Preview Roundups
December 15, 2017
Miami at Charlotte 7:00 PM ET
The Miami Heat coughed up a big lead against a struggling team at home in their loss to the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. They will try to make amends for the defeat as they continue to pile up the road games with a visit to the Charlotte Hornets on Friday.
Detroit at Indiana 7:00 PM ET
The Detroit Pistons halted a season-worst seven-game losing streak and now look to defeat a nemesis when they visit the Indiana Pacers on Friday. Detroit has dropped nine of its last 10 overall meetings with the Pacers, including five straight in Indianapolis.
Portland at Orlando 7:00 PM ET
The Portland Trail Blazers earned a much-needed victory last time out and look to build on that performance when they visit the injury-ravaged Orlando Magic on Friday night. Portland had dropped five in a row before rallying for a 102-95 victory at Miami on Wednesday as it placed five players in double figures, led by guard CJ McCollum’s 28 points.
Oklahoma City at Philadelphia 7:00 PM ET
The Philadelphia 76ers snapped a four-game slide with a win at the Minnesota Timberwolves on Tuesday while pushing their young stars harder than ever. The 76ers will try to avoid heavy minutes for the likes of Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons when they host the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday.
L.A. Clippers at Washington 7:00 PM ET
Just when the Washington Wizards were starting to slip a little, All-Star point guard John Wall returned to help them back into the win column. The Wizards will try to put together back-to-back wins with Wall in the lineup when they host the Los Angeles Clippers on Friday.
Utah at Boston 7:30 PM ET
Kyrie Irving appears no worse for wear from a quadriceps injury that caused him to miss a game earlier in the week and he will try to lead the Boston Celtics to their sixth straight home win when they host the struggling Utah Jazz on Friday. Irving sat out Monday's 108-85 loss at Chicago, watching his team put forth its worst offensive effort of the season, but he hit the ground running with 33 points in Wednesday's 124-118 win over Denver.
Brooklyn at Toronto 7:30 PM ET
The Toronto Raptors are a stellar 9-1 at home this season, and that mark figures to improve when they host the Brooklyn Nets on Friday. Toronto has recorded eight consecutive wins over the Nets by an average of 11.3 points and hasn't lost in the all-time series since April 3, 2015.
Atlanta at Memphis 8:00 PM ET
Two of the worst teams in the NBA try to snap losing streaks when the Atlanta Hawks visit the Memphis Grizzlies on Friday. Atlanta has dropped three straight games and five of its last six, but that pales in comparison to the Grizzlies, who have lost five in a row and 16 of their past 17.
Chicago at Milwaukee 8:00 PM ET
He probably won't garner MVP consideration anytime soon, but it's hard to argue with the impact forward Nikola Mirotic has had on the Chicago Bulls. The suddenly resurgent Bulls aim for their fifth straight win since Mirotic returned to the lineup when they visit the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday.
New Orleans at Denver 9:00 PM ET
The Denver Nuggets struggled at times through a challenging six-game road trip without star center Nikola Jokic. They return home Friday night to host the New Orleans Pelicans with Jokic - who has missed seven straight games with an ankle injury - nearing a return.
San Antonio at Houston 9:30 PM ET
Kawhi Leonard's return did not get the San Antonio Spurs into the win column, but both he and the organization are looking at the bigger picture. The Houston Rockets, who host Leonard and the Spurs on Friday, can't seem to find their way out of the win column and will be trying to push their latest streak to 12 straight.