepping up in the absence of Lauri Markkanen, who was out with a back injury. Walker Kessler also delivered a strong performance, tallying 13 points, 17 rebounds, and five blocks. Utah led by as many as 46 points, causing Portland fans to boo their team on their own court.

After that emphatic victory, the Jazz lost their next three games but come into this rematch having won two of their past three outings. Their only loss during that stretch was a close 124-113 game against the Cleveland Cavaliers, where Utah’s big three — Jordan Clarkson (27 points), Markkanen (26 points), and Collin Sexton (24 points) — all played well. The Jazz were within one point in the final minutes before the Cavaliers closed out strong.

Utah had momentum in that game after earning their first back-to-back wins of the season against the Detroit Pistons (126-119) and the Brooklyn Nets (105-94). Kessler continued to be a big force for the Jazz, scoring nine points and adding 16 rebounds, three blocked shots, and three assists against the Cavaliers.

The Trail Blazers are back home after losing two games in Texas — a 114-94 defeat to the San Antonio Spurs on Saturday and a 132-108 loss to the Dallas Mavericks two days later. Portland has lost eight of its past nine games, with their lone win during that stretch coming at home.

Portland has dropped its past six games and 12 of its past 14 against Dallas. As they return to face the Jazz, they’ll look to break their losing streak and avoid another blowout.

This matchup promises to be an intriguing battle as the Jazz aim to continue their winning ways and the Trail Blazers seek to rebound from their recent struggles.

The Detroit Pistons hope to continue enjoying their holiday away from home as they aim for a third straight road win on Thursday night against the host Sacramento Kings.

Last season’s losingest team appeared to have a challenging schedule with a four-game Western swing sandwiching Christmas. The opponents—the Phoenix Suns, Los Angeles Lakers, Kings, and Denver Nuggets—all finished with winning records during the 2023-24 campaign.

However, the Pistons have defied expectations, bouncing back from a loss to the Utah Jazz in their last home game to beat the Suns 133-125 and the Lakers 117-114 before settling into a California Christmas without snow.

Now it’s back to work for what could be the softest landing spot on the trip. The Kings have opened a five-game homestand with four consecutive losses, most recently falling 122-95 to the Indiana Pacers on Sunday.

The Pistons have displayed a balanced attack out West. Jaden Ivey, Tim Hardaway Jr., Malik Beasley, and Simone Fontecchio all scored in double figures in both wins. Jalen Duren put up a double-double in Phoenix (17 points, 11 rebounds), and Ronald Holland II posted 10 points in Los Angeles. But as Detroit owner Tom Gores noted while watching the win over the Lakers, everything revolves around Cade Cunningham, who notched 28 points and 13 assists against the Suns before piling up 20 points and 10 assists against Los Angeles.

In Sacramento, the Pistons might encounter a particularly hostile crowd—hostile toward the home team, that is. The Kings heard rare hometown boos while facing the Pacers in what was their most lopsided loss of the season—home or away.

Kings fans probably expect more than wins; they expect points. Sacramento had averaged 120.6 points in 10 games—going 5-5 over that stretch—before going for 100, 99, and 95 points in three straight losses (the first two against the Los Angeles Lakers). Especially off the mark lately have been Malik Monk, who has gone just 6-for-27 on 3-pointers over the past three games, and DeMar DeRozan, who has averaged just 8.0 points on 9-for-30 shooting during that span.

Monk insisted it’ll take team play, not individuals looking to improve their numbers, to turn things around.

This matchup promises to be an intriguing battle as the Pistons aim to continue their winning streak and the Kings look to rebound from their recent struggles.

Toronto Raptors coach Darko Rajakovic knows firsthand the impact Ja Morant has on the Memphis Grizzlies. When the visiting Raptors play the Grizzlies on Thursday night, Rajakovic will return to the arena he called home for three seasons as a Memphis assistant coach.

