November 23rd NBA Game Previews

The Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the Phoenix Suns at Target Center on Saturday evening.

The Timberwolves (8-7) have dropped three of their last four contests, including three straight home losses. This marks their second game of a two-game home stand, and they are 3-5 at home this season. The Timberwolves average 114.5 points per game, which is seventh most in the NBA. They are averaging 11.3 offensive rebounds per game, which is sixth most in the league, and are averaging 6.5 blocks per game, which is second most in the league. Karl-Anthony Towns leads the Timberwolves with team highs of 26.0 points, 12.1 rebounds and 1.5 blocks per game. Andrew Wiggins missed three games due to illness but returned in the Timberwolves' most recent contest. Wiggins is averaging 25.6 points, 5.3 rebounds, 3.6 assists and 1.0 blocks per game. Jeff Teague is averaging 13.7 points and a team-high 7.6 assists per game.

Meanwhile, this marks the first game of a two-game road trip for the Suns (7-7), who are 2-2 on the road this season. The Suns have dropped three in a row, as they have dealt with injuries lately. Aron Baynes (hip) has missed the last two contests, while Ricky Rubio (back) has missed two of the last three games. Devin Booker leads the Suns with 24.9 points per game, while shooting 53.2 percent from the field. Kelly Oubre Jr. has been playing well, averaging 17.6 points, 5.7 rebounds and 1.2 steals per game. The Suns are making an average of 13.2 three-pointers per game, which is seventh most in the league, and they are shooting 37.8 percent from long range, which is sixth most in the league. The Suns are averaging 27.9 assists per, which is second most in the league.

The Indiana Pacers play host to the Orlando Magic at Bankers Life Fieldhouse on Saturday evening.

After an 0-3 start to the season, the Pacers (8-6) have gone 8-3, to take an early hold of sixth place in the East. This marks their first game of a four-game home stand, while they are 5-2 at home this season. The Pacers are averaging 107.4 points per game, while they are giving up an average of 103.1 points per game, which is fifth fewest in the league. Malcolm Brogdon leads the Pacers with team highs of 19.2 points and 8.2 assists per game. Domantas Sabonis is averaging 18.6 points and a team-high 13.8 rebounds per game. T.J. Warren has been playing well for Indiana, averaging 17.5 points on 47.7 percent shooting. Myles Turner missed eight games but returned to action over the last two contests and gave the Pacers a boost inside, averaging 12.5 points, 8.5 rebounds and 3.5 blocks per game over the two contests.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a four-game road trip for the Magic (6-8), which began with a loss in Toronto on Wednesday. The Magic suffered more than a loss in Toronto, as Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon both left the game with ankle injuries. Vucevic is expected to miss at least a week of action, while Gordon is expected to miss Saturday's action. Evan Fournier leads the Magic in scoring, with 17.1 points per game. Jonathan Isaac is averaging 12.4 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.3 steals and a team-high 2.8 blocks per game. Markelle Fultz has been playing well and is starting for the Magic, averaging 10.6 points, 3.1 assists, 2.1 rebounds and 1.4 steals per game. The Magic are the lowest-scoring team in the league, averaging 101.9 points per game, but their opponents are scoring an average of 102.4 points per game. The Magic average 13.3 turnovers per game, which is fourth lowest in the league.

The Charlotte Hornets play host to the Chicago Bulls at Spectrum Center on Saturday evening.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Hornets (6-10), as they are coming off a loss in Washington on Friday. The loss marked the final game of a four-game road trip, where the Hornets went 1-3, with a win in New York, followed by losses in Toronto, Brooklyn and Washington. The Hornets are 3-4 at home and will be looking to get back on track after the tough road trip. Miles Bridges came up with a season-high 31 points, while Devonte' Graham added 19 points in the Hornets' last contest. Graham continues to impress, as he leads the team in scoring and assists per game. His great start to the season has earned him a starting spot and he has taken full advantage, averaging 18.5 points per game over his five starts.

Meanwhile, this also marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Bulls (5-11), as they are coming off a loss in Miami on Friday night. The loss marked the end of a four-game home stand for the Bulls, where they went 1-3, with losses to the Nets, Bucks and Heat. The Bulls are 2-5 on the road this season and will need to bring their best effort to get back on track. Zach LaVine leads the Bulls with 19.8 points per game. Wendell Carter Jr. is averaging 13.0 points and a team-high 10.0 rebounds per game. The Bulls average 9.6 steals per game, which is second best in the league. They also average 11.5 offensive rebounds per game, which is fifth best. The Bulls sit 12th place in the East and are 2.0 games out of the eighth spot.

The Toronto Raptors take on the Atlanta Hawks at State Farm Arena on Saturday night.

