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NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators

NHL Editor
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NHL Preview: Buffalo Sabres at Ottawa Senators

BUFFALO SABRES NOTES:

LAST GAME
Tuesday, Nov. 15
Vancouver 5 at Buffalo 4
Goals: Skinner (2), Tuch, Mittelstadt
Goalie: Anderson (27 saves/32 shots)
PP: 0/3; PK: 1/3; Shots: Buffalo 32 – Vancouver 32

CURRENT INJURIES – (Man Games Lost: 33)
Player (injury, first game missed) – total games missed
Mattias Samuelsson (Lower body, Oct. 25; IR) – 10 games
Kyle Okposo (Lower body, Nov. 12; IR) – 2 games
Jack Quinn (Undisclosed, Nov. 15) – 1 game

TRANSACTIONS IN PAST 7 DAYS
11/9: Assigned D Jeremy Davies to Rochester (AHL)
11/13: Assigned D Kale Clague to Rochester (AHL)
11/15: Recalled F Anders Bjork and F Riley Sheahan from Rochester (AHL); Activated D Henri Jokiharju from IR; Placed F Kyle Okposo
on IR

UPCOMING GAMES
Saturday, Nov. 19: Buffalo at Toronto, 7 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 22: Buffalo at Montreal, 7 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 23: St. Louis at Buffalo, 7 p.m.
Friday, Nov. 25: New Jersey at Buffalo, 8 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 28: Tampa Bay at Buffalo, 7 p.m.

TONIGHT’S GAME
SABRES at SENATORS
• This is the second of four meetings between the Sabres and Senators this season.
• Last meeting: Buffalo defeated Ottawa 4-1 in Buffalo on Oct. 13, 2022.
• Next meeting: Sunday, Jan. 1, 2023 in Ottawa
• The Sabres are 4-6-0 in their last 10 games against the Senators; 4-5-1 on the road.
• This is the 150th game all-time between Buffalo and Ottawa; Buffalo has a 72-57-20 series record.
• The Sabres are 32-32-12 on the road against the Senators all-time.

THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW
• Each of the last 12 games between the Sabres and the Senators has been decided in regulation and by two or more goals.
• Tage Thompson has tallied 18 points (10+8) in his last nine games.
• Thompson has recorded seven points (4+3) in his last five games and is riding a five-game point streak.
• A point in tonight’s game would extend his point streak to six games, which would tie his career high.
• A point in tonight’s game would give Rasmus Dahlin a three-game point streak against the Senators.
• Victor Olofsson owns three multi-point performances in eight games against Ottawa in his career.
• Vinnie Hinostroza has tallied seven points (2+5) in seven career games against the Senators, including four (2+2) in his last four.
• Dylan Cozens has notched three points (0+3) in his last three games.

FIT OF TAGE
• After Tuesday night’s game and dating back to Oct. 29, Tage Thompson ranked first in the NHL in goals (10) and points (18).
• Thompson leads all Sabres skaters in goals (11), points (21), points per game (1.31) and shots (69).
• Thompson is also tied for the team lead in even-strength points (11), power-play goals (4), power-play points (8) and shorthanded goals (1).
• Thompson ranks second among all Sabres forwards in time on ice per game (17:56), trailing just Alex Tuch (18:15).
• According to Natural Stat Trick, Thompson leads all Sabres skaters in high-danger scoring chances for (33).

POWER RANKINGS
• After Tuesday night’s game, Owen Power was tied for first among rookie defensemen in points (8) and he was tied for second among rookie defensemen in even-strength points (6).
• After Tuesday night’s game, Power led all rookie skaters in time on ice per game (23:48), with the next closest rookie at 20:37 (Kaiden Guhle).
• Through Buffalo’s first 16 games, Power has recorded multiple points on three separate occasions (Oct. 20, 0+2; Nov. 2, 0+2; Nov. 5, 0+2), tied with Kaiden Guhle for the most among rookie skaters in 2022-23 after Tuesday’s game.

RAS IS IN SESSION
• After Buffalo’s game on Tuesday, among NHL defensemen, Rasmus Dahlin was ranked second in goals (7), third in points per game (1.20), tied for third in points (18), first in power-play goals (4), second in power-play points (8), second in time on ice per game (26:24) and second in shots (60).
• According to Natural Stat Trick, Dahlin is one of two NHL defensemen who had recorded 10 or more high-danger scoring chances after Tuesday night’s game.
• Through his first 15 games, Dahlin has only failed to record a point on two occasions (Oct. 27 vs. Montreal, Nov. 12 vs. Boston).
• Dahlin (395:57) and Owen Power (380:52) are the only two Sabres skaters who have logged 380 or more minutes of ice time through the team’s first 16 games.

BACK-TO-BACK
• Tonight’s game wraps up Buffalo’s second of 13 sets of back-to-back games this season, which began with a 5-4 loss last night vs. Vancouver. The Sabres are 0-2-0 in the first game of back-to-back sets and 0-1-0 in the second game so far this season. Buffalo’s point breakdown in back-to-back sets this season is: four points (0), three points (0), two points (0), one point (0) and zero points (1).