After a league suspension and injuries sidelined Morant for the majority of the 2023-24 season, the two-time All-Star guard has returned to power the team’s 20-10 start. Although Morant has missed 12 of 30 games with various injuries, none have kept him out of the starting lineup for long. Memphis owns the third-best record in the Western Conference behind the Oklahoma City Thunder and Houston Rockets as Morant has averaged 21.3 points and 7.9 assists to fuel the strong start. Even with Morant in and out of action, the Grizzlies are scoring 126.1 points per game in 10 games this month.

The Grizzlies enter the game having won six of their last eight. However, they saw an eight-game home winning streak come to an end with a 114-110 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday. Morant returned from a one-game absence due to back soreness to score 23 points with six rebounds and four assists in 29 minutes against the Clippers, while shooting 7-of-20 from the floor.

Toronto, on the other hand, has struggled from the outset. The Raptors lost 12 of their first 14 games and are now 7-23. They suffered a 139-125 loss to the Knicks on Monday for their eighth consecutive loss. Their last win came on Dec. 3 against the Indiana Pacers. Among the recent positives has been the play of rookie Ja’Kobe Walter, who has scored 43 points in the past two games and ranks among the top rookies in scoring average (8.9). Toronto’s Scottie Barnes, who had 24 points and eight assists against the Knicks, is one of five players in the league averaging at least 19 points, seven rebounds, and seven assists.

This matchup promises to be a captivating battle as Rajakovic faces his former team and the Raptors seek to snap their losing streak. Will the Grizzlies continue their strong start, or will the Raptors find a way to bounce back?

After having Christmas Day off for the first time in seven seasons, the Milwaukee Bucks will face the visiting Brooklyn Nets on Thursday.

Milwaukee players expressed surprise after the Bucks were not selected to play on the holiday. After all, the Bucks were the No. 3 seed in the Eastern Conference last season and boast one of the league’s marquee players in Giannis Antetokounmpo.

Instead, the Bucks turn their attention to the struggling Nets, who have lost eight of their last 10 games.

Milwaukee won for the sixth time in its last seven games on Monday, with Khris Middleton and Brook Lopez each scoring 21 points in a 112-91 victory over the Chicago Bulls. The Bucks lost eight of their first 10 games this season, but they have returned to form in recent weeks. Their last two victories, against the Washington Wizards and Chicago, came without both Antetokounmpo (back spasms, illness) and Damian Lillard (right calf strain, illness).

Antetokounmpo and Lillard may not be available to face the Nets. With both sidelined on Monday, forward Bobby Portis stepped in to provide 19 points, 13 rebounds, and six assists.

Milwaukee is seeking its second straight victory over the Nets after winning 118-113 in Brooklyn on Dec. 8. Antetokounmpo finished that game with 34 points, 11 rebounds, four assists, and three blocks to help the Bucks rally from a 12-point deficit late in the third quarter.

Victories have been sparse of late for the injury-plagued Nets, who were outscored 52-38 in the second half of a 110-95 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday. Cameron Johnson and Noah Clowney scored 19 points apiece to lead Brooklyn. Johnson is averaging 22.8 points on 48.7 percent shooting over his last eight games.

The Nets’ Cam Thomas (strained left hamstring) and Ziaire Williams (sprained left knee) have been ruled out for Thursday’s game, while Dorian Finney-Smith (left calf contusion) is listed as questionable. The injuries have resulted in more playing time for Clowney, a second-year forward averaging 13.3 points and 6.7 rebounds while playing multiple positions in his last three games.

This post-holiday matchup promises to be an intriguing battle as the Bucks look to continue their winning streak and the Nets aim to break out of their slump.

The Houston Rockets, riding a wave of momentum with three straight wins and five victories in their last six games, will face the struggling New Orleans Pelicans, who have lost seven consecutive games and have just five victories this season. This matchup pits the team with the second-best record in the Western Conference against the team with the worst record in the conference on Thursday night.

