There are 11 games tonight. I'll have my eye on the defensive battle between the Spurs and 76ers, Jeremy Lin vs John Wall in DC, the Heat vs Magic down in the Southeast division, Pacers vs Hawks, and later in the evening both Mavs vs Nuggets (no Gallinari for a month, though) and Rockets vs Blazers are worth seeing. It's an extremely good schedule tonight, and I'll be making full use of NBA League Pass replays in the morning.
LA Clippers (15-7) at Cleveland (9-14), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Off to a strong start to a season filled with high expectations, the Los Angeles Clippers are suddenly faced with some major adversity.
Playing their first game since losing veteran Chauncey Billups to a season-ending injury, the Clippers look to win five straight games away from home for the first time in 37 seasons while hoping to avoid a 10th consecutive road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Los Angeles (15-7) should be thrilled after opening its six-game road swing with wins at Washington and Orlando. However, the mood has soured after the team learned that Billups suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury during Monday’s 107-102 overtime victory over the Magic.
Milwaukee (10-14) at Toronto (8-18), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks erased huge deficits in their most recent games, only to suffer heartbreaking defeats.
Each know they need to get off to better starts going forward.
Looking to avoid a fourth consecutive loss, the Bucks try for a seventh win in eight meetings with the Raptors, who open a seven-game homestand Wednesday night.
Averaging a league-worst 19.5 points in the first quarter, Toronto (8-18) got off to another awful start Monday at Washington. After trailing by 10 after 12 minutes of play and 15 at the break, the Raptors found themselves down 79-61 with 3:02 to play in the third quarter.
New York (10-15) at Washington (5-20), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Thanks to tremendous back-to-back efforts, relatively unknown Jeremy Lin has come out of nowhere to make quite a name for himself around the NBA.
With Carmelo Anthony sidelined due to injury and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Amar’e Stoudemire, the New York Knicks are counting on Lin to lead the way for the time being.
Looking to post three straight victories for the first time in almost a month, visiting New York tries to extend its winning streak over the Washington Wizards to eight Wednesday night. After seeing limited minutes in nine of the first 23 games, Lin made the most of his first significant opportunity - scoring what was then a career-high 25 points in leading New York (10-15) to Saturday’s 99-92 win over New Jersey.
San Antonio (17-9) at Philadelphia (18-7), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Philadelphia 76ers have answered their critics by knocking off some of the league’s fiercest competition recently.
Beating the San Antonio Spurs for a fifth straight time at home would be another boost to the Atlantic Division leaders.
Philadelphia seeks its league-leading 14th home victory Wednesday night when it faces San Antonio, which has won five straight and is in the midst of a nine-game road trip. The 76ers (18-7) feasted on weaker competition in the early going, with only one victory during their 10-3 start coming against a team which is currently above .500.
Miami (19-6) at Orlando (15-10), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Orlando Magic have been running hot and cold over the last two weeks.
That’s unlike the Miami Heat, who have been simply scorching of late.
The Magic look to bounce back from another frustrating defeat as they try to prevent the Southeast Division-leading Heat from a fourth straight win Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
While Miami (19-6) has won 11 of 13 since dropping a season-high three in a row, Orlando (15-10) had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 107-102 overtime loss Monday. It was the Magic’s first defeat since a four-game skid that preceded the winning stretch.
Detroit (6-20) at New Jersey (8-18), 7:30 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons have gone in opposite directions since they met last Wednesday.
The Pistons have won consecutive games for the first time in a month while the Nets have lost three in a row heading into Wednesday night’s opener of a home-and-home set at the Prudential Center.
New Jersey (8-18) won 99-96 at home over Detroit (6-20) last Wednesday. The Pistons lost their seventh straight on the road, falling to 1-12 away from Auburn Hills.
Detroit returned home and won two straight, with Greg Monroe averaging 21.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in those contests. Monroe has double-doubles in seven of his last eight games, only missing out when he had 21 points and eight boards in last week’s loss to the Nets.
Indiana (17-7) at Atlanta (16-9), 7:30 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Danny Granger is one of the keys to the Indiana Pacers’ success this season.
A gutsy effort may have boosted his chances to being named to the All-Star game.
Granger will try to keep the Pacers surging with another strong effort against the struggling Atlanta Hawks as they try to win at Philips Arena for the first time in over five years Wednesday night.
Granger is averaging 18.2 points to lead Indiana (17-7), which is second in the Central Division, 2 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago.
Minnesota (13-12) at Memphis (12-13), 8 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Minnesota Timberwolves are undoubtedly a stronger team with Kevin Love in the lineup, but for one game, they came out on top without their All-Star forward.
