Trail Blazers Head South to Battle Pelicans
The Portland Trail Blazers take on the New Orleans Pelicans at Smoothie King Center on Tuesday night.
The Trail Blazers (5-9) got their season off to reasonably solid start before the wheels came off. Portland will come into Tuesday's contest having dropped seven of its last nine games, with their most recent stumble coming in a 132-108 defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets on Monday night. C.J. McCollum led the way for the Trail Blazers with 25 points, adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Skal Labissiere followed with 15 points and complemented them with six boards, two assists and two blocks. Damian Lillard generated a 13-point, 11-assist double-double that also included six rebounds. Nassir Little, Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore all registered 11 points, with Little and Whiteside pulling down seven and eight rebounds, respectively. Anfernee Simons managed 10 points, two assists and one rebound.
The Trail Blazers will likely list Carmelo Anthony (coach's decision) as a game-time decision for Tuesday's contest. Pau Gasol (foot), Jusuf Nurkic (leg) and Zach Collins (shoulder) will remain out.
The Pelicans (4-9) are currently besieged by a barrage of injuries across their roster, and they'll come into Tuesday's contest having dropped five of their last eight games. However, they were successful their most recent time on the floor, toppling the Golden State Warriors by a 108-100 score on Sunday night. J.J. Redick delivered 26 points, three rebounds and three assists. Jrue Holiday tallied 22 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, one steal and one block. Nickeil Alexander-Walker collected 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and one steal. Nicolo Melli managed 16 points, five boards and three assists. E'Twaun Moore and Jaxson Hayes each drew starts and generated matching 10-point tallies while pulling down seven and 10 rebounds, respectively. Hayes added three blocks.
The Pelicans will likely list Lonzo Ball (hip), Frank Jackson (neck), Brandon Ingram (knee) and Jahlil Okafor (ankle) as game-time decisions for Tuesday. Josh Hart (knee), Derrick Favors (back) and Zion Williamson (knee) will remain out.
The Trail Blazers swept the 2018-19 three-game season series between the teams. Tuesday's game marks the first of four meetings between Portland and New Orleans this season.
The Trail Blazers (5-9) got their season off to reasonably solid start before the wheels came off. Portland will come into Tuesday's contest having dropped seven of its last nine games, with their most recent stumble coming in a 132-108 defeat at the hands of the Houston Rockets on Monday night. C.J. McCollum led the way for the Trail Blazers with 25 points, adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Skal Labissiere followed with 15 points and complemented them with six boards, two assists and two blocks. Damian Lillard generated a 13-point, 11-assist double-double that also included six rebounds. Nassir Little, Hassan Whiteside and Kent Bazemore all registered 11 points, with Little and Whiteside pulling down seven and eight rebounds, respectively. Anfernee Simons managed 10 points, two assists and one rebound.
The Trail Blazers will likely list Carmelo Anthony (coach's decision) as a game-time decision for Tuesday's contest. Pau Gasol (foot), Jusuf Nurkic (leg) and Zach Collins (shoulder) will remain out.
The Pelicans (4-9) are currently besieged by a barrage of injuries across their roster, and they'll come into Tuesday's contest having dropped five of their last eight games. However, they were successful their most recent time on the floor, toppling the Golden State Warriors by a 108-100 score on Sunday night. J.J. Redick delivered 26 points, three rebounds and three assists. Jrue Holiday tallied 22 points, nine assists, eight rebounds, one steal and one block. Nickeil Alexander-Walker collected 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and one steal. Nicolo Melli managed 16 points, five boards and three assists. E'Twaun Moore and Jaxson Hayes each drew starts and generated matching 10-point tallies while pulling down seven and 10 rebounds, respectively. Hayes added three blocks.
The Pelicans will likely list Lonzo Ball (hip), Frank Jackson (neck), Brandon Ingram (knee) and Jahlil Okafor (ankle) as game-time decisions for Tuesday. Josh Hart (knee), Derrick Favors (back) and Zion Williamson (knee) will remain out.
The Trail Blazers swept the 2018-19 three-game season series between the teams. Tuesday's game marks the first of four meetings between Portland and New Orleans this season.
