Rockets Aiming To Extend Winning Run, Host Blazers
The Houston Rockets will host the Portland Trail Blazers at Toyota Center on Thursday evening.
The Rockets (7-9) are coming off a 107-88 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, a win that pushed their winning streak to three games. John Wall paced the Rockets against his old team with 24 points, complementing them with five assists, two rebounds and one steal. Victor Oladipo and Eric Gordon generated matching 20-point efforts, with Oladipo also pulling down five rebounds and Gordon dishing out four assists. DeMarcus Cousins provided a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included two assists, five steals and one steal. David Nwaba supplied 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. The Rockets have been trending in the right direction of late and seem to get better after each game, as the backcourt duo of Wall and Oladipo seems to be understanding each other better as games progress. They have to find a way to get better results at home, though, as they are 4-4 when playing at Toyota Center so far in 2020-21.
The Rockets are listing Kevin Porter (personal) as a game-time decision for Thursday, while Dante Exum (calf) has been ruled out.
The Trail Blazers (9-7) are coming off a 125-122 home loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder the last time out, and that result kept their inconsistent run alive -- they've gone 2-3 over their last five contests but no game has ended with the same result on a back-to-back basis during that stretch. Portland saw how Damian Lillard paced the team Monday, as he ended with 26 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Carmelo Anthony amassed 22 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Gary Trent Jr dropped 22 points while Enes Kanter had 13 points, 22 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Anfernee Simons led the bench with 26 points. The Blazers have been decent on the road, however, posting a 4-2 record when playing away from Moda Center this season. They will need to rely on that track record to avoid their second two-game losing streak of the campaign.
The Blazers are listing Rodney Hood (thigh) and Derrick Jones (quadriceps) as questionable for this matchup. Meanwhile, Robert Covington (concussion), Zach Collins (ankle), CJ McCollum (foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) have all been ruled out.
The Rockets (7-9) are coming off a 107-88 victory over the Washington Wizards on Tuesday, a win that pushed their winning streak to three games. John Wall paced the Rockets against his old team with 24 points, complementing them with five assists, two rebounds and one steal. Victor Oladipo and Eric Gordon generated matching 20-point efforts, with Oladipo also pulling down five rebounds and Gordon dishing out four assists. DeMarcus Cousins provided a 19-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included two assists, five steals and one steal. David Nwaba supplied 11 points, nine rebounds, three assists, two steals and one block. The Rockets have been trending in the right direction of late and seem to get better after each game, as the backcourt duo of Wall and Oladipo seems to be understanding each other better as games progress. They have to find a way to get better results at home, though, as they are 4-4 when playing at Toyota Center so far in 2020-21.
The Rockets are listing Kevin Porter (personal) as a game-time decision for Thursday, while Dante Exum (calf) has been ruled out.
The Trail Blazers (9-7) are coming off a 125-122 home loss against the Oklahoma City Thunder the last time out, and that result kept their inconsistent run alive -- they've gone 2-3 over their last five contests but no game has ended with the same result on a back-to-back basis during that stretch. Portland saw how Damian Lillard paced the team Monday, as he ended with 26 points, six rebounds and 10 assists. Carmelo Anthony amassed 22 points, six rebounds and two blocks. Gary Trent Jr dropped 22 points while Enes Kanter had 13 points, 22 rebounds, three assists and two steals. Anfernee Simons led the bench with 26 points. The Blazers have been decent on the road, however, posting a 4-2 record when playing away from Moda Center this season. They will need to rely on that track record to avoid their second two-game losing streak of the campaign.
The Blazers are listing Rodney Hood (thigh) and Derrick Jones (quadriceps) as questionable for this matchup. Meanwhile, Robert Covington (concussion), Zach Collins (ankle), CJ McCollum (foot) and Jusuf Nurkic (wrist) have all been ruled out.
Lakers and Pistons Tangle in Motor City
The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Detroit Pistons at Little Caesars Arena on Thursday night.
The Lakers (14-5) check into Thursday's game with a potential level of fatigue, as they'll be playing their third game in four nights in the midst of a seven-game road trip and coming off a wire-to-wire battle against the 76ers on Wednesday night which resulted in a 107-106 loss. In what was only Los Angeles' second loss in the last 10 games, LeBron James led the Lakers with 34 points, adding six rebounds and six assists. Davis followed with 23 points, eight boards, two assists and two blocks. Dennis Schroder provided 16 points, four assists and three rebounds. Alex Caruso offered 10 points.
