Pelicans host Celtics in interconference clash Saturday
The Boston Celtics continue their six-game road trip Saturday when they visit the New Orleans Pelicans at the Smoothie King Center.
The Celtics (57-16) have clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are a few games away from clinching home-court advantage throughout the postseason. The shine of the Celtics’ bright season has dimmed slightly as of late with back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Hawks in which Boston was unable to close out those games late in the fourth quarter. Two losses over an 82-game regular season shouldn’t define a team’s identity, but the Celtics’ latest tendency to give up large leads and fail to secure tight victories could be a concern for a team with a championship-or-bust mentality. Perhaps Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the rest of the team can use the final nine games of the season to iron out those creases.
Jaden Springer (knee) and JD Davidson (ankle) have both been ruled out for Saturday’s contest.
Meanwhile the Pelicans (45-28) are coming off a tough 107-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday that saw Zion Williamson lead the way with 28 points while CJ McCollum chipped in 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Pelicans have been one of the best teams in the NBA as of late and have an 18-7 record over their last 25 games. That has propelled New Orleans to fifth in the Western Conference standings, half a game behind the Los Angeles Clippers and 1.5 games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks. The Pelicans could make a serious run for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs should they be able to close out the regular season strong.
Dyson Daniels (knee) is probable for Saturday’s game while Jose Alvarado (oblique) will miss his second-straight game.
Saturday’s contest is the second and final game between the Celtics and Pelicans this season, with Boston winning the first matchup, 112-106, on Jan. 29.
The Celtics (57-16) have clinched the top seed in the Eastern Conference and are a few games away from clinching home-court advantage throughout the postseason. The shine of the Celtics’ bright season has dimmed slightly as of late with back-to-back losses to the Atlanta Hawks in which Boston was unable to close out those games late in the fourth quarter. Two losses over an 82-game regular season shouldn’t define a team’s identity, but the Celtics’ latest tendency to give up large leads and fail to secure tight victories could be a concern for a team with a championship-or-bust mentality. Perhaps Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown and the rest of the team can use the final nine games of the season to iron out those creases.
Jaden Springer (knee) and JD Davidson (ankle) have both been ruled out for Saturday’s contest.
Meanwhile the Pelicans (45-28) are coming off a tough 107-100 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Thursday that saw Zion Williamson lead the way with 28 points while CJ McCollum chipped in 25 points, seven rebounds and seven assists. The Pelicans have been one of the best teams in the NBA as of late and have an 18-7 record over their last 25 games. That has propelled New Orleans to fifth in the Western Conference standings, half a game behind the Los Angeles Clippers and 1.5 games ahead of the Dallas Mavericks. The Pelicans could make a serious run for home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs should they be able to close out the regular season strong.
Dyson Daniels (knee) is probable for Saturday’s game while Jose Alvarado (oblique) will miss his second-straight game.
Saturday’s contest is the second and final game between the Celtics and Pelicans this season, with Boston winning the first matchup, 112-106, on Jan. 29.
Magic Looking To Get Back On Track At Home
By Dan Bruno
The Orlando Magic play host to the Memphis Grizzlies at Kia Center on Saturday evening.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Magic (42-31), after a hard-fought home loss against the Clippers on Friday. The game got out to a tight start as they trailed by four points after one quarter, but they gave a solid effort in the second and cut it to a two-point game by halftime. They could not gain an edge in the third despite another strong quarter, but they kept up the intensity and grabbed an advantage mid way through the fourth. After holding the lead for a few minutes, they fell apart in the clutch, resulting in a second straight loss. Paolo Banchero led the way with 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, in the loss. Jalen Suggs followed up with 15 points, five assists, three steals and two blocks, while Franz Wagner added 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. The Magic look to get back on track as they face the seventh game of an eight-game home stand with the opportunity to add to their, 25-12, home record.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies (24-49) continue to deal with significant injury trouble, as John Konchar (heel) and Santi Aldama (illness) are listed as doubtful for action, while Vince Williams (knee), Desmond Bane (back), Marcus Smart (finger) and Ziaire Williams (hip) will be sidelined. On a more positive note, GG Jackson continues to play well, averaging 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists over the last 10 games. Jaren Jackson remains a thread of consistency, leading the team with an average of 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Luke Kennard averages 11.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The Grizzlies will look to rebound from back-to-back losses as they are set to kick off a three-game road trip with the hopes of improving on their, 16-21, road record.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Magic (42-31), after a hard-fought home loss against the Clippers on Friday. The game got out to a tight start as they trailed by four points after one quarter, but they gave a solid effort in the second and cut it to a two-point game by halftime. They could not gain an edge in the third despite another strong quarter, but they kept up the intensity and grabbed an advantage mid way through the fourth. After holding the lead for a few minutes, they fell apart in the clutch, resulting in a second straight loss. Paolo Banchero led the way with 23 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals, in the loss. Jalen Suggs followed up with 15 points, five assists, three steals and two blocks, while Franz Wagner added 13 points, three rebounds, three assists, two blocks and a steal. The Magic look to get back on track as they face the seventh game of an eight-game home stand with the opportunity to add to their, 25-12, home record.
