Surging Magic Host Raptors
The Toronto Raptors will head to Orlando on Tuesday to take on the Magic at Amway Center.
The Raptors (13-4) has been one of the most consistent teams in the early goings of this NBA season, but they recently went through a rough stretch where they dropped three straight games against the Pelicans, Pistons and Celtics. Fortunately for Raptors, however, their loss to the Celtics was followed up by a trip to Chicago, where the team was able to beat up on the Bulls, winning 122-83. It appears the team let out some frustration in the 39-point beatdown of one of the NBA's worst teams, as they shot an impressive 40 percent from behind the arc and 54 percent from the field overall. And, on top of boasting a high-powered offense, the Raptors caused plenty of havoc on the defensive end, forcing the Bulls into 22 turnovers and blocking 10 shots. The team wasn't so impressive taking care of the ball itself, however, as Toronto managed to cough it up 23 times.
The Magic (9-8), on the other hand, are in the middle of their best stretch of the young season, winning three games in a row and five of their last six overall. More impressively, they are coming off back-to-back double-digit victories, defeating the Lakers by 14 and the Knicks by 13. Additionally, they managed to score at least 130 points in each of those two contests. This most recent stretch has been a success thanks in large part to the play of starting center Nikola Vucevic, who has been as dominant as any big man in the league as of late. After posting 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Sunday's win over New York, Vucevic is averaging 31.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists over his last three games while shooting 61.4 percent from the field. With young star Aaron Gordon also playing well, the Magic may be boasting one of the league best frontcourts that nobody is talking about.
The Raptors (13-4) has been one of the most consistent teams in the early goings of this NBA season, but they recently went through a rough stretch where they dropped three straight games against the Pelicans, Pistons and Celtics. Fortunately for Raptors, however, their loss to the Celtics was followed up by a trip to Chicago, where the team was able to beat up on the Bulls, winning 122-83. It appears the team let out some frustration in the 39-point beatdown of one of the NBA's worst teams, as they shot an impressive 40 percent from behind the arc and 54 percent from the field overall. And, on top of boasting a high-powered offense, the Raptors caused plenty of havoc on the defensive end, forcing the Bulls into 22 turnovers and blocking 10 shots. The team wasn't so impressive taking care of the ball itself, however, as Toronto managed to cough it up 23 times.
The Magic (9-8), on the other hand, are in the middle of their best stretch of the young season, winning three games in a row and five of their last six overall. More impressively, they are coming off back-to-back double-digit victories, defeating the Lakers by 14 and the Knicks by 13. Additionally, they managed to score at least 130 points in each of those two contests. This most recent stretch has been a success thanks in large part to the play of starting center Nikola Vucevic, who has been as dominant as any big man in the league as of late. After posting 28 points, 10 rebounds and nine assists in Sunday's win over New York, Vucevic is averaging 31.3 points, 10.3 rebounds and 4.3 assists over his last three games while shooting 61.4 percent from the field. With young star Aaron Gordon also playing well, the Magic may be boasting one of the league best frontcourts that nobody is talking about.
Struggling Wizards Welcome Surging Clippers
The Washington Wizards play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at Capital One Arena on Tuesday.
The Clippers (11-5) come into this matchup winning five-straight and seven of their last eight games in total. That hot stretch has gotten them up to third in the west, which is incredible considering this team is a shell of itself from past years. The Blake Griffin-Chris Paul-DeAndre Jordan era is well gone, as it's now turned into a beautiful mixture of role players. Players like Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell have really come through for this club and it's made them one of the deepest teams in the league. What's really impressive is the offense, with the Clippers ranking third in scoring. It really shows in their victories, with Los Angeles scoring at least 115 points in their last 10 wins while averaging nearly 130 points a game. That's incredibly efficient and it's a testament to how good of a coach Doc Rivers is.
The Wizards (5-11) are one of the talks on the NBA and for all the wrong reasons. Washington comes into this matchup losing two-straight, as that ended their best stretch of the season. That happened to be a short three-game winning streak, which was their only promising stretch of the season. The recent struggles have opened up the door for numerous trade rumors, with nearly every Washington player in the discussions. It's one clear-cut issue that's really killed this team, as their defense has been downright terrible. In fact, the Wizards are allowing 117 points per game, which happens to be the second-worst mark in the league. If that doesn't eventually improve, this franchise may be in for a blow-up and a lengthy rebuild.
Los Angeles blew out Washington in their one game this season, 136-104, on October 28. These teams split their two-game season series the last two years, with the home team prevailing in all four outings.
The Clippers (11-5) come into this matchup winning five-straight and seven of their last eight games in total. That hot stretch has gotten them up to third in the west, which is incredible considering this team is a shell of itself from past years. The Blake Griffin-Chris Paul-DeAndre Jordan era is well gone, as it's now turned into a beautiful mixture of role players. Players like Tobias Harris, Danilo Gallinari and Montrezl Harrell have really come through for this club and it's made them one of the deepest teams in the league. What's really impressive is the offense, with the Clippers ranking third in scoring. It really shows in their victories, with Los Angeles scoring at least 115 points in their last 10 wins while averaging nearly 130 points a game. That's incredibly efficient and it's a testament to how good of a coach Doc Rivers is.
The Wizards (5-11) are one of the talks on the NBA and for all the wrong reasons. Washington comes into this matchup losing two-straight, as that ended their best stretch of the season. That happened to be a short three-game winning streak, which was their only promising stretch of the season. The recent struggles have opened up the door for numerous trade rumors, with nearly every Washington player in the discussions. It's one clear-cut issue that's really killed this team, as their defense has been downright terrible. In fact, the Wizards are allowing 117 points per game, which happens to be the second-worst mark in the league. If that doesn't eventually improve, this franchise may be in for a blow-up and a lengthy rebuild.
