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NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets (17-10) at Los Angeles Lakers (11-16)

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NBA Preview: Denver Nuggets (17-10) at Los Angeles Lakers (11-16)

After a determined rally and a tight overtime defeat against the best team in the NBA, the Los Angeles Lakers have reasons to feel optimistic about the season ahead.

Although the Lakers themselves aren’t trying to parse out the positives from a 122-118 home defeat against the Boston Celtics on Tuesday.

Instead, Los Angeles will go into a meeting Friday at home against the Denver Nuggets with a resolve to fix what went wrong after a game that was characterized as a disappointment more than anything.

Lakers star LeBron James was asked what the resilient effort meant to the team.

After starting the season 2-10 and going 9-6 since, the Lakers believe they have more in them. They saw it Dec. 2 during a 133-129 road victory against the Milwaukee Bucks to open a 3-3 road trip. While Los Angeles has improved, though, its last two defeats had a common theme.

In defeats last week on the road against the Philadelphia 76ers and this week against the Celtics, both games went to overtime after a Lakers rally. And Los Angeles had a chance to win both games had Anthony Davis been able to make late free throws.

Davis missed one of two free throws against the Sixers with 3.7 seconds remaining to force OT. He missed two free throws with 28.2 seconds remaining and a two-point lead against the Celtics, allowing Boston to tie the game.

The Nuggets were left scratching their heads following a season-long three game losing streak to open December. But they have responded with their current three-game winning streak and look more like the team that closed November with four consecutive victories.

The Nuggets are coming off a 141-128 victory at home Wednesday over the Washington Wizards that was not only the highest scoring game of the season for the team, Nikola Jokic delivered a season-best 43 points. Denver shot 65.1 percent from the field.

Jokic shot 17 of 20 from the field and grabbed 14 rebounds. The two-time defending NBA MVP leads the Nuggets with 24.6 points per game, 10.3 rebounds and 9.0 assists. He even has a team-best 1.4 steals per game.

After the game, Jokic was presented his 2021-22 MVP award as the team assembled in the locker room, rounding out a complete night.

The Nuggets scored 98 of their points in the paint to set a franchise record.

Scoring inside isn’t expected to come as easy against the Lakers. And a better brand of defense will be needed from Denver, after Washington shot 52.7 percent from the field and 48.7 percent from 3-point range with their makeshift lineup.

NBA Preview: Portland Trail Blazers (16-12) at Dallas Mavericks (14-14)

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NBA Preview: Portland Trail Blazers (16-12) at Dallas Mavericks (14-14)

Damian Lillard has returned with a vengeance for the Portland Trail Blazers, who continue their six-game road trip against the Dallas Mavericks on Friday.

Lillard is averaging 34.4 points over his last five games after missing two weeks in late November with a right calf injury. The six-time All-Star scored 37 points in a 128-112 win over the San Antonio Spurs on Wednesday.

Portland has won three straight and five of its last six with Lillard leading the way. He is shooting 52.9 percent from the field and 50.7 percent from 3-point range since returning.

Lillard added eight assists and five rebounds in the win over San Antonio and was 14-for-23 shooting from the field, including 7-of-14 shooting from 3-point range.

Portland is looking to reverse a negative trend against Dallas, which has won the last five meetings between the teams by an average of 26 points.

The Mavericks are concluding a three-game homestand that hit a speed bump on Wednesday, when the Cleveland Cavaliers led wire-to-wire in a 105-90 victory.

Dallas coach Jason Kidd changed up his starting lineup for the second half, with Reggie Bullock replacing Dorian Finney-Smith and Christian Wood replacing Dwight Powell.

While the changes helped on the defensive end, Dallas’ offensive woes continued. The Mavericks shot 39.2 percent from the field for the game and 13 of 38 (34.2 percent) from 3-point range.

The Mavericks’ interior game struggled again without 6-foot-10 forward Maxi Kleber, who sat out with a sprained right knee and is reportedly out for six to eight weeks.

Kleber’s absence places a greater burden on Wood, who scored 20 points in a season-high-tying 35 minutes on Wednesday.