The Rockets showcased their depth in a 114-101 victory at Charlotte on Monday, despite missing two of their seven players averaging double figures — Dillon Brooks and Tari Eason. Amen Thompson stepped into the starting lineup in Brooks’ absence, scoring 19 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. Two-way player Cam Whitmore contributed 17 points off the bench.

Houston was focused from the start, taking a commanding 62-31 halftime lead. They were motivated by their awareness of the Hornets’ potential, even though Charlotte has the third-worst record in the Eastern Conference. On opening night, Houston had squandered an 18-point lead in a 110-105 loss to the Hornets.

Earlier this week, Houston overcame a slow start, allowing 35 first-quarter points before rallying for a 114-110 victory on Sunday at Toronto. The Rockets aim to complete a sweep of their three-game road trip against teams that have combined for one fewer win than Houston’s 20.

The Pelicans, on the other hand, are coming off one of their better recent performances. They led the visiting Denver Nuggets by 17 points late in the third quarter before being forced into overtime and losing 132-129 on Sunday. This game continued a trend of guard Dejounte Murray rounding into form and center Yves Missi, the 21st overall pick in this year’s NBA draft, playing like one of the top rookies in the league.

Murray suffered a broken non-shooting hand in the season opener and missed 17 games. However, in the 12 games since returning, he has started to become the all-around leader New Orleans expected when they acquired him in an offseason trade with Atlanta. Despite a scoring average of 16.2, which is 6.3 points below his career-high average from last season, and a shooting percentage of just 35.7 percent, Murray had 17 points, 15 assists, eight rebounds, and six steals in 44 minutes against the Nuggets.

Missi held his own against Nuggets star Nikola Jokic, who didn’t score until less than three minutes remained in the second quarter before finishing with a triple-double. Missi had 21 points and nine rebounds and has started 23 of 29 games, averaging 9.7 points and 8.6 rebounds.

This clash between the Rockets and Pelicans promises to be an intriguing battle as Houston looks to continue their winning streak and New Orleans seeks to break out of their slump.

The Atlanta Hawks will try to reverse their losing trend against the Chicago Bulls on Thursday when they host the Bulls for their third meeting of the season.

The Bulls have won the first two meetings this season, defeating the Hawks 125-113 in Atlanta on Nov. 9 and 136-122 in Chicago on Nov. 22. The Bulls also have a three-game winning streak in games played in Atlanta.

Both teams are navigating through the holiday season. Atlanta has won six of its past 10 games, including a 117-104 victory over Minnesota on Monday to snap a three-game losing streak. Chicago, on the other hand, is 5-5 in its past 10 games and is coming off a 112-91 loss to Milwaukee on Monday.

Daniels has been a pleasant surprise for the Hawks since being acquired from the New Orleans Pelicans in the offseason. Dubbed “The Great Barrier Thief,” he leads the NBA with 3.2 steals per game and had eight steals in Monday’s win over the Timberwolves. He averages 13.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 3.5 assists.

The Hawks also welcomed back Trae Young, who missed the previous game against Memphis with a bruised heel. Young scored 10 of his 29 points against Minnesota in the first quarter. The team has struggled to find someone to direct the offense when Young is not on the floor; he leads the league with an average of 12.0 assists.

The Bulls are second in the NBA in 3-point shooting attempts, averaging 44.0 per game. They’ve connected on 36.3 percent of them, although Coby White is shooting just 27.8 percent (20-for-72) on 3-pointers over the past nine games.

The Bulls have been without Josh Giddey (11.9 points, 6.4 rebounds, 6.9 assists) for the past three games due to a sprained right ankle. Chicago also played the last game without Lonzo Ball, who was out with a non-COVID illness.

Atlanta has been missing versatile reserve Bogdan Bogdanovic, who missed the past game with a lower leg bruise, and backup center Onyeka Okongwu, who is out with left knee soreness.

This game promises to be an exciting matchup as the Hawks aim to reverse their trend and the Bulls look to continue their defensive intensity.