SABRES AMONG LEAGUE-LEADERS (Sabres’ league rankings after Buffalo’s game on Nov. 15, 2022)
• Buffalo Sabres: 59 GF (T-5th), 3.69 GF/GP (T-4th), 23.7 PP% (10th)
• Rasmus Asplund: 1 SHG (T-5th)
• Rasmus Dahlin: 26:24 TOI/GP (2nd)
• Casey Mittelstadt: 1 SHG (T-5th)
• Victor Olofsson: 7 EVG (T-10th), 1 OTG (T-2nd)
• Tage Thompson: 11 G (T-4th), 21 P (T-10th), 1 SHG (T-5th), 69 S (7th)
• Alex Tuch: 7 EVG (T-10th), 3 GWG (T-1st)

SABRES REAL-TIME STATS LEADERS
Shots: Thompson (69), Dahlin (60), Olofsson/Skinner (45)
Hits: Lyubushkin (24), Dahlin (20), Cozens (17)
Blocked Shots: Dahlin (32), Bryson (26), Power (21)

SABRES’ RECORD IN 10 GAME SEGMENTS [W-L-OTL (PTS), GF/GA, PP, PK]
1-10: 7-3-0 (14), 43/28, 9/38, 25/32
11-20: 0-6-0 (0), 16/29, 5/21, 10/16

OVERTIME RESULTS (1-0; 131-146 all-time)
Oct. 29 vs. CHI: W, 4-3 (GWG-Olofsson)

SHOOTOUT RESULTS (0-0; 84-77 all-time)
N/A

OTTAWA SENATORS NOTES:

LAST GAME: Nov. 14, 4-2 win vs. N.Y. Islanders: The Islanders received goals from four different skaters to hand Ottawa their fifth consecutive loss at home in a 4-2 Senators setback at Canadian Tire Centre. The win moved New York to 9-1-0 in their last 10 games against Ottawa. Former Senator Pageau provided the game-winning goal at 8:21 of the third period while Wahlstrom, Dobson and Nelson also provided tallies for the visitors. Barzal provided two assists to give him 18 on the season, third in the NHL. Batherson (on the power-play) and Giroux replied for the home side while Tkachuk added an assist to become the first Senators forward to reach 20 points in 15 games or fewer since 2007-08. Stützle had two assists for Ottawa to equal a single game high. Varlamov made 36 saves to earn the win for New York while Talbot turned aside 31 shots in taking the loss for Ottawa Scratches: Gambrell, Zaitsev; Injuries: Chabot, Norris, Zub; Shots: OTT – 35, NYI – 38; PP: OTT – 1-6, NYI – 2-3.

BROADCAST INFORMATION: This evening’s game against Buffalo will be broadcast nationally on Sportsnet and TVAS. On the radio, the game will be available locally via TSN 1200 (English) and 94,5 Unique-FM (French).

WHAT’S NEXT: Ottawa concludes a three-game homestand against New Jersey on Saturday at 1 p.m. The contest will mark the second of three regular-season meetings and the lone matchup at Canadian Tire Centre.

INJURY REPORT: D Chabot, C Norris and D Zub are on IR and will not oppose the Sabres this evening. Total man-games lost: 29.

RECENT TRANSACTIONS: Recalled D Larsson from Belleville on Nov. 13.

OTTAWA vs. BUFFALO – History:
2022-23 (0-1-0): Oct. 13 @ Buffalo (4-1 loss), Nov. 16 @ Ottawa, Jan. 1 @ Ottawa, April 13 @ Buffalo
2021-22 (2-1-0): 1/18/22 @ Ottawa (3-1 loss), 1/25/22 @ Ottawa (5-0 win), 2/17/22 @ Buffalo (3-1 win)

Series record: Overall: 67-57-10-15; Home: 37-23-7-9; Away: 30-34-3-6
Last Ottawa win: @ Ottawa: 1/15/21 (5-0); @ Buffalo: 2/17/22 (3-1)
Last Buffalo win: @ Ottawa: 1/18/22 (3-1); @ Buffalo: Oct. 13 (4-1)
Last OT result: 2/15/18 (3-2 OT win) @ Ottawa
Last shootout: 3/8/18 (4-3 SO loss) @ Ottawa

Most goals, game: Scored: 10, (11/2/05, 10-4 win); Allowed: 12, (10/30/92, 12-3 loss); Both teams: 15, (10/30/92, 12-3 loss)

Last Game: Oct. 13, 4-1 loss @ Buffalo; OTT Goal: Tkachuk; BUF Goals: Olofsson (x2), Peterka, Dahlin; OTT Scratchwa: Brassard, Gambrell, Zaitsev; OTT Injuries: Talbot; OTT Goalie: Forsberg; BUF Goalie: Anderson; OTT PP: 0-4; BUF PP: 0-4; Shots: 36-36.