Friday’s contest features a dynamic scoring duel between Lillard and Mavericks star Luka Doncic, who has scored at least 20 points in a franchise-record 35 straight games.

Cleveland double-teamed Doncic in the first half on Wednesday, holding him to 11 points on 4-of-14 shooting.

The Mavericks may need to take a similar approach against Lillard, who appears rejuvenated after missing a total of 12 games since Oct. 28.

NBA Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves (13-15) at Oklahoma City Thunder (11-17)

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NBA Preview: Minnesota Timberwolves (13-15) at Oklahoma City Thunder (11-17)

Two Western Conference counterparts looking to end losing skids meet Friday when the host Oklahoma City Thunder welcome the Minnesota Timberwolves to town.

Minnesota comes into Friday’s matchup trying to snap a three-game losing streak and salvage the last outing on a five-game road swing.

The Timberwolves began the trip moving a game above .500 for the season with their third win in four contests, beating Utah on Dec. 9, 118-108. But since losing 124-118 the next night in Portland, Minnesota has dropped to two games below .500.

A second straight loss to the Trail Blazers on Monday and the team’s worst offensive performance of the season in a 99-88 defeat at the Los Angeles Clippers on Wednesday highlighted a rough stretch that has coincided with the absence of two-time All-NBA honoree Karl-Anthony Towns.

Towns has been out of the lineup since Nov. 30 with a calf injury. D’Angelo Russell also missed Wednesday’s game with a knee injury and is listed as questionable for Friday.

With the absence of Towns and Russell, Minnesota’s second-and-third-leading scorers, Los Angeles focused its defense primarily on leading scorer Anthony Edwards. He finished with 19 points on 6-of-14 shooting from the floor, marking his third performance scoring less than his 22.5-point per game average in the last four outings for the Timberwolves.

The Timberwolves will try to jump-start their offense on Friday against one of the NBA’s most porous defenses.

Oklahoma City has allowed 117.4 points per game, the third-highest yield in the league through games played on Wednesday. However, the Thunder held two of their last three opponents to fewer points than their season-long average – yet lost both times.

A 110-108 defeat Wednesday against Miami marked Oklahoma City’s fourth consecutive loss, and came two games after dropping a 110-102 decision to Cleveland on Saturday.

While the Oklahoma City defense has struggled throughout the campaign, the Thunder offense has been an issue during the current losing streak. The team has averaged 106.5 points per game over the last four, nine points a contest fewer than its season average.

Coming out of the matchup with Miami, one of the NBA’s top defensive teams, Oklahoma City coach Mark Daigneault praised the team’s effort to outscore the Heat in the second half, 56-46.

The backcourt duo of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Josh Giddey led the way with 27 and 19 points, respectively. The same pair posted 33 and 21 points when Oklahoma City and Minnesota last met, a 135-128 Thunder victory on Dec. 3.

Friday’s matchup is the fourth and final between the teams this season. Minnesota won a pair in October, 115-108 on both squads’ opening night, and 116-106 in Oklahoma City just four days later.

NBA Preview: New York Knicks (15-13) at Chicago Bulls (11-16)

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NBA Preview: New York Knicks (15-13) at Chicago Bulls (11-16)

New York Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson scored 30 points in 39 minutes to help key Wednesday’s overtime road victory against the Chicago Bulls.

Not bad for someone who couldn’t practice the day before the game and had been in a walking boot one day before that following a right foot contusion in the Knicks’ previous contest.

Brunson and the Knicks will aim to keep doing just that on Friday, as they meet the host Bulls again while seeking their sixth straight victory.

Julius Randle paced New York with a double-double of 31 points and 13 rebounds in the first leg of the back-to-back with the Bulls. It was Randle’s third 30-point game in the past four as he continues to form an effective one-two punch with Brunson.

A two-time Illinois high school player of the year who starred at Stevenson in north suburban Chicago, Brunson navigated the pain to produce his fourth 30-point game of the season while adding seven assists.

Chicago lost for the second straight game and the fifth time in its past seven. The Bulls rallied from a 14-point, first-half deficit to force overtime but couldn’t keep a three-game home winning streak intact.