The Lakers will likely continue to list both James and Davis as questionable for Thursday's game due to ankle injuries. Jared Dudley will likely be listed as questionable at best.
The Pistons (4-14) come into Thursday's contest in the midst of another skid, as they've dropped five of their last six games. Their most recent stumble came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which toppled them by a 122-107 score Wednesday night. Jerami Grant led the way with 26 points, complementing them with three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Wayne Ellington tallied 17 points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals. Mason Plumlee generated a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double with three assists and one block. Derrick Rose poured in 13 points, while Delon Wright compiled 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block.
The Pistons will continue without Killian Hayes (hip) for Thursday's game.
Thursday's game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Lakers won their only 2019-20 game with the Pistons by a 106-99 score.
The Lakers (14-5) check into Thursday's game with a potential level of fatigue, as they'll be playing their third game in four nights in the midst of a seven-game road trip and coming off a wire-to-wire battle against the 76ers on Wednesday night which resulted in a 107-106 loss. In what was only Los Angeles' second loss in the last 10 games, LeBron James led the Lakers with 34 points, adding six rebounds and six assists. Davis followed with 23 points, eight boards, two assists and two blocks. Dennis Schroder provided 16 points, four assists and three rebounds. Alex Caruso offered 10 points.
The Lakers will likely continue to list both James and Davis as questionable for Thursday's game due to ankle injuries. Jared Dudley will likely be listed as questionable at best.
The Pistons (4-14) come into Thursday's contest in the midst of another skid, as they've dropped five of their last six games. Their most recent stumble came against the Cleveland Cavaliers, which toppled them by a 122-107 score Wednesday night. Jerami Grant led the way with 26 points, complementing them with three rebounds, two assists and one steal. Wayne Ellington tallied 17 points, two rebounds, one assist and two steals. Mason Plumlee generated a 15-point, 12-rebound double-double with three assists and one block. Derrick Rose poured in 13 points, while Delon Wright compiled 11 points, seven assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block.
The Pistons will continue without Killian Hayes (hip) for Thursday's game.
Thursday's game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Lakers won their only 2019-20 game with the Pistons by a 106-99 score.
Heat Look To End Four-Game Slide
By Dan Bruno
The Miami Heat play host to the Los Angeles Clippers at American Airlines Arena on Thursday evening.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Heat (6-11), as they are coming off a rough loss at home, against the Nuggets on Wednesday night. The Heat lost by 27-points in what marked their fourth straight loss. They had only three players score in double digits in Wednesday's loss, as Kendrick Nunn led the way with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, in 38 minutes. Bam Adebayo followed up with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Precious Achiuwa added 10 points, off the bench. The Heat really struggled on offense in the loss, as they shot just 38 percent from the field. Their recent struggles have been largely due to the fact that they are missing key players, as jimmy Butler (covid) has not played since January 9th, and Tyler Herro (neck) has been out since January 14th. Goran Dragic (groin) also missed Wednesday's contest, and all three players remain questionable for action on Thursday.
Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a six-game road trip for the Clippers (13-5), which began with a loss in Atlanta on Tuesday. The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard (covid), Paul George (covid) and Patrick Beverley (knee) in the loss, and all three will remain sidelined through Thursday's action. In the absence of their two leading scorers, the Clippers had seven players score in double digits, led by Reggie Jackson, who tallied 20 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block. However, the Clippers struggled with their efficiency, shooting just 40 percent from the field. Without George and Leonard in the line up, guys like Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum and Lou Williams need to step up and lead the way as veteran presences on both ends of the floor. Ibaka is averaging 12.4 points on 53 percent shooting, including 37 percent from long range. Batum has been quiet, but relatively efficient, averaging 9.7 points on 49 percent shooting, including 44 percent from deep, while Williams is averaging just 8.9 points on 38 percent shooting.