Career vs. Buffalo: Giroux leads all players in career games played (50), in goals (15), in assists (33) and in points (48); Watson leads
in penalty minutes (27) against Buffalo.

SWEATER WEATHER: The Senators enter their third season of wearing a primary logo which sees the organization return to its roots with the implementation of the modified original “2D” logo. The team has earned a 60-76-12 all-time record (5-9-1 this season) while wearing its current sweater. Ottawa unveiled their Reverse Retro jersey on Oct. 20 and will wear the sweater on five occasions in 2022-23 (0-0-0 this season). The Senators hold an all-time record of 112-75-7-25 when wearing an alternate; 27-19-2-5 when wearing a red alternate, 84-55-5-19 when wearing a black alternate and 1-1-0-1 when wearing a cream alternate.

HOME ON THE RANGE: Ottawa has a record of 4-5-0 at home this season … Claude Giroux is the Senators leader with six goals at home while Brady Tkachuk maintains the club lead with 10 assists at Canadian Tire Centre … Through nine home games, Tkachuk leads the team with 14 points on home ice … The Senators earned a record of 15-22-4 at home through 41 home contests in 2021-22.

ROAD SCHOLARS: The Senators have a record of 1-4-1 on the road this season … Shane Pinto leads with four goals on the road this season while Giroux ranks first with five assists while the Senators serve as visitors … Through six road games this season, Giroux maintains the club lead with seven points … The Senators registered an 18-20-3 record over 41 road contests in 2021-22.

FRANCHISE RECORD: Ottawa has posted an all-time record of 1,009-991-115-177 over 2,292 games … The Senators are 552-440-60-97 through 1,149 all-time home games and 457-551-55-80 through 1,143 all-time road games.

BACK-TO-BACK GAMES: Ottawa will play back-to-back games on 12 occasions in 2022-23 and will do so for the first time on Dec. 2 when the team visits the N.Y. Rangers ahead of welcoming San Jose to Canadian Tire Centre the following evening … The Senators played 17 back-to-back sets last season and earned a record of 6-9-2 in the first half of contests on consecutive nights (0-0-0 this season) while posting an 8-8-1 record (0-0-0 this season) in the second half of games on consecutive days.

ON THE POWER PLAY: The Senators are 13 for 56 (23.2%) on the power-play in 2022-23 … Drake Batherson and Pinto lead with three power-play goals while Alex DeBrincat and Giroux maintain the club lead with six points while the team enjoys a man advantage … Ottawa has recorded multiple power-play goals twice in an individual contest in 2022-23 after having done so 11 times in 2021-22.

ON THE PENALTY KILL: Ottawa has overcome 43 of the 56 occasions the team has been shorthanded in 2022-23 to maintain an efficiency of 76.8% through 15 regular-season games … The team has registered one (Joseph) shorthanded marker this season after recording nine such goals in 2021-22.

INDIVIDUAL NOTES
COACH SMITH: D.J. Smith was introduced as the Senators’ 14th head coach in franchise history on 5/23/19. A native of Windsor, Ont., Smith spent the four previous NHL seasons as an assistant coach with the Toronto Maple Leafs. Prior to joining the Maple Leafs (which was also the team for which he made his NHL playing debut in 1996-97), Smith guided the Ontario Hockey League’s Oshawa Generals to a record of 135-53-3-13 over three campaigns which included his having been recognized as the OHL’s Coach of the Year in 2013-14. One year later, he helped the team capture the Mastercard Memorial Cup. His 86 head coaching victories with Ottawa see him rank sixth in franchise history.

SECOND SEASON AS CAPTAIN FOR CHUCKY: Two-time NHL All-Star Brady Tkachuk was appointed the 10th captain in Senators franchise history on 11/5/21. A native of St. Louis, Tkachuk succeeded Erik Karlsson who served in the role for four seasons from 2014-15 to 2017-18. The bronze medal winner with Team U.S.A. at the 2018 IIHF World Junior Championship is the first American-born skater to serve as team captain. Tkachuk is assisted by full-time alternates Thomas Chabot and Claude Giroux.

THE G TRAIN KEEPS ROLLING: With a goal and an assist on Monday afternoon, Claude Giroux extended his point streak to nine games which is tied for the second longest streak of his career (10 games in 2016-17 and 10 games in 2017-18). The stretch is tied for the third-longest active run (Draisaitl – 11, McDavid – 10, Marner – nine) and has seen the Hearst, Ont. native total six goals and seven assists since Oct. 27. It is tied for the second-longest streak by a Senators player in their first season with the team joining Dany Heatley in 2005-06 and Norm McIver in 1992-93 and trailing only an additional 22-game streak by Heatley in 2005-06. The 17 total points through the first 15 games of the season are his third most through 15 games in a season trailing his 20 in 2014-15 and 19 in 2011-12.