The Raptors (10-4) roll into the Peach State in the midst of a strong stretch of play, as they've notched six wins in their last eight games. Their most recent success came at the expense of the Orlando Magic, which they toppled by a 113-97 score Wednesday night. Fred VanVleet paced the Raptors with 24 points and complemented them with seven assists, one rebound and two steals. Terence Davis came off the bench to offer 19 points, eight boards, five assists and one block. Pascal Siakam posted an 18-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included four assists, one steal and one block. Norman Powell mustered 15 points, while Chris Boucher turned in a 14-point, 11-rebound double-double, along with an assist and a block.

The Raptors will continue to be without Kyle Lowry (thumb), Patrick McCaw (knee), Stanley Johnson (groin) and Dewan Hernandez (thumb) on Saturday. Serge Ibaka (ankle) will be considered doubtful to play.

The Hawks (4-11) are mired in a slump befitting of their overall record, as they'll come into Saturday's game having lost five straight games. Their most recent stumble came Friday night, as they dropped a 128-103 decision to the Detroit Pistons. DeAndre' Bembry paced the Hawks with 22 points, adding six assists, four rebounds and four steals. De'Andre Hunter followed with 18 points, complementing them with four assists, two rebounds and a block. Jabari Parker furnished 14 points, four rebounds, three assists and one steal. Damian Jones delivered 13 points, four boards and one assist. Alex Len led the bench with 12 points.

The Hawks will be without Kevin Huerter (shoulder) and John Collins (suspension) on Saturday. Cam Reddish (wrist) will likely be questionable at best.

The Raptors swept the three-game 2018-19 season series between the teams. Saturday's game marks the first four 2019-20 meetings for Toronto and Atlanta.

The San Antonio Spurs travel to The Big Apple to face the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on Saturday.

The Spurs (5-11) are setting franchise records right now but not in a way they'd like. In fact, San Antonio comes into this matchup losing eight-straight games, which is the worst run this franchise has had since the '90s. That says a lot about the success of this organization, making the postseason in 20-straight years. It does have to make some wonder if this is the end of an era though, as this looks like the worst Spurs team in quite some time. It's led to a lot of speculation that DeMar DeRozan and LaMarcus Aldridge could be on the trade block and that would only make them worse. That means improvement needs to come quickly or changes are surely right around the corner.

The Knicks (4-11) also have some major issues and many believe that they have serious changes headed their way too. In fact, there have been discussions about firing David Fizdale, who's had a ton of issues as their head coach. It's not all his fault though, with management giving him a bizarre roster to work with. They seemingly signed five power forwards in the offseason and it's put a logjam at this position while making the guard depth extremely thin. Things like that have become way too common for this organization though and one has to wonder when they'll ever be successful. If there's a silver lining, it's that New York owns a 3-4 record over their last seven games, showing some signs of life after a nightmarish 1-7 start. If they want their coach to stick around, they'll need to continue that mediocre stretch and get closer to .500.

San Antonio has won five of their last six games against New York, winning their one matchup this season, 120-111.

The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the Miami Heat at Wells Fargo Center on Saturday.

The Heat (10-3) have been one of the biggest surprises in the NBA. In fact, Miami is currently in third in the Eastern Conference, just a half-game behind the Boston Celtics and Milwaukee Bucks. That's an incredible start from a team that had a ton of question marks coming into the year and it says a lot about how much this group has improved. The health of Goran Dragic is a major reason why but the addition of Jimmy Butler is the main reason for the success. That pairs beautifully with breakout seasons from players like Duncan Robinson, Kendrick Nunn and Bam Adebayo, as this is quietly one of the deepest teams in the NBA. It takes an amazing coach to work a roster like that and it's hard to argue that Erik Spoelstra isn't one of them at this point of his career. All of these factors have Miami in a great spot and they're certainly a threat to land the best record in the East if they continue to play like this.

The Sixers (9-5) were one of the best home teams in the NBA last season and that's definitely carried over into this year. In fact, Philly is currently 5-0 at home, while posting a subpar 4-5 record on the road. That's an unacceptable mark from one of the most talented teams in the NBA and it's bizarre that they've been so good at home and below .500 on the road. In the most recent victory, Ben Simmons hit the first three-pointer of his career. That's something that has been talked about a ton this offseason and it has to be a relief for this guy to get that burden off his shoulder. While it's not going to be a part of his game, a shooting stroke from an athlete like that would add a whole new dynamic to his already impressive game. If they can continue to get growth from him while getting steady production from Joel Embiid, Josh Richardson and Al Horford, the road woes should be a thing of the past.

Philly won the three-game season series over Miami last season, 2-1.

The Cleveland Cavaliers play host to the Portland Trail Blazers at Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse on Saturday.