Grizzlies Look To Build At Home
By Dan Bruno
The Memphis Grizzlies play host to the Golden State Warriors, at FedEx Forum on Tuesday evening.
This marks the third game of a four-game home stand for the Grizzlies (5-8), where they are 1-1, so far, with a win over the Jazz and a loss to the Nuggets. The Grizzlies are 3-5 at home this season. The Grizzlies are averaging 26.9 assists per game, which is third most in the league. The Grizzlies are scoring 110.1 points per game but are giving up a 118.8 points per game, which is fifth most in the league. Ja Morant is averaging team-highs with 18.4 points and 6.0 assists per game. Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 12.8 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds, in 23 minutes per game. Jaren Jackson Jr. is averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, in 26 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a four-game road trip for the Warriors (2-12), which they began with a loss in New Orleans, on Sunday. The Warriors are 1-6 at home. In contrast to their identity over the last few seasons, the Warriors are averaging just 9.6 three-pointers per game, which is fifth fewest in the league. They are shooting 31.5 percent from deep, which is fourth lowest in the league. They are averaging 3.8 blocks per game, which is third lowest in the league. With D'Angelo Russell (thumb) sidelined, Eric Paschall is the Warriors' leading scorer, with 16.7 points per game. Glenn Robinson III is averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Willie Cauley-Stein is averaging 8.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
This marks the third game of a four-game home stand for the Grizzlies (5-8), where they are 1-1, so far, with a win over the Jazz and a loss to the Nuggets. The Grizzlies are 3-5 at home this season. The Grizzlies are averaging 26.9 assists per game, which is third most in the league. The Grizzlies are scoring 110.1 points per game but are giving up a 118.8 points per game, which is fifth most in the league. Ja Morant is averaging team-highs with 18.4 points and 6.0 assists per game. Jonas Valanciunas is averaging 12.8 points and a team-high 9.4 rebounds, in 23 minutes per game. Jaren Jackson Jr. is averaging 14.5 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.0 blocks, in 26 minutes per game.
Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a four-game road trip for the Warriors (2-12), which they began with a loss in New Orleans, on Sunday. The Warriors are 1-6 at home. In contrast to their identity over the last few seasons, the Warriors are averaging just 9.6 three-pointers per game, which is fifth fewest in the league. They are shooting 31.5 percent from deep, which is fourth lowest in the league. They are averaging 3.8 blocks per game, which is third lowest in the league. With D'Angelo Russell (thumb) sidelined, Eric Paschall is the Warriors' leading scorer, with 16.7 points per game. Glenn Robinson III is averaging 10.6 points, 5.5 rebounds, 1.8 assists and 1.0 steals per game. Willie Cauley-Stein is averaging 8.3 points, 6.1 rebounds and 1.2 blocks per game.
Suns Look For Redemption On Second Night Of Back-To-Back
By Dan Bruno
The Sacramento Kings play host to the Phoenix Suns, at Golden 1 Center on Tuesday evening.
This marks the second night of a back-to-back for the Suns (7-5), as they are coming off a tough loss at home against the Celtics on Monday night. The Suns were without Ricky Rubio (back), who was a late scratch for Monday's contest. Devin Booker led the way with 20 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. was the only other player to score double digits for Phoenix, with 15 points. The loss marked the end of a six-game home stand for the Suns, where they finished with a 3-3 record. The Suns have won their last two road games, and are 2-1 on the road. The Suns are on of the league's highest scoring teams, averaging 117 points per game, and they are holding their opponents to an average of 110 points per game.
Meanwhile, the Kings (5-7) are coming off an impressive home win over the Celtics on Sunday, where Buddy Hield led the way with 35 points, Hield is the Kings' leading scorer, averaging 19.9 points per game, while shooting 40.3 percent from behind the arc. Harrison Barnes is averaging 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while Bogdan Bogdanovic continues to give Sacramento a boost off the bench, averaging 13.6 points, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals, in 27 minutes per game. Kings remain without De'Aaron Fox (ankle), while Cory Joseph and Yogi Ferrell have stepped in to fill some extra minutes in the last couple of games. The Kings are averaging 104.4 points per game, which is third lowest in the league, and are allowing an average of 108.4 points against.