The Bulls fell to 0-3 in overtime games this season, with two of those defeats coming in consecutive contests.

Chicago finished 1-for-7 from the field in OT en route to losing by eight points.

The Bulls produced five double-figure scorers while shooting 54.8 percent from the floor. Usual suspects DeMar DeRozan (32 points) and Zach LaVine (25) offered the scoring punch, and Nikola Vucevic contributed 19 points, seven rebounds and five assists.

Still, the Bulls faltered down the stretch, falling to an NBA-low 3-11 in games within five points with five minutes or less remaining in regulation.

Chicago’s Patrick Williams feels the Bulls can learn from these shortcomings, but only if they’re willing to put in the work.

NBA Preview: Brooklyn Nets (17-12) at Toronto Raptors (13-15)

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NBA Preview: Brooklyn Nets (17-12) at Toronto Raptors (13-15)

The surging Brooklyn Nets will try to extend their winning streak to five games Friday night when they visit the struggling Toronto Raptors.

The Nets, who have won eight of their past nine games, could have Royce O’Neale back in the lineup Friday after he had missed two games for personal reasons.

The Raptors have dropped three in a row for the first time this season after losing 124-123 to the visiting Sacramento Kings on Wednesday.

Brooklyn has won all three games with Toronto this season.

The Raptors continued to have problems in shooting 3-pointers on Wednesday, going 6 for 21 (28.6 percent).

Fred VanVleet, who scored a season-best 39 points, missed a 3-point attempt in the final seconds that would have tied the game. It missed and Toronto settled for Pascal Siakam’s layup.

VanVleet was 2 for 8 in 3-point attempts.

Sacramento was 17 for 46 (37 percent) in 3-pointers.

The Raptors have lost six of their past eight games.

An encouraging sign for the Raptors was the play of reigning Rookie of the Year Scottie Barnes, who has been struggling. He had 27 points and matched his career best with 10 assists.

O.G. Anunoby (hip) will miss his third consecutive games for Toronto.

The Nets will be playing for the first time since a 112-100 road victory over the Washington Wizards on Monday.

Kevin Durant scored 30 points and Kyrie Irving had 24 for Brooklyn.

Irving has been a big part of the Nets’ recent success with his aggressive play.

The Nets are 15-7 since Vaughn replaced Steve Nash.

Vaughn likes what he is seeing.

Toronto is 10-4 at home. Brooklyn is 7-7 on the road, including one win in Toronto.

NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors (14-15) at Philadelphia Sixers (15-12)

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NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors (14-15) at Philadelphia Sixers (15-12)

While the Golden State Warriors received somewhat hopeful news regarding the shoulder injury to star Stephen Curry, the eight-time All-Star still will be out of action for Friday’s road game against the Philadelphia 76ers.

Curry was diagnosed with a labral injury in his left shoulder, according to The Athletic, and will be re-evaluated in two weeks as he is set to miss consecutive games for the first time this season.

Curry sustained the injury with 2:04 remaining in the third quarter of what turned out to be a 125-119 loss on the road to the Indiana Pacers on Wednesday. After a steal attempt against the Pacers’ Jalen Smith, Curry clutched his shoulder and left the court.

The injury is not the best of news for a team that is 2-13 on the road this season, but the diagnosis could have been worse for the defending NBA champions.

Curry scored 38 points before leaving the game and appeared on his way to 50.

Andrew Wiggins sat out for a fifth straight game Wednesday with an adductor strain, while Klay Thompson was out because of rest on the second leg of a back-to-back.

While Joel Embiid’s production has been the biggest reason for the Sixers’ three-game winning streak, he’s not the only one making key contributions to the recent success.

Enter James Harden.

Since returning from a strained tendon in his foot, Harden has steadily improved. In fact, Harden became the first player in Sixers franchise history to score at least 15 points and hand out 15 assists in consecutive games when he reached those numbers Sunday against the Charlotte Hornets and Tuesday against the Sacramento Kings.

Harden joined Maurice Cheeks (twice) as the only two Philadelphia players ever with 15 or more assists in consecutive games.

Harden had 21 points, 15 assists, seven rebounds and five steals in a 123-103 victory over the Kings.