ALL-TIME LEADERS: Chris Phillips is the Senators’ all-time leader in games played (1,179) … Daniel Alfredsson leads in goals (426), assists (682) and points (1,108) … Following Phillips is Alfredsson (1,178), Chris Neil (1,026), Wade Redden (838), Radek Bonk (689), Jason Spezza (686) and Mike Fisher (675) … Neil leads in penalty minutes (2,522) while Patrick Lalime holds the lead in shutouts (30) and ranks second (283) to Craig Anderson (435) in games played among goaltenders. Anderson leads in wins (202).

What To Look For – Week 11

NFL Editor
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What To Look For – Week 11

JUST INCREDIBLE: Last week, Minnesota wide receiver JUSTIN JEFFERSON recorded a career-high 193 receiving yards and established NFL records for the most games with at least 100 receiving yards (20) and most games with at least 150 receiving yards (seven) by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history.

Jefferson, who has 4,076 receiving yards in 42 career games, also tied Pro Football Hall of Famer LANCE ALWORTH (42 games) and ODELL BECKHAM JR. (42) for the fewest games to reach 4,000 career receiving yards in NFL history.

With at least 88 receiving yards on Sunday against Dallas (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Jefferson would surpass Pro Football Hall of Famer RANDY MOSS (4,163 receiving yards) for the most receiving yards by a player in his first three seasons in NFL history.

The players with the most receiving yards in their first three seasons in NFL history:

PLAYERTEAMRECEIVING YARDS
Randy MossHOFMinnesota4,163
Odell Beckham Jr.New York Giants4,122
Justin JeffersonMinnesota4,076*
*In third season

— NFL —

CLASS OF 2018: When BUFFALO (6-3) hosts CLEVELAND (3-6) on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), two members of the 2018 NFL Draft class can reach historic milestones in their fifth seasons.

Bills quarterback JOSH ALLEN, the No. 7 overall pick in 2018, has 158 career combined passing and rushing touchdowns (123 passing, 35 rushing) and needs three more to surpass PATRICK MAHOMES (159) and CAM NEWTON (160) for the second-most combined passing and rushing touchdowns by a player in his first five seasons in NFL history.

The players with the most combined passing and rushing touchdowns in their first five seasons in NFL history:

PLAYERTEAMSEASONSPASS TDsRUSH TDsTOTAL 
Dan MarinoHOFMiami1983-871683171 
Cam NewtonCarolina2011-1511743160 
Patrick MahomesKansas City2017-211518159 
Josh AllenBuffalo2018-2212335158* 
*In fifth season

Allen leads the NFL with 3,209 combined passing and rushing yards this season and has recorded at least 300 combined yards in six of his nine games. On Sunday, he can join Pro Football Hall of Famer PEYTON MANNING (3,545 in 2013) and ANDREW LUCK (3,532 in 2014) as the only quarterbacks with at least 3,500 combined passing and rushing yards in his team’s first 10 games of a season in NFL history.

The players with the most combined passing and rushing yards in their team’s first 10 games of a season in NFL history:

PLAYERTEAMSEASONCOMBINED YARDS 
Peyton ManningHOFDenver20133,545 
Andrew LuckIndianapolis20143,532 
Dak PrescottDallas20193,414 
Drew BreesNew Orleans20133,400 
     
Josh AllenBuffalo20223,209* 
*In first nine games

Browns running back NICK CHUBB, selected in the second round (No. 35 overall) in the 2018 NFL Draft, leads the league with 11 rushing touchdowns and ranks third with 904 rushing yards this season.

With at least 46 rushing yards on Sunday, Chubb would become the third player in NFL history with at least 950 rushing yards and eight rushing touchdowns in each of his first five career seasons, joining ADRIAN PETERSON and Pro Football Hall of Famer LADAINIAN TOMLINSON.

— NFL —

QUICK 10K: Since entering the NFL as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Cincinnati quarterback JOE BURROW has 9,834 passing yards in 35 games.

With at least 166 passing yards at Pittsburgh on Sunday (4:25 PM ET, CBS), Burrow can tie Pro Football Hall of Famer KURT WARNER (36 games) for the third-fewest games to reach 10,000 career passing yards in NFL history.

The players to record at least 10,000 career passing yards in the fewest games in NFL history:

PLAYERTEAMGAMES
Patrick MahomesKansas City34
Justin HerbertLos Angeles Chargers35
Kurt WarnerHOFSt. Louis Rams36
Matthew StaffordDetroit37
   
Joe BurrowCincinnati35*
*Has 9,834 passing yards

— NFL —

BEAR GROUND: Last week, the CHICAGO BEARS became the first team in NFL history to rush for at least 225 yards in five consecutive games and the second team with at least 2,000 rushing yards (2,017) in their first 10 games of a season since 1980, joining the 2019 BALTIMORE RAVENS (2,031).