This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Heat (6-11), as they are coming off a rough loss at home, against the Nuggets on Wednesday night. The Heat lost by 27-points in what marked their fourth straight loss. They had only three players score in double digits in Wednesday's loss, as Kendrick Nunn led the way with 17 points on 7-of-16 shooting, in 38 minutes. Bam Adebayo followed up with 15 points, seven rebounds and six assists, while Precious Achiuwa added 10 points, off the bench. The Heat really struggled on offense in the loss, as they shot just 38 percent from the field. Their recent struggles have been largely due to the fact that they are missing key players, as jimmy Butler (covid) has not played since January 9th, and Tyler Herro (neck) has been out since January 14th. Goran Dragic (groin) also missed Wednesday's contest, and all three players remain questionable for action on Thursday.
Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a six-game road trip for the Clippers (13-5), which began with a loss in Atlanta on Tuesday. The Clippers were without Kawhi Leonard (covid), Paul George (covid) and Patrick Beverley (knee) in the loss, and all three will remain sidelined through Thursday's action. In the absence of their two leading scorers, the Clippers had seven players score in double digits, led by Reggie Jackson, who tallied 20 points, eight assists, seven rebounds, two steals and a block. However, the Clippers struggled with their efficiency, shooting just 40 percent from the field. Without George and Leonard in the line up, guys like Serge Ibaka, Nicolas Batum and Lou Williams need to step up and lead the way as veteran presences on both ends of the floor. Ibaka is averaging 12.4 points on 53 percent shooting, including 37 percent from long range. Batum has been quiet, but relatively efficient, averaging 9.7 points on 49 percent shooting, including 44 percent from deep, while Williams is averaging just 8.9 points on 38 percent shooting.
Suns Host Warriors on Thursday
The Golden State Warriors travel to Arizona to face the Phoenix Suns at Phoenix Suns Arena on Thursday.
The Warriors (10-8) blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves in each of their last two games, giving them a 9-6 record after starting out the year with two straight losses. That's the team we were hoping to see and Stephen Curry appears to be fully healthy after missing most of last season. He's averaging close to 30 points per game and doing a wonderful job in the absence of Klay Thompson (Achilles). What makes the promising stretch even more encouraging is the fact that Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre have both been struggling. Both of those guys are too good to be playing this poorly and it's just a matter of time before they make this hot team look even better.
The Suns (8-8) looked like a true championship contender when they started the season with a 5-1 record after a perfect bubble run but have hit a wall since then. In fact, they've lost five of their last six games in total, with each of the last four losses coming by 10 points or fewer. That says a lot about the late-game execution of this team and allowing the Thunder to finish on an 11-2 run on Wednesday is yet another sign of that poor play. They actually suffered that loss without Devin Booker, who continues to nurse a hamstring issue. Chris Paul did drop a season-high 32 points in that game though and this might give him some time to find his stroke on the offensive end. In any case, they need to get out of this rut before they start looking like the same old Suns we've sadly become accustomed to.
These teams split their four-game season series last year. Prior to that, Golden State won 18 of their previous 19 games over the Suns dating back six seasons.
The Warriors (10-8) blew out the Minnesota Timberwolves in each of their last two games, giving them a 9-6 record after starting out the year with two straight losses. That's the team we were hoping to see and Stephen Curry appears to be fully healthy after missing most of last season. He's averaging close to 30 points per game and doing a wonderful job in the absence of Klay Thompson (Achilles). What makes the promising stretch even more encouraging is the fact that Draymond Green and Kelly Oubre have both been struggling. Both of those guys are too good to be playing this poorly and it's just a matter of time before they make this hot team look even better.
The Suns (8-8) looked like a true championship contender when they started the season with a 5-1 record after a perfect bubble run but have hit a wall since then. In fact, they've lost five of their last six games in total, with each of the last four losses coming by 10 points or fewer. That says a lot about the late-game execution of this team and allowing the Thunder to finish on an 11-2 run on Wednesday is yet another sign of that poor play. They actually suffered that loss without Devin Booker, who continues to nurse a hamstring issue. Chris Paul did drop a season-high 32 points in that game though and this might give him some time to find his stroke on the offensive end. In any case, they need to get out of this rut before they start looking like the same old Suns we've sadly become accustomed to.
These teams split their four-game season series last year. Prior to that, Golden State won 18 of their previous 19 games over the Suns dating back six seasons.