The Timberwolves get another chance to prove they’re far from a one-man team.
With Love finishing his two-game suspension, the visiting Timberwolves will try to win four in a row for the first time in two seasons on Wednesday night when the struggling Memphis Grizzlies go for a sixth consecutive victory in this series. Love, the team leader with 25.0 points per game and 13.7 rebounds, missed Tuesday’s 86-84 victory over Sacramento after being suspended two games for stepping on Houston’s Luis Scola during the third quarter of Saturday’s 100-91 win.
Chicago (21-6) at New Orleans (4-21), 8 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Despite leaving Chicago’s latest victory in the first half with a sore back, Derrick Rose isn’t planning on sitting out Wednesday night’s matchup against the New Orleans Hornets.
Although the determined Rose doesn’t want to miss a game, the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls seem like they could get by without him against an inferior Hornets team that could be without its top two scorers again.
Rose played 11 minutes and had four points and no assists in Monday’s easy 108-87 win at New Jersey. He came out for good with 2:54 remaining in the second quarter, and the outcome was already in little doubt with Chicago (21-6) leading 56-31.
Dallas (14-11) at Denver (15-10), 9 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Denver Nuggets’ surprising start is quickly losing steam, and staying competitive through February could be difficult.
Expected to be without rising star Danilo Gallinari for a month, the Nuggets look to regroup Wednesday night when they host the Dallas Mavericks in a matchup of teams mired in three-game losing streaks.
Denver (15-10) opened its season Dec. 26 with an impressive 115-93 win in Dallas, and by Jan. 27 owned the Western Conference’s second-best record at 14-5. But the Nuggets have dropped five of six since, and their latest setback - a 99-90 home loss to Houston on Monday - was particularly discouraging.
Houston (14-11) at Portland (14-11), 10 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Portland Trail Blazers were on the wrong end of a blown call in their last game. Still, coach Nate McMillan feels his team has bigger concerns than the referees.
The Blazers look to rebound from a rare loss at the Rose Garden on Wednesday night when they close a three-game homestand against the Houston Rockets.
With Portland leading by two in the final seconds, LaMarcus Aldridge was called for goaltending as Oklahoma City All-Star Kevin Durant drove to the basket. Aldridge and the Blazers (14-11) vehemently argued the call, but the result was overtime and an eventual 111-107 loss to the league-best Thunder.
LA Clippers (15-7) at Cleveland (9-14), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Off to a strong start to a season filled with high expectations, the Los Angeles Clippers are suddenly faced with some major adversity.
Playing their first game since losing veteran Chauncey Billups to a season-ending injury, the Clippers look to win five straight games away from home for the first time in 37 seasons while hoping to avoid a 10th consecutive road loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers on Wednesday night.
Los Angeles (15-7) should be thrilled after opening its six-game road swing with wins at Washington and Orlando. However, the mood has soured after the team learned that Billups suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon injury during Monday’s 107-102 overtime victory over the Magic.
Milwaukee (10-14) at Toronto (8-18), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Toronto Raptors and Milwaukee Bucks erased huge deficits in their most recent games, only to suffer heartbreaking defeats.
Each know they need to get off to better starts going forward.
Looking to avoid a fourth consecutive loss, the Bucks try for a seventh win in eight meetings with the Raptors, who open a seven-game homestand Wednesday night.
Averaging a league-worst 19.5 points in the first quarter, Toronto (8-18) got off to another awful start Monday at Washington. After trailing by 10 after 12 minutes of play and 15 at the break, the Raptors found themselves down 79-61 with 3:02 to play in the third quarter.
New York (10-15) at Washington (5-20), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Thanks to tremendous back-to-back efforts, relatively unknown Jeremy Lin has come out of nowhere to make quite a name for himself around the NBA.
With Carmelo Anthony sidelined due to injury and the unfortunate circumstances surrounding Amar’e Stoudemire, the New York Knicks are counting on Lin to lead the way for the time being.
Looking to post three straight victories for the first time in almost a month, visiting New York tries to extend its winning streak over the Washington Wizards to eight Wednesday night. After seeing limited minutes in nine of the first 23 games, Lin made the most of his first significant opportunity - scoring what was then a career-high 25 points in leading New York (10-15) to Saturday’s 99-92 win over New Jersey.
San Antonio (17-9) at Philadelphia (18-7), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Philadelphia 76ers have answered their critics by knocking off some of the league’s fiercest competition recently.
Beating the San Antonio Spurs for a fifth straight time at home would be another boost to the Atlantic Division leaders.
Philadelphia seeks its league-leading 14th home victory Wednesday night when it faces San Antonio, which has won five straight and is in the midst of a nine-game road trip. The 76ers (18-7) feasted on weaker competition in the early going, with only one victory during their 10-3 start coming against a team which is currently above .500.
Miami (19-6) at Orlando (15-10), 7 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Orlando Magic have been running hot and cold over the last two weeks.
That’s unlike the Miami Heat, who have been simply scorching of late.
The Magic look to bounce back from another frustrating defeat as they try to prevent the Southeast Division-leading Heat from a fourth straight win Wednesday night at the Amway Center.
While Miami (19-6) has won 11 of 13 since dropping a season-high three in a row, Orlando (15-10) had its three-game winning streak snapped with a 107-102 overtime loss Monday. It was the Magic’s first defeat since a four-game skid that preceded the winning stretch.
Detroit (6-20) at New Jersey (8-18), 7:30 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The New Jersey Nets and Detroit Pistons have gone in opposite directions since they met last Wednesday.
The Pistons have won consecutive games for the first time in a month while the Nets have lost three in a row heading into Wednesday night’s opener of a home-and-home set at the Prudential Center.
New Jersey (8-18) won 99-96 at home over Detroit (6-20) last Wednesday. The Pistons lost their seventh straight on the road, falling to 1-12 away from Auburn Hills.
Detroit returned home and won two straight, with Greg Monroe averaging 21.0 points and 13.5 rebounds in those contests. Monroe has double-doubles in seven of his last eight games, only missing out when he had 21 points and eight boards in last week’s loss to the Nets.
Indiana (17-7) at Atlanta (16-9), 7:30 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Danny Granger is one of the keys to the Indiana Pacers’ success this season.
A gutsy effort may have boosted his chances to being named to the All-Star game.
Granger will try to keep the Pacers surging with another strong effort against the struggling Atlanta Hawks as they try to win at Philips Arena for the first time in over five years Wednesday night.
Granger is averaging 18.2 points to lead Indiana (17-7), which is second in the Central Division, 2 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago.
Minnesota (13-12) at Memphis (12-13), 8 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Minnesota Timberwolves are undoubtedly a stronger team with Kevin Love in the lineup, but for one game, they came out on top without their All-Star forward.
The Timberwolves get another chance to prove they’re far from a one-man team.
With Love finishing his two-game suspension, the visiting Timberwolves will try to win four in a row for the first time in two seasons on Wednesday night when the struggling Memphis Grizzlies go for a sixth consecutive victory in this series. Love, the team leader with 25.0 points per game and 13.7 rebounds, missed Tuesday’s 86-84 victory over Sacramento after being suspended two games for stepping on Houston’s Luis Scola during the third quarter of Saturday’s 100-91 win.
Chicago (21-6) at New Orleans (4-21), 8 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: Despite leaving Chicago’s latest victory in the first half with a sore back, Derrick Rose isn’t planning on sitting out Wednesday night’s matchup against the New Orleans Hornets.
Although the determined Rose doesn’t want to miss a game, the Eastern Conference-leading Bulls seem like they could get by without him against an inferior Hornets team that could be without its top two scorers again.
Rose played 11 minutes and had four points and no assists in Monday’s easy 108-87 win at New Jersey. He came out for good with 2:54 remaining in the second quarter, and the outcome was already in little doubt with Chicago (21-6) leading 56-31.
Dallas (14-11) at Denver (15-10), 9 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Denver Nuggets’ surprising start is quickly losing steam, and staying competitive through February could be difficult.
Expected to be without rising star Danilo Gallinari for a month, the Nuggets look to regroup Wednesday night when they host the Dallas Mavericks in a matchup of teams mired in three-game losing streaks.
Denver (15-10) opened its season Dec. 26 with an impressive 115-93 win in Dallas, and by Jan. 27 owned the Western Conference’s second-best record at 14-5. But the Nuggets have dropped five of six since, and their latest setback - a 99-90 home loss to Houston on Monday - was particularly discouraging.
Houston (14-11) at Portland (14-11), 10 p.m. ET -- STATS reports: The Portland Trail Blazers were on the wrong end of a blown call in their last game. Still, coach Nate McMillan feels his team has bigger concerns than the referees.
The Blazers look to rebound from a rare loss at the Rose Garden on Wednesday night when they close a three-game homestand against the Houston Rockets.
With Portland leading by two in the final seconds, LaMarcus Aldridge was called for goaltending as Oklahoma City All-Star Kevin Durant drove to the basket. Aldridge and the Blazers (14-11) vehemently argued the call, but the result was overtime and an eventual 111-107 loss to the league-best Thunder.