Against Atlanta on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), the Bears can become the third team since 1950 to rush for at least 200 yards in six consecutive games within a season, joining the 1972 PITTSBURGH STEELERS (seven consecutive games) and 1951 SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS (six).

The teams with the most consecutive games with at least 200 rushing yards within a season since 1950:

TEAMSEASONCONSECUTIVE GAMES 
Pittsburgh Steelers19727 
San Francisco 49ers19516 
Chicago Bears20225* 
Pittsburgh Steelers19765 
Miami Dolphins19755 
Buffalo Bills19735 
Chicago Bears19565 
*Active streak

Chicago has recorded consecutive games with at least 250 rushing yards and can become the fourth team in the Super Bowl era and first since 1976 with at least 250 rushing yards in three consecutive games.

The teams with the most consecutive games with at least 250 rushing yards since 1966:

TEAMSEASONCONSECUTIVE GAMES 
Pittsburgh Steelers19763 (Weeks 8-10) 
Buffalo Bills19763 (Weeks 12-14) 
Buffalo Bills19753 (Weeks 1-3) 
    
Chicago Bears20222* (Weeks 9-10) 
*Active streak

Quarterback JUSTIN FIELDS, who rushed for a quarterback regular-season single-game NFL record 178 yards in Week 9 and 147 rushing yards in Week 10, became the first quarterback since TOBIN ROTE (Weeks 8-9, 1951) with at least 125 rushing yards in consecutive games. No quarterback in NFL history has recorded at least 100 rushing yards in three consecutive games.

Fields can join KYLER MURRAY (five consecutive games in 2020) as the only players in the Super Bowl era with at least one touchdown pass and one rushing touchdown in five consecutive games, and become the third quarterback, along with Murray and CAM NEWTON (five consecutive games in 2021), to record a rushing touchdown in five consecutive games in the Super Bowl era.

— NFL —

FLYING TO THE BALL: Philadelphia safety C.J. GARDNER-JOHNSON leads the NFL with a career-high six interceptions this season and has recorded an interception in each of his past five games.

With an interception at Indianapolis on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, CBS), he can become the ninth player since 1970 and the fourth since 1990 with an interception in six consecutive games.

The players with an interception in the most consecutive games since 1970:

PLAYERTEAMCONSECUTIVE GAMES
Trevon DiggsDallas6 (9/9/21 – 10/17-21)
Brian RussellMinnesota6 (9/7/03 – 10/19/03)
Doug EvansCarolina6 (9/23/01 – 10/28/01)
Barry WilburnWashington6 (9/13/87 – 11/15/87)
Lester HayesOakland Raiders6 (10/26/80 – 12/1/80)
Eric HarrisKansas City6 (10/19/80 – 11/23/80)
Lemar ParrishWashington6 (12/16/78 – 9/30/79)
Mel BlountHOFPittsburgh6 (11/2/75 – 12/7/75)
   
C.J. Gardner-JohnsonPhiladelphia5* (10/9/22 – 11/14/22)
*Active streak

 — NFL —

HOUSTON, WE HAVE SACKS: Baltimore linebacker JUSTIN HOUSTON ranks tied for fourth in the NFL with 8.5 sacks this season and has recorded at least two sacks in each of his past three games. Among active players, he ranks third with 110.5 career sacks.

With at least two sacks against Carolina on Sunday (1:00 PM ET, FOX), Houston can become the fourth player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, with at least two sacks in four consecutive games.

The players with at least two sacks in the most consecutive games since 1982:

PLAYERTEAM(S)CONSECUTIVE GAMES 
Simeon RiceTampa Bay5 (10/27/02 – 12/1/02) 
Kevin GreeneHOFSan Francisco, Carolina5 (12/21/97-10/4/98) 
Reggie WhiteHOFPhiladelphia4 (11/15/87 – 12/6/87) 
    
Justin HoustonBaltimore3* (10/23/22 – 11/7/22) 
*Active streak

NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Golden State Warriors at Phoenix Suns

The defending NBA champion Golden State Warriors are 0-7 on the road this season.

One of those losses came on Oct. 25 in Phoenix, and Golden State returns to town on Wednesday night to try to even the slate against the host Suns.

Phoenix blew out the Warriors 134-105 that night in a testy game, as Golden State star Klay Thompson earned the first ejection of his career.

The intensity level should be high again with the Warriors owning a lackluster 6-8 mark after Monday night’s 132-95 rout of the visiting San Antonio Spurs.

Thompson was rested against the Spurs, so Jordan Poole moved into the starting lineup and scored a season-high 36 points on 13-of-20 shooting. Poole made five 3-pointers and had three steals.

It was the second 30-point effort of the season for Poole, who is averaging 17.1 points despite starting just three of 14 games.

Stephen Curry should be fresh after playing a season-low 27 minutes against San Antonio. He also scored a season-low 16 points as his average dropped to 31.5.

Curry has scored over 30 on nine occasions this season, topped by efforts of 47 and 40. He had 21 points in last month’s loss to the Suns.