The correlation to the rise in Harden’s numbers can be tracked to head coach Doc Rivers having his guard set up in the low post more often. It has created some much-needed spacing between him and Embiid.

Embiid led the way with 31 points Tuesday and is now averaging a league-best 39.2 points across his last five games, dating to Dec. 2.

Philadelphia’s Tyrese Maxey (fractured left foot) will be sidelined for a 13th consecutive game.

NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (15-14) at Cleveland Cavaliers (18-11)

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NBA Preview: Indiana Pacers (15-14) at Cleveland Cavaliers (18-11)

The Cleveland Cavaliers will look to continue their success at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Friday when they open a season-long six-game homestand against the Indiana Pacers.

The Cavaliers salvaged a split of their two-game swing through Texas with a 105-90 victory at Dallas on Wednesday. The win was just their second in their last 10 road games.

Donovan Mitchell scored 27 of his team-high 34 points before halftime to pace six Cleveland players in double digits.

Mitchell has reached the 30-point plateau in 14 of his 25 games this season. He also drained six 3-pointers on Wednesday, marking the 10th time this campaign that he has made at least five in a game.

Lamar Stevens recorded career-high totals in points (18) and rebounds (11). Jarrett Allen and Evan Mobley scored 14 points apiece, Darius Garland had 12 and Caris LeVert added 11 off the bench.

Defensively, the Cavaliers collected five steals and held Dallas to just 39.2 percent shooting from the floor.

Mitchell and Co. now return home, where the Cavaliers sport a 12-2 record this season.

The Pacers salvaged a split of their four-game homestand with a 125-119 victory over the Golden State Warriors on Wednesday.

Tyrese Haliburton scored 29 points versus the Warriors, two days removed from a dismal 0-for-9 shooting performance from the floor — and 0-for-6 effort from 3-point range — in Indiana’s 87-82 setback to the Miami Heat.

Haliburton made 9 of 17 shots from the floor and 5 of 10 attempts from 3-point range against the Warriors.

Rookie Bennedict Mathurin went 8 of 14 and 4 of 7, respectively, to highlight his 24-point performance off the bench.

Garland helped Cleveland complete a four-game season series sweep of Indiana in 2021-22 after scoring a then-career-high 41 points and adding 13 assists in the Cavaliers’ 127-124 victory on March 8. He has since scored 51 points in Cleveland’s 129-124 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Nov. 13.

NBA Preview: Orlando Magic (9-20) at Boston Celtics (22-7)

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NBA Preview: Orlando Magic (9-20) at Boston Celtics (22-7)

The Celtics will make their first home appearance since Dec. 2 when the Orlando Magic come to Boston for the first game of a two-game set between the teams on Friday night.

Game 2 will be Sunday, also in Boston.

The Celtics still hold the NBA’s top mark (22-7) after a 4-2 trip that included a victory over Phoenix and losses to Golden State and the Los Angeles Clippers. Tuesday’s 122-118 overtime win over the Los Angeles Lakers was a positive finish to the Celtics’ long swing.

The message was received as the Celtics improved to 1-3 in overtime games.

After finishing strong out west, Mazzulla’s team will look to build its league lead entering a seven-game homestand to finish the 2022 calendar year.

Center Robert Williams (knee surgery) is expected to be back in Boston’s mix this weekend for the first time this season.

Center Al Horford also is expected to rejoin the Celtics on Friday. He missed three games on the just-concluded six-game road trip while in health and safety protocol, then missed consecutive games at Los Angeles for personal reasons.

Star forward Jayson Tatum scored a game-high 44 points vs. the Lakers, including seven of Boston’s last 12 points in regulation to finish the highest scoring effort ever by a Celtic on the road against the Lakers.

Tatum was just 7 of 20 from the field against the Clippers on Monday, though he did have a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds.

Orlando has had a season full of streaks, as its current run of four wins in a row follows a nine-game skid that spanned more than two weeks.

The Magic will begin a four-game trip after Wednesday’s 135-124 win over Atlanta, which extended the team’s longest win streak since early in the 2020-21 season.