Meanwhile, the Grizzlies (24-49) continue to deal with significant injury trouble, as John Konchar (heel) and Santi Aldama (illness) are listed as doubtful for action, while Vince Williams (knee), Desmond Bane (back), Marcus Smart (finger) and Ziaire Williams (hip) will be sidelined. On a more positive note, GG Jackson continues to play well, averaging 19.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.7 assists over the last 10 games. Jaren Jackson remains a thread of consistency, leading the team with an average of 22.3 points, 5.6 rebounds, 2.3 assists, 1.2 steals and 1.6 blocks per game. Luke Kennard averages 11.1 points, 2.8 rebounds and 3.3 assists per game. The Grizzlies will look to rebound from back-to-back losses as they are set to kick off a three-game road trip with the hopes of improving on their, 16-21, road record.
Hawks Host Bucks on Saturday
The Atlanta Hawks play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at State Farm Arena on Saturday.
The Bucks (46-27) come into this matchup losing their last two games but they had an 11-4 record across their previous 15 games before that. A run like that is what fans expected to see all season, performing much better since the All-Star break. Getting Khris Middleton back has been a huge deal, but the free throws have crushed this team over the last two losses. That's always been one of Giannis Antetokounmpo's biggest weaknesses, and fans are hopeful it won't become a detriment in the fast-approaching playoffs. Milwaukee does still maintain the two-seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting 1.5 games ahead of the surging New York Knicks.
The Hawks (34-39) hopes were slipping down the drain last week, but a four-game winning streak has Atlanta fans feeling this team. That run has climbed Atlanta to the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting six games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets in 11th. That means the Hawks are likely looking at a Play-In Tournament berth, which is quite the miracle when looking at the injuries this club has suffered. Jalen Johnson, Saddiq Bey, Trae Young and Onyeka Okongwu have all missed significant time, which has forced Dejounte Murray to take over. That was definitely the case on Thursday, dropping 44 points on 44 shots while hitting a game-winner in overtime against the Boston Celtics. This team will only go as far as he takes them until Young returns from his hand issue.
These teams have played twice in Milwaukee this year, splitting those two matchups.
The Bucks (46-27) come into this matchup losing their last two games but they had an 11-4 record across their previous 15 games before that. A run like that is what fans expected to see all season, performing much better since the All-Star break. Getting Khris Middleton back has been a huge deal, but the free throws have crushed this team over the last two losses. That's always been one of Giannis Antetokounmpo's biggest weaknesses, and fans are hopeful it won't become a detriment in the fast-approaching playoffs. Milwaukee does still maintain the two-seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting 1.5 games ahead of the surging New York Knicks.
The Hawks (34-39) hopes were slipping down the drain last week, but a four-game winning streak has Atlanta fans feeling this team. That run has climbed Atlanta to the 10-seed in the Eastern Conference, sitting six games ahead of the Brooklyn Nets in 11th. That means the Hawks are likely looking at a Play-In Tournament berth, which is quite the miracle when looking at the injuries this club has suffered. Jalen Johnson, Saddiq Bey, Trae Young and Onyeka Okongwu have all missed significant time, which has forced Dejounte Murray to take over. That was definitely the case on Thursday, dropping 44 points on 44 shots while hitting a game-winner in overtime against the Boston Celtics. This team will only go as far as he takes them until Young returns from his hand issue.
These teams have played twice in Milwaukee this year, splitting those two matchups.