Phoenix has lost two straight and four of six since getting off to a 6-1 start.

The Suns completed a 1-3 road trip with Monday’s 113-112 loss to the Miami Heat. Phoenix blew a 13-point fourth-quarter lead.

Suns coach Monty Williams was displeased by the loss and frustrated by the free-throw disparity — the Heat shot 25 and Phoenix had just four attempts.

Devin Booker scored 25 points against the Heat and has topped 20 points in 10 of the club’s 13 games. Booker had 34 points and seven assists in last month’s win over the Warriors.

Chris Paul (right heel soreness) is questionable and could miss his fourth straight game.

Cameron Payne had back-to-back stellar performances in Paul’s first two absences by averaging 22.5 points and 6.0 assists. But he was just 4-of-17 shooting against the Heat while scoring nine points in 31 minutes.

Duane Washington Jr. provided punch on the bench with 21 points as he received 19 minutes with Landry Shamet (concussion) sidelined.

Big man DeAndre Ayton had 16 points and 12 rebounds for his third double-double of the season. One of the others was against Golden State when Ayton had 16 points and a season-high 14 boards.

The Suns are 6-1 at home.

NBA Preview: New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: New York Knicks at Denver Nuggets

Tom Thibodeau is known as a coach whose teams play well defensively, so the New York Knicks giving up 145 points — at home — to Oklahoma City on Sunday was alarming.

His team agreed, so it convened for a players-only dinner in Salt Lake City on Monday night, a day before New York took on the Utah Jazz.

The dinner seemed to help. The Knicks beat Utah 118-111 on Tuesday night and now face another test against one of the league’s best offensive teams when they visit the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday night.

Denver leads the NBA in field-goal percentage at 50.4 and is fifth in scoring at 117.1 points a game. However, the Nuggets will be without their best player and two-time MVP Nikola Jokic, who entered health and safety protocol on Tuesday night.

Jokic is averaging nearly a triple-double this year (20.8 points, 9.5 rebounds and 8.9 assists) and is the center of Denver’s offense. He is the second Nuggets player to enter the protocol; Bones Hyland was ruled out an hour before Denver’s road loss to Boston on Friday night and missed Sunday’s win at Chicago.

He will also be out Wednesday night, while forward Aaron Gordon is listed as questionable with a non-COVID illness.

New York can’t relax just because the Nuggets are without their offensive catalyst; Denver still has plenty of weapons. In addition, the Knicks are without one of their best post defenders, Mitchell Robinson, who has a sprained right knee.

Without Jokic, Hyland and possibly Gordon missing, more pressure will be on Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. to ramp up their offensive games. Porter was nearly invisible in the loss to the Celtics (seven points) but followed that up with a 31-point performance against the Bulls.

Porter said he apologized to coach Michael Malone for not being on top of his game in Boston.

Porter’s self-awareness and bounce-back game made an impression on Malone.

The Nuggets have options to fill in for Jokic, including increased minutes for DeAndre Jordan. Denver can play smaller, too, with Bruce Brown in line for more minutes, as well as rookie Christian Braun, who has played well in stretches this year.

NBA Preview: Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks

NBA Editor
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NBA Preview: Houston Rockets at Dallas Mavericks

In many ways, it was more of the same for Dallas on Tuesday, with the Mavericks posting a white-knuckle, 103-101 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers for their sixth consecutive home victory.

In their five most recent triumphs, the Mavericks — who will host the Houston Rockets on Wednesday night looking to extend their home winning streak — have won each game by five points or less. Dallas blew a 25-point lead against the Clippers, only to hold on late thanks to a flurry of 3-pointers in the fourth quarter.

Dallas shot 7 of 11 from 3-point range in the final period, with Reggie Bullock scoring all of his 13 points in the quarter on 4-of-5 shooting from deep.

The Mavericks also received 21 points from Dorian Finney-Smith, who made seven 3-pointers, and 16 points from Spencer Dinwiddie to complement another sensational performance from Luka Doncic, who had 35 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Kidd said he was largely unconcerned over the heavy minutes logged by his starters in the front half of a back-to-back, with Dinwiddie (41 minutes), Doncic (40) and Finney-Smith (36) in particular doing the heavy lifting.

Dallas will need greater contributions from its reserves against Houston, both in terms of minutes and points as Christian Wood accounted for all 15 of the bench points vs. the Clippers.

After playing 10 of their first 13 games on the road, the Rockets returned home on Monday seeking a rejuvenating performance. Instead, Houston surrendered a 10-2 run late in the first quarter and trailed throughout to the Clippers in a frustrating 122-106 defeat.

Once the Clippers established a double-digit lead late in the first period, they essentially maintained that advantage for the remainder of the game. The Rockets managed bursts here and there but couldn’t overcome their shortcomings and the Clippers’ precise shooting.

