November 1st NBA Game Previews

The Cleveland Cavaliers take on the Indiana Pacers at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Friday night.

The Cavaliers (2-2) have alternated wins and losses over the first four games of the season, with their most recent time on the court culminating in a 117-111 victory over the Chicago Bulls on Wednesday night. Tristan Thompson paced the Cavaliers with 23 points, complementing them with 10 rebounds, two assists and five blocks. Collin Sexton furnished 18 points, two rebounds and two assists. Kevin Love and Jordan Clarkson went for 17 points each, with Love also pulling down 20 rebounds, dishing out six assists and recording one steal. Cedi Osman and Larry Nance, Jr. posted 12 points apiece.

The Cavaliers will be without Matthew Dellavedova (personal), Ante Zizic (foot) and John Henson (hamstring) for Friday's contest.

The Pacers (1-3) finally managed their first win of the season at the expense of the Brooklyn Nets on Wednesday night, toppling Kyrie Irving and company by a 118-108 score. Domanatas Sabonis led the way for the Pacers with 29 points, adding eight rebounds, four assists and one block. Jeremy Lamb delivered 25 points, seven rebounds and one steal. Malcolm Brogdon tallied 21 points, 13 assists, eight rebounds and three steals. T.J. Warren poured in 20 points. Myles Turner played only 10 minutes before suffering a bad ankle sprain that will reportedly keep him out multiple games.

The Pacers will be without Turner, Victor Oladipo (knee) and Edmond Sumner (hand) for Friday's game.

The Pacers won the four-game 2018-19 season series between the teams by a 3-1 margin, but Cleveland already took the first game of this year's series, 110-99.

The Houston Rockets take on the Brooklyn Nets at Barclays Center on Friday night.

The Rockets (3-1) have ensured there hasn't been a dull moment yet in the first four games of their new season by both scoring and allowing plenty of points. Houston comes into Friday's game having notched three consecutive victories, with their most recent a wild instant classic of a 159-158 win over the Washington Wizards on Wednesday night. James Harden posted 59 points, including the game-winning free throw with 2.4 seconds left, and added nine assists, three rebounds and one steal to his game-high scoring tally. Clint Capela generated a 21-point, 12-rebound double double that also included three assists, one steal and one block. Russell Westbrook contributed a 17-point, 12-assist, 10-rebound triple-double that also included two steals and one block. Danuel House, Jr. followed with 16 points, seven boards, one assist, two steals and one block. Eric Gordon led the bench with 15 points, while Austin Rivers pitched in 11.

The Rockets will continue to be without Michael Frazier (ankle) for Friday's contest, while Nene Hilario (hip) will likely be sidelined as well.

The Nets (1-3) have been lighting up plenty of scoreboards themselves, although they've also been guilty of some shoddy defense in the early going. Brooklyn comes into Friday's contest having lost two straight games, with their most recent stumble coming against the Indiana Pacers by a 118-108 margin on Wednesday night. Kyrie Irving paced the Nets with 28 points, adding seven rebounds and six assists among his other contributions. Spencer Dinwiddie totaled 20 points, seven assists and two rebounds. Caris LeVert managed 15 points, six boards and three assists. Joe Harris totaled 13 points.

The Nets will continue to be without Wilson Chandler (suspension) on Friday.

The two teams split the two-game 2018-19 season series.

The Orlando Magic play host to the Milwaukee Bucks, at Amway Center on Friday evening.

This marks the second game of a three-game home stand for the Magic (2-2), which began with a win over the Knicks on Wednesday. The Magic are 2-0 at home so far this season. They are doing a great job on the defensive end by holding opponents to 93.8 points per game, which is second lowest in the league. On the other hand, they are averaging a league-low 96 points per game. Evan Fournier leads the Magic in scoring with 17.8 points in 29 minutes per game. Nikola Vucevic is averaging 15.8 points and a team-best 11.2 rebounds per game, while Jonathan Isaac leads the team with 2.8 blocks per game, which is second best in the league. Aaron Gordon has had quiet start to the season, averaging 9.0 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 1.3 steals and 1.0 blocks, in 29 minutes per game.