The Trail Blazers (5-11) have finished third in the west for two-straight seasons but they have quite the uphill battle to get to that point this season. In fact, Portland is outside of the playoff race altogether, starting with their worst record since Damian Lillard was drafted. The depth at forward is definitely a major reason why and that's why they went out and signed Carmelo Anthony. The former superstar has actually looked pretty good in his first two games, averaging 14 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. That's really all you can ask for from a player who's sat out for nearly two years and they'll need him to continue to do that to get back into the hunt. Getting Damian Lillard to return from his back injury won't hurt either, missing the last two defeats to heal those spasms. His 28.6 points, 4.9 rebounds and 7.1 assists simply can't be made up and maybe a return from him can kickstart this season and get them back on track.

The Cavaliers (4-11) haven't been playing good ball either, sitting near the bottom of the standings in the Eastern Conference. A 143-101 beatdown at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks on Friday shows just how badly they're struggling right now and it's going to be a long season for this once-proud franchise. That has to make fans wonder how much longer Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson will hang around, with both guys making for tempting trade pieces. Adding a couple of draft picks or young studs for these guys could be just what this franchise needs, as they're already in the midst of a rebuild with guys like Darius Garland, Larry Nance and Collin Sexton. If they want to get out of this slide and hold these veterans, they'll definitely need to improve on their 27th-ranked offense.

Portland swept their season series over Cleveland last year, winning their last three games over them in total.

The Los Angeles Lakers take on the Memphis Grizzlies at FedEx Forum on Saturday night.

The Lakers (13-2) continue to impressively stack up wins, and they'll come into Saturday's contest having won six straight games. Their most recent victory was a thrilling 130-127 road triumph over the Oklahoma City Thunder on Friday night. Anthony Davis led the way with a 33-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included seven assists and one steal. LeBron James followed with a 23-point, 14-rebound double-double that also included six rebounds, one steal and one block. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope provided 17 points, five boards, two assists and one steal. Dwight Howard and Kyle Kuzma generated matching 10-point tallies, with Howard also pulling down seven rebounds.

The Lakers will continue to be without Avery Bradley (lower leg) for Saturday's game.

The Grizzlies (5-9) have struggled to find consistency in the early going, with that fact illustrated vividly over their last five contests. Memphis had encouragingly put together a three-game winning streak earlier in the month that they've promptly followed up with a two-game skid Their most recent defeat came at the hands of the Golden State Warriors, which bested them by a 114-95 score on Tuesday night. Ja Morant paced the Grizzlies with 20 points, complementing them with six assists, two rebounds, one steal and one block. Dillon Brooks produced 18 points, three rebounds, two steals and one block. Brandon Clarke provided 17 points, five rebounds, three assists, one steal and one block. Jae Crowder furnished a 15-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included four assists.

The Grizzlies will list Grayson Allen (ankle) as probable for Saturday's contest, while Andre Iguodala (team decision) will remain out.

Saturday's game marks the second of four meetings between the teams this season. The Lakers hold a 1-0 lead in the series, having notched a 120-91 win on Oct. 29.

The Detroit Pistons take on the Milwaukee Bucks at Fiserv Forum on Saturday night.

The Pistons (5-10) have certainly had more lows than highs this season, but they'll come in with some momentum into Saturday after having notched a 128-103 victory over the Atlanta Hawks on Friday night. Blake Griffin led the Pistons with 24 points and added three rebounds, three assists and one block. Andre Drummond generated a 23-point, 15-rebound double-double that also included two assists, two steals and a block. Bruce Brown managed 14 points, seven assists, four rebounds, three steals and one block. Markieff Morris furnished 13 points and three boards, Langston Galloway poured in 12 points, while Christian Wood and Derrick Rose turned in matching 11-point tallies, with Wood also pulling down six boards.

The Pistons will list Reggie Jackson (back) and Khyri Thomas (foot) as out for Saturday's game. Tony Snell (hip) is likely to be a game-time decision at best.

The Bucks (12-3) have essentially been as dominant as their record implies, and they'll come into Saturday's contest with six straight victories. Notably, the game will mark only Milwaukee's sixth at home thus far, making their overall record all the more impressive. Their latest success came versus the Portland Trail Blazers, which they outlasted by a 137-129 score on Thursday night. Eric Bledsoe led the way for the Bucks with 30 points, adding six assists, four rebounds and one steal. Giannis Antetokounmpo furnished a 24-point, 19-rebound, 15-assist triple-double that also included three steals and one block. Pat Connaughton poured in 18 points off the bench. Donte DiVincenzo turned 16 points, six rebounds, one assist and one steal.
Wesley Matthews and Brook Lopez turned in 12 and 10 points, respectively.

The Bucks will continue to be without Khris Middleton (quadriceps) on Saturday.