The Rockets’ 11 first-half turnovers yielded 16 points for the Clippers prior to intermission. The Rockets also allowed Marcus Morris Sr., Reggie Jackson, Luke Kennard and Nicolas Batum to shoot a combined 10 for 20 on 3-pointers.

And despite occasional success with dribble penetration and drawing shooting fouls, the Rockets missed 12 of 31 free throws.

Aiming to play well in their return home, the Rockets instead produced an effort that left several members of the rotation openly frustrated as the Clippers kept Houston at bay.

NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls at New Orleans Pelicans

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NBA Preview: Chicago Bulls at New Orleans Pelicans

The Chicago Bulls finally got a chance to catch their breath.

But it didn’t help.

The Bulls, who played four sets of back-to-back games in their first 12 games, got their first three-day break of the season after a 115-111 home loss to the New Orleans Pelicans on Nov. 9.

But instead of looking refreshed, they looked rusty in a 126-103 home loss against the Denver Nuggets on Sunday, the team’s fourth defeat in five games.

Chicago hopes the ensuing two days off after that game are more beneficial as it visits New Orleans for a rematch Wednesday night.

Chicago committed six turnovers and trailed by as many as 15 points in the first quarter. Leading scorer DeMar DeRozan didn’t even attempt a shot until midway through the second quarter.

The Bulls never led in the game, allowed 60.0 percent shooting (including 13 of 27 on 3-pointers) and turned the ball over 18 times.

The Bulls came up short but were much more competitive in the first game against the Pelicans, which featured 14 lead changes and nine ties.

Brandon Ingram scored 18 of his 22 points in the second half and New Orleans won despite shooting just 3 of 19 on 3-pointers.

The Pelicans shot 3-pointers much better in a 113-102 home victory against Memphis on Tuesday night.

They made a season-high 18 3-pointers on 38 attempts and had six scorers in double figures even though leading scorer Zion Williamson was sidelined by a bruised foot that has him day-to-day.

CJ McCollum broke out of a shooting slump to score a team-high 30 points, making 11 of 23 field-goal attempts, including 7 of 13 from beyond the 3-point line. He also had a game-high nine assists.

NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers at Milwaukee Bucks

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NBA Preview: Cleveland Cavaliers at Milwaukee Bucks

Two teams that started the season on fire but have cooled off considerably in the past week square off Wednesday night when the Milwaukee Bucks host the Cleveland Cavaliers in a Central Division matchup.

After winning their first seven home games, the Bucks finally lost at home Monday night when they fell to the Atlanta Hawks, 121-106, and suddenly they are not looking quite so formidable.

After starting the season 9-0, the Bucks have dropped three of four heading into their home game against the Cavaliers.

Giannis Antetokounmpo returned from a two-game absence due to a sore left knee to lead Milwaukee with 27 points in 31 minutes. Antetokounmpo made 8 of 21 shots, missing all three 3-point attempts, and was 11 of 18 from the free-throw line.

The Bucks were just 6-for-29 from 3-point range in Monday’s loss.

Adding to the pain of losing to the Hawks for the second time in four games, the Bucks sustained two more injuries when Grayson Allen suffered an ankle sprain and Wesley Matthews tweaked a hamstring.

Also scary, in the second quarter, Antetokounmpo fell awkwardly at the end of a fast break and grabbed his left ankle, but to the Bucks’ relief he popped back up and stayed in the game. He was not listed Tuesday on the Bucks’ injury report.

Milwaukee is already without the services of forward Khris Middleton (wrist surgery) and guard Pat Connaughton (right calf strain), and guard Jrue Holiday (right ankle sprain) has missed the past three games.

Cleveland’s Darius Garland nearly led the Cavaliers to a dramatic late rally Sunday at home against Minnesota. Garland recorded the biggest fourth quarter in franchise history — scoring 27 of his 51 points in the final 12 minutes — before the Cavaliers fell, 129-125. The 51 were the most scored in the NBA this season, until Philadelphia’s Joel Embiid put 59 on later Sunday.

After winning eight straight, Cleveland enters Wednesday on a four-game skid.

The Cavaliers trailed the Timberwolves by as many as 24 and were down 17 in the fourth before Garland led the comeback that brought Cleveland within two. In that fourth-quarter rally, Garland set the team mark by going 8-of-16 from the floor, including 6-of-10 from 3-point range.

Cleveland played Sunday without Donovan Mitchell, Jarrett Allen and Dean Wade, all sidelined with leg injuries.

With his team short-handed, Love made his first start of the season Sunday, chipping in 14 points, to go with five boards and four assists in 29 minutes. Caris LeVert finished with 13 points on 5-of-10 shooting, adding five rebounds and five assists.

NBA Preview: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors

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NBA Preview: Miami Heat at Toronto Raptors

The Miami Heat will visit the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday night with both teams coming off victories that were impressive for different reasons.