Meanwhile, the Bucks (2-2) are coming off a loss in Boston in their most recent contest, where despite leading 58-42 at halftime, they fell short by an 11-point deficit. The Bucks have alternated wins and losses so far and are 1-1 at home and 1-1 on the road. Giannis Antetokounmpo is leading the team in points (23.8), rebounds (13.5) and assists (8.0) in 32 minutes per game. Brook Lopez is averaging a team-high 2.5 blocks per game, which is fourth best in the league. Khris Middleton has played well so far, averaging 20.8 points, 6.5 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. The Bucks are averaging 119.3 points per game, which is fourth best in the league, while they are allowing opponents an average of 117.5 points against. They are averaging 6.3 blocks and 6.8 steals per game, while holding opponents to 43 percent shooting.

The Boston Celtics play host to the New York Knicks, at TD Garden on Friday evening.

After dropping their first game of the season, the Celtics (3-1) have won three in a row, defeating the Raptors at home, the Knicks in New York and the Bucks at home in their most recent contest. In their first meeting the Celtics defeated the Knicks 118-95 and shot 45 percent from the field, while they held the Knicks to 38 percent shooting. The Celtics are 2-0 at home so far this season. Kemba Walker is leading the team with 24.5 points in 34 minutes per game. Jayson Tatum is averaging 21.5 points and team highs in rebounds (8.0) and steals (2.0) per game. Gordon Hayward has been solid, averaging 17.5 points, 7.3 rebounds and 3.5 assists in 34 minutes per game. The Celtics are doing a great job taking care of the ball, averaging a league-low 10.0 turnovers per game. They have held opponents to an average 41 percent shooting from the field, which is fourth best in the league.

Meanwhile, the Knicks (1-4) have had a tough start to the season, as they are already 0-3 on the road with losses in San Antonio, Brooklyn and Orlando. Over their five games this season the Knicks have allowed an average of 108.8 points against, while scoring an average of 100.6 points per game, which is third lowest in the league. Over their four losses the Knicks have lost by an average margin of 12.0 points. On the bright side, R.J. Barrett is leading the team with 18.2 points, along with 6.4 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 1.6 steals in 36 minutes per game. Julius Randle has been solid as well, averaging team highs in rebounds (11.2) and assists (5.0) per game. Mitchell Robinson continues to hold it down inside as he is averaging 2.2 blocks per game.

The Chicago Bulls play host to the Detroit Pistons at United Center on Friday evening.

The Bulls (1-4) have dropped three games in a row with a loss at home against the Raptors and then losses in New York and Cleveland in their most recent contest. They have only played one game at home so far and are 0-1 at the United Center. The Bulls are averaging 105.6 points per game but are giving up an average of 111.6 points against. They are giving up an average of 18.6 turnovers per game, which is sixth worst in the league, but on the other hand, they average 7.0 blocks per game, which is third best. Zach LaVine leads the Bulls in scoring with 20.2 points in 32 minutes per game. Lauri Markkanen is averaging a solid 17.4 points, 9.8 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.0 steals in 30.6 minutes per game. Wendell Carter Jr. has had a good start to his sophomore season, averaging 13.2 points, 9.0 rebounds and 1.4 blocks in 27 minutes per game. Carter Jr. (thumb) is listed as probable for action on Friday.

Meanwhile, the Pistons (2-3) are coming off a loss in Toronto, where 21 points and 22 rebounds from Andre Drummond were not enough to get them the win. Derrick Rose finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds in the contest. Rose has been great so far this season, averaging 20.4 points and a team-high 6.2 assists in 25 minutes per game. Drummond is averaging monster numbers with 21.0 points, 17.4 rebounds and 2.0 blocks per game. The Pistons are allowing opponents to shoot an average of 49.1 percent from the field, which is fourth highest in the league. Conversely, they are shooting 47.8 percent from the field, which is fourth best in the league. The Pistons are 1-1 on the road, as they picked up a win in Indiana in their first game of the season. Blake Griffin (hamstring) has yet to play a game this season and will remain out through Friday.

The Los Angeles Lakers travel to Texas to play the Dallas Mavericks at American Airlines Center on Friday.