Los Angeles blew out Washington in their one game this season, 136-104, on October 28. These teams split their two-game season series the last two years, with the home team prevailing in all four outings.
Nets Travel to Miami
By Oscar Heanue
The Brooklyn Nets will visit the Miami Heat at American Airlines Arena on Tuesday evening.
After a promising start to the season, Brooklyn (7-10) has run into a bit of a slump. The absence of Caris LeVert (ankle) seems to have taken a toll on the team, as the Nets have dropped four of their last five outings. One of those losses came against the Heat in Brooklyn, a game in which five Miami players scored in double digits. Most recently, the Nets fell to the Clippers, 127-119. Young stars Jarrett Allen and D'Angelo Russell both impressed in the loss with Allen scoring 24 points and Russell dishing out 10 assists. Still, defense proved to be a problem for the Nets again, as they allowed a combined 55 points to the Clippers' forward combo of Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari.
Miami (6-10) has seen its share of struggles recently as well, as the Heat has dropped its last two contests by a combined margin of 24 points. Most recently, Miami fell victim to a 51-point outburst from LeBron James, who led the Lakers to a 113-97 victory. Things simply have not been going right for Miami on either end of the ball thus far. The Heat ranks in the bottom half of the league in both offensive and defensive rating. One bright spot for the team, though, has been the emergence of shooting guard Josh Richardson. Richardson is averaging a career-high 20.4 points per game this season.
Brooklyn will look to even the score after Miami took the first game of the season series last week.
After a promising start to the season, Brooklyn (7-10) has run into a bit of a slump. The absence of Caris LeVert (ankle) seems to have taken a toll on the team, as the Nets have dropped four of their last five outings. One of those losses came against the Heat in Brooklyn, a game in which five Miami players scored in double digits. Most recently, the Nets fell to the Clippers, 127-119. Young stars Jarrett Allen and D'Angelo Russell both impressed in the loss with Allen scoring 24 points and Russell dishing out 10 assists. Still, defense proved to be a problem for the Nets again, as they allowed a combined 55 points to the Clippers' forward combo of Tobias Harris and Danilo Gallinari.
Miami (6-10) has seen its share of struggles recently as well, as the Heat has dropped its last two contests by a combined margin of 24 points. Most recently, Miami fell victim to a 51-point outburst from LeBron James, who led the Lakers to a 113-97 victory. Things simply have not been going right for Miami on either end of the ball thus far. The Heat ranks in the bottom half of the league in both offensive and defensive rating. One bright spot for the team, though, has been the emergence of shooting guard Josh Richardson. Richardson is averaging a career-high 20.4 points per game this season.
Brooklyn will look to even the score after Miami took the first game of the season series last week.
Trail Blazers Visit Big Apple To Tangle With Knicks
The Portland Trail Blazers take on the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Tuesday evening.
The Trail Blazers (11-5) recently lost consecutive games for the first time this season, but they bounced back in their next contest by toppling the Washington Wizards, 119-109, on Sunday. Damian Lillard paced Portland with 40 points, a total he supplemented with six rebounds, five assists and a steal. C.J. McCollum supplied 25 points and seven rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic generated a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double that also included eight assists and one block. Al-Farouq Aminu managed nine points, eight boards, one assist and one steal.
The Trail Blazers will be without Seth Curry and Maurice Harkless on Tuesday due to their respective knee injuries.
The Knicks (4-13) continue to struggle as expected in their rebuilding season, as they'll come into Tuesday's game having lost five consecutive games. Their most recent stumble came on the road against the Orlando Magic, which toppled them by a 131-117 score on Sunday evening. The bench played a pivotal role for the Knicks, but it was Tim Hardaway, Jr. who led the way with 32 points. He added two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Trey Burke followed with 31 points in 29 minutes on the second unit. Enes Kanter provided a 21-point, 19-rebound double-double while playing 38 minutes off the bench. Emmanuel Mudiay was the only other double-digit scorer with 12 points.
The Knicks will list Mario Hezonja (illness) as questionable for Tuesday's game. Meanwhile, Courtney Lee (neck), Lance Thomas (knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (knee) will all be out.
The Trail Blazers swept the two-game series between the clubs in the 2017-18 campaign.
The Trail Blazers (11-5) recently lost consecutive games for the first time this season, but they bounced back in their next contest by toppling the Washington Wizards, 119-109, on Sunday. Damian Lillard paced Portland with 40 points, a total he supplemented with six rebounds, five assists and a steal. C.J. McCollum supplied 25 points and seven rebounds. Jusuf Nurkic generated a 13-point, 14-rebound double-double that also included eight assists and one block. Al-Farouq Aminu managed nine points, eight boards, one assist and one steal.
The Trail Blazers will be without Seth Curry and Maurice Harkless on Tuesday due to their respective knee injuries.
The Knicks (4-13) continue to struggle as expected in their rebuilding season, as they'll come into Tuesday's game having lost five consecutive games. Their most recent stumble came on the road against the Orlando Magic, which toppled them by a 131-117 score on Sunday evening. The bench played a pivotal role for the Knicks, but it was Tim Hardaway, Jr. who led the way with 32 points. He added two rebounds, two assists and three steals. Trey Burke followed with 31 points in 29 minutes on the second unit. Enes Kanter provided a 21-point, 19-rebound double-double while playing 38 minutes off the bench. Emmanuel Mudiay was the only other double-digit scorer with 12 points.
The Knicks will list Mario Hezonja (illness) as questionable for Tuesday's game. Meanwhile, Courtney Lee (neck), Lance Thomas (knee) and Kristaps Porzingis (knee) will all be out.
The Trail Blazers swept the two-game series between the clubs in the 2017-18 campaign.