The Heat won their third consecutive home game — their longest winning streak of the young season Monday night — by outscoring the Phoenix Suns 24-10 in the final eight minutes to eke out a 113-112 victory. Bam Adebayo scored 12 points during that winning run and Jimmy Butler blocked Devin Booker’s shot with 6.2 seconds to play.

Meanwhile, the injury-depleted Raptors were performing some heroics of their own on Monday when they defeated the host Detroit Pistons 115-111.

The Raptors were without Pascal Siakam (groin), Fred VanVleet (non-COVID illness), Precious Achiuwa (ankle sprain), and Gary Trent Jr. (hip). In addition, Otto Porter Jr. (toe) left at halftime.

Yet, with Dalano Banton scoring a career-high 27 points, Chris Boucher matching his season best with 20 points and Jeff Dowtin Jr. blocking a shot with 19.2 seconds left in the game, the Raptors emerged victorious following a pair of road losses.

Regular starter O.G. Anunoby added 19 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Banton was making his second career start.

Banton said the improvement was a result of summer work with the Raptors, Team Canada and practice on his own.

Dowtin had made only two previous appearances for a combined 8:22 this season — and had not played in the previous six games — before playing 15 minutes Monday, when he recorded four points, four rebounds, two assists and the key block of Jaden Ivy’s layup attempt with the Heat leading 111-108.

Adebayo led Miami’s victory over Phoenix with 30 points and 10 rebounds, and Butler had 16 points, 13 rebounds and seven assists.

Lowry, a former Raptor, had 15 points and six assists on Monday.

Miami was without Tyler Herro (ankle sprain) for the fourth straight game.

With Herro out, Max Strus started again and had five points on Monday after scoring 31 on Saturday.

NBA Preview: Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks

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NBA Preview: Boston Celtics at Atlanta Hawks

The Boston Celtics will try to win their eighth consecutive game Wednesday night when they go on the road to face the Atlanta Hawks.

Despite some poor long-range shooting Monday, the Celtics overcame a 15-point second-half deficit to beat the Oklahoma City Thunder 126-122. Boston forced 20 turnovers in staging their comeback and outscored the Thunder 37-26 in the final 12 minutes.

With Malcolm Brogdon unavailable Monday (hamstring), Boston received a spark off the bench from Payton Pritchard, who finished the game with 10 points, four rebounds and two steals in 14 minutes.

Pritchard made a 3-pointer late in the third quarter and then had a steal and a layup just before the buzzer to cut Oklahoma City’s lead to 96-89 entering the final quarter.

The Hawks have been playing good basketball lately as well. Atlanta enters Wednesday’s matchup having won five of seven.

All five starters scored in double figures Monday to help Atlanta earn a 121-106 road victory against the Milwaukee Bucks in a matchup of the top two teams in the Eastern Conference. It was the sixth time in the team’s 14 games that Atlanta’s entire starting lineup scored at least 10 points.

It was also Milwaukee’s first loss in eight home games this season.

De’Andre Hunter led the Hawks with 24 points.

Atlanta center Clint Capela had 19 points and 10 rebounds against Milwaukee, marking the sixth time in the past seven games he has recorded a double-double.

The Boston-Atlanta matchup will feature two of the NBA’s top scorers: Boston’s Jayson Tatum is averaging 31.9 points, and Atlanta’s Trae Young 26.9.

The Celtics have a 5-2 road record, and the Hawks are 5-2 at home.

NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder at Washington Wizards

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NBA Preview: Oklahoma City Thunder at Washington Wizards

The Washington Wizards aim to extend their season-high winning streak to five games Wednesday when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder in Washington, D.C.

The Wizards began their streak in Charlotte on Nov. 7 and since have won the first three contests of their six-game homestand.

Kristaps Porzingis scored 25 points and Deni Avdija added a career high-tying 21 Sunday night in Washington’s 102-92 victory over the Memphis Grizzlies.

The Wizards have had their long-range shooting touch lately, making 35 3-point baskets over the past two games on 46-percent shooting. Their 19 against the Grizzlies was just one shy of the franchise record.

Washington coach Wes Unseld Jr. credited a portion of his team’s recent hot shooting from beyond the arc to its ability to seek “paint threes.” That’s what he calls a drive into the paint to draw the defensive attention before kicking the ball out for an open 3-pointer.

Avdija, who has scored in double figures in each of his past three games, credited the team’s penchant to make the extra pass on possessions. That ultimately led to Washington totaling 26 assists Sunday. The Wizards have averaged 26 in the past three games.

The Wizards’ win streak has been accomplished without Bradley Beal, who is working his way back into shape after going through NBA health and safety protocol. The three-time All-Star is averaging a team-best 21.6 points a game.

While Washington is ascending in the standings, Oklahoma City has lost five of its last seven contests, and now heads into the third stop on a four-game road trip.

Despite their recent troubles, the Thunder have been lighting up the scoreboard, averaging a robust 132.8 points over their past four games.

Gilgeous-Alexander averages team-leading totals in points (31.5), assists (5.8) and steals (2.1).

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