Against the Hawks, Franz Wagner scored 24 points to lead an offense that had a 50-point first quarter, the highest-scoring period in Magic history.

Bol Bol had 21 points, Paolo Banchero added 20 points and six rebounds, and Markelle Fultz finished with 16 points, seven rebounds and nine assists.

NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (15-12) at Detroit Pistons (8-22)

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NBA Preview: Sacramento Kings (15-12) at Detroit Pistons (8-22)

The Sacramento Kings will be home for the last two weeks of December.

They just have one piece of unfinished business before that stretch of games.

The Kings will finish a six-game trip with a visit to Detroit on Friday night. Sacramento has gone 2-3 on the road swing, including a 124-123 victory over Toronto on Wednesday.

Kings coach Mike Brown finished the game in the locker room. He was ejected early in the third quarter because he thought guard De’Aaron Fox wasn’t getting enough calls.

In the players’ minds, the ejection was a good thing.

A few players also felt ill.

Shooting guard Kevin Huerter missed the game due to ankle soreness. Terence Davis started in his place and scored 19 points.

Fox finished with 27 points and 10 assists, Monk had 24 points, and Domantas Sabonis posted a double-double with 21 points and 20 rebounds along with seven assists. Sacramento attempted a season-high 46 3-pointers and made 17.

Toronto’s Fred VanVleet missed a 3-pointer that could have tied the score in the closing seconds.

The Kings will open a six-game homestand on Monday against Charlotte. The Pistons are coming off an overtime road victory against the Hornets on Wednesday.

Alec Burks scored a season-high 27 points off the bench in the 141-134 win, including five in overtime.

Killian Hayes supplied 25 points, eight assists and seven rebounds in one of the best outings of the third-year guard’s career.

The Pistons snapped a three-game losing streak and at least temporarily shed the status of worst record in the league. Charlotte now holds that distinction.

Detroit, which will open a three-game homestand on Friday, will seek back-to-back victories for just the second time this season.

The Pistons could be without power forward Marvin Bagley III when they face his former team. Bagley sat out the second half in Charlotte on Wednesday with knee soreness.

Sacramento won the first meeting with Detroit this season, 137-129 last month behind Fox’s 33 points.

NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks (14-15) at Charlotte Hornets (7-21)

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NBA Preview: Atlanta Hawks (14-15) at Charlotte Hornets (7-21)

The Atlanta Hawks haven’t been very good lately.

The Charlotte Hornets have been even worse.

So that sets up Friday night’s meeting in Charlotte, N.C., where neither team is likely to be in much of a good mood.

The Hornets were called out for their recent lackluster performances, with coach Steve Clifford pointing squarely at the defense.

Charlotte, with its losing streak sitting at six games, surrendered a season-high point total Wednesday night, albeit in an overtime game, a 141-134 loss to visiting Detroit.

Hawks coach Nate McMillan had a similar tone regarding his team. Atlanta has lost five of its past six games, with its coach saying there haven’t been enough connections within the team.

Clifford said the Hornets need to improve their approach. He called out his team for not being determined enough in rebounding or in pursuing loose balls.

Atlanta isn’t touting great defense either. It gave up its second-highest point total of the season in Wednesday night’s 135-124 road loss to the Orlando Magic.

For the Hornets, some of their good work has been wasted. That’s what might be most disturbing.

He said the team moved into the middle of the NBA statistically in defense a few weeks ago. That progress has gone by the wayside.

If there’s a positive aspect for the Hornets, it could be that one of their seven victories this season came against Atlanta. That was an Oct. 23 road win, with Kelly Oubre Jr. pouring in 24 points.

The Hornets should have a boost with point guard LaMelo Ball back for his second game since his latest injury. He racked up 23 points and 11 assists in his return Wednesday night.

They also could get forward Gordon Hayward back. Hayward reportedly is hopeful to return after missing the past nine games with a fractured left shoulder. Hayward will make a final decision after the team’s shootaround.

The Hawks are looking at an injury situation from a different perspective. They lost center Clint Capela due to right calf tightness in the fourth quarter of Wednesday night’s game. The team announced Thursday that he has a calf strain and will miss one to two weeks.

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