This marks the second night of a back-to-back for the Suns (7-5), as they are coming off a tough loss at home against the Celtics on Monday night. The Suns were without Ricky Rubio (back), who was a late scratch for Monday's contest. Devin Booker led the way with 20 points, while Kelly Oubre Jr. was the only other player to score double digits for Phoenix, with 15 points. The loss marked the end of a six-game home stand for the Suns, where they finished with a 3-3 record. The Suns have won their last two road games, and are 2-1 on the road. The Suns are on of the league's highest scoring teams, averaging 117 points per game, and they are holding their opponents to an average of 110 points per game.
Meanwhile, the Kings (5-7) are coming off an impressive home win over the Celtics on Sunday, where Buddy Hield led the way with 35 points, Hield is the Kings' leading scorer, averaging 19.9 points per game, while shooting 40.3 percent from behind the arc. Harrison Barnes is averaging 14.8 points, 5.2 rebounds, 2.2 assists and 1.3 steals per game, while Bogdan Bogdanovic continues to give Sacramento a boost off the bench, averaging 13.6 points, 4.6 assists and 1.4 steals, in 27 minutes per game. Kings remain without De'Aaron Fox (ankle), while Cory Joseph and Yogi Ferrell have stepped in to fill some extra minutes in the last couple of games. The Kings are averaging 104.4 points per game, which is third lowest in the league, and are allowing an average of 108.4 points against.
Los Angeles looks to keep rolling against Oklahoma City
The Los Angeles Lakers play host to the Oklahoma City Thunder at Staples Center on Tuesday.
The Thunder (5-8) had a ton of question marks headed into the year and nothing has really been answered yet. This club has been hovering below .500 and they've been mixing bad losses with impressive wins. What is clear is the fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a stud. The key to that Paul George trade currently leads the Thunder in scoring, minutes played and usage rate, proving his worth to this organization. That pairs beautifully with veterans like Steven Adams and Chris Paul, as this team should have enough talent to compete for a playoff berth this season. They do need to play better on the road though, with OKC losing its first five road games so far this season. If that continues, it would be hard to imagine this team reaching the playoffs or keeping players like Paul and Adams.
The Lakers (11-2) had high expectations coming into the year and they've lived up to almost all of them so far. Winning 11 of your first 13 games is impressive but it's even more impressive when you see that the two losses came against the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors. Those are two of the best teams in the league and it's scary to think how good this team will be when they all start gelling together later down the line. What's really made them dangerous is their defense, with Los Angeles owning the best defensive efficiency rating in the NBA. That's scary with players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis taking over on the offensive end of the floor, making this one of the best teams in the NBA.
Oklahoma City has dominated this series over recent years, winning 14 of their last 18 games over Los Angeles.
The Thunder (5-8) had a ton of question marks headed into the year and nothing has really been answered yet. This club has been hovering below .500 and they've been mixing bad losses with impressive wins. What is clear is the fact that Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is a stud. The key to that Paul George trade currently leads the Thunder in scoring, minutes played and usage rate, proving his worth to this organization. That pairs beautifully with veterans like Steven Adams and Chris Paul, as this team should have enough talent to compete for a playoff berth this season. They do need to play better on the road though, with OKC losing its first five road games so far this season. If that continues, it would be hard to imagine this team reaching the playoffs or keeping players like Paul and Adams.
The Lakers (11-2) had high expectations coming into the year and they've lived up to almost all of them so far. Winning 11 of your first 13 games is impressive but it's even more impressive when you see that the two losses came against the Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors. Those are two of the best teams in the league and it's scary to think how good this team will be when they all start gelling together later down the line. What's really made them dangerous is their defense, with Los Angeles owning the best defensive efficiency rating in the NBA. That's scary with players like LeBron James and Anthony Davis taking over on the offensive end of the floor, making this one of the best teams in the NBA.
Oklahoma City has dominated this series over recent years, winning 14 of their last 18 games over Los Angeles.