Preview Roundups
March 11, 2017
Utah at Oklahoma City 3:00 PM ET
Russell Westbrook is dragging the Oklahoma City Thunder toward the postseason and trying to push them up the standings. Westbrook will try to guide his team to back-to-back wins at the expense of teams in front of them in the standings when they host the Utah Jazz on Saturday.
Philadelphia at L.A. Clippers 3:30 PM ET
The Los Angeles Clippers are capable of looking like NBA title contenders one night and a lottery team the next. The Clippers will try to bring their "A" game against a lesser opponent when they host the Philadelphia 76ers on Saturday.
New York at Detroit 5:00 PM ET
The Detroit Pistons have no intention of surrendering their spot in the top eight in the Eastern Conference and announced their plan to go deep in the playoffs by topping the East-leading Cleveland Cavaliers on Thursday. The Pistons will try to maintain the same focus when they take a step down in competition by hosting the New York Knicks on Saturday.
New Orleans at Charlotte 7:00 PM ET
The Charlotte Hornets are hoping a stretch filled with home games can help them climb the ladder in the Eastern Conference standings, and it could not have gotten off to a better start. The Hornets try to build off an impressive rout when they continue their three-game homestand against the New Orleans Pelicans on Saturday.
Cleveland at Orlando 7:00 PM ET
The Cleveland Cavaliers try to avoid their first four-game losing streak in more than two years when they continue a road trip at the Orlando Magic on Saturday. Thursday's 106-101 loss in Detroit gave the Cavaliers their third three-game slide of the season and trimmed the squad's lead in the Eastern Conference to 2 1/2 games over Boston.
Minnesota at Milwaukee 8:00 PM ET
The Milwaukee Bucks try to extend their longest winning streak in more than two years when they wrap up a three-game homestand against the surging Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. Friday's 99-85 victory over the Indiana Pacers was the fifth in a row for the Bucks, their best run since a five-gamer early in 2015.
Toronto at Miami 8:00 PM ET
The Miami Heat are in the midst of a remarkable run and they still have plenty of work to do to secure a playoff spot in the Eastern Conference as they host the Toronto Raptors on Saturday night. The Heat have won three in a row - two against East leader Cleveland - and 20 of their last 24 contests overall to pull within a half game of eighth-place Milwaukee and are just two out of sixth.
Golden State at San Antonio 8:30 PM ET
The San Antonio Spurs will be without All-Star forward Kawhi Leonard when they host the Golden State Warriors in Saturday night's nationally televised game that no longer has the feeling of a showdown. The MVP candidate entered the NBA's concussion protocol after taking an elbow in the head Thursday and will sit out the contest while Golden State will rest four of its key players in the contest between the two teams with the best records in the NBA.
Atlanta at Memphis 9:00 PM ET
The Memphis Grizzlies aren't feeling too good about themselves these days as they carry a season-high four-game losing streak into Saturday's home game against the Hawks, the opener of the two-game season series that concludes Thursday in Atlanta. Memphis was one of four NBA teams yielding fewer than 100 points before allowing an average of 115.8 during its slide, including a 114-98 loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Thursday.
Phoenix at Dallas 9:00 PM ET
The Dallas Mavericks are playing their best basketball of the season as they try for their fifth straight victory Saturday against the visiting Phoenix Suns. Dallas struggled to maintain its focus with a 105-96 victory over Brooklyn on Friday to get within 1 1/2 games of Denver for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference, and is 26-23 after a 2-13 start seemed to derail its season before it got very far down the tracks.
Washington at Portland 10:00 PM ET
The Portland Trail Blazers are usually Damian Lillard's squad but a recent four-game winning streak has been fueled by the presence of newcomer Jusuf Nurkic. The 7-foot center aims to follow up the best game of his career when the Trail Blazers host the streaking Washington Wizards on Saturday.
Denver at Sacramento 10:30 PM ET
The Denver Nuggets delivered a solid victory that would be expected from a playoff contender and attempt to follow it up when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Saturday. Denver is looking for its fifth victory in seven games after ripping the Boston Celtics — the team with the third-best record in the Eastern Conference — 119-99 on Friday to move one game ahead of the eighth-place Portland Trail Blazers for the final playoff spot in the Western Conference.