The Lakers (3-1) got off to a terrible start when they had a sloppy performance against the Clippers in the opener but have been stellar since then. In fact, Los Angeles now has three straight victories since that ugly opener, with all three wins being decided by nine points or more. That's the team we expected to see when LeBron James and Anthony Davis joined forces, as these two are performing beautifully right now. Davis has been especially good and a 40-point, 20-rebound gem in his last game is hopefully a sign of things to come. He did that damage in just three quarters of action, going 26-of-27 from the free-throw line. Having two players this talented is simply scary and it's awesome the players they've added around them. While it's no superstar names, players like Avery Bradley and Danny Green give this team a much-needed defensive presence and that's something that's been lacking in Laker land for a few years now.

The Mavericks (3-1) looked like a much-improved team in the offseason and early-season results are obviously extremely encouraging. Three wins in the first four games are impressive but the nature of those wins is equally as satisfying. Road wins against the New Orleans Pelicans and Denver Nuggets cover up their last two victories while the one defeat was a two-point loss at the hands of a potent Portland Trail Blazers squad. That shows just how good this team can be and it's scary that they got another superstar to pair up with Luka Doncic. As long as he and Kristaps Porzingis are doing work, this team will remain a threat in the west all season long.

Los Angeles swept the season series last year and have actually won six of their last seven games over Dallas in total. Prior to that, the Mavericks won 14-straight games over the Lakers dating back to 2013.

The Sacramento Kings play host to the Utah Jazz at Golden 1 Center on Friday.

The Jazz (4-1) have one defeat in a road game against the Los Angeles Lakers but have been flawless aside from that. Ok, flawless is a strong term but they have four wins in their other four games. What makes that all the more impressive is the fact many of these players have been struggling. Mike Conley, Rudy Gobert and Joe Ingles have all been playing below expectations but that makes it even more surprising that they own a 4-1 record. If they can get one, two or even all three of those guys going, this could be the most dangerous team in the west on both ends of the floor. Their defense especially, with Utah allowing just 92 points per game, the best mark in the NBA.

The Kings (0-3) were one of the surprises of the NBA last season but early results this year are truly disturbing. Three losses in three games are obviously troubling but they've simply been playing bad basketball. That's evident when you see that they're losing by an average of 16.3 points per game, losing to the Denver Nuggets, Utah Jazz and Portland Trail Blazers. While that's definitely tough competition, it's hard to understand why they're not playing competitively. Young pieces like Buddy Hield and De'Aaron Fox need to do more for this team, especially with Marvin Bagley missing the next four weeks because of a hand injury. If they can't get it going, people are going to turn their heads to the new head coach, Luke Walton and that's a bad look for any organization.

Not only did Utah hand Sacramento a 113-81 defeat earlier this season, they've also now won nine of their last 10 games over them in total.

The Golden State Warriors play host to the San Antonio Spurs at Chase Center on Friday.

The Spurs (3-1) got off to a brilliant start to the season by winning their first three games but suffered their first defeat on Thursday. In fact, San Antonio played their first road game in that defeat, taking a loss at the hands of Kawhi Leonard and the Los Angeles Clippers. That's really not a loss to be discouraged by, as that has developed into one of the best teams in the NBA. It does have the Spurs playing the second half of a back-to-back set though and that always makes things interesting for this roster in particular. Look for Dejounte Murray to definitely rest after tearing his ACL last season and it could be possible that veterans like DeMar DeRozan or LaMarcus Aldridge could rest too. This is a team that can be successful without all of its pieces though and they'll definitely have the upper-hand against a shorthanded Warriors team.

The Warriors (1-3) have an uphill climb ahead of them. Many people didn't know what to expect when Kevin Durant left town but the injuries have absolutely bombarded this roster. Losing Klay Thompson in last year's Finals is one thing but a nerve issue to Kevon Looney has hampered his ability to play too. That obviously hurts but the biggest blow came in the last game, with Stephen Curry breaking his hand in a blowout loss to the Phoenix Suns. That was the one guy they simply couldn't afford to lose and it's amazing that a team with Curry, Durant, Thompson and DeMarcus Cousins last season will be without all of them this year. That doesn't even take into consideration that Willie Cauley-Stein missed the first two weeks too. He's the only one back and it's going to be him, Draymond Green and D'Angelo Russell running things with all of these other players either gone or injured.

San Antonio has actually won three of their last four games over Golden State in total. They're one of the only teams in the NBA who has a winning record against this Warriors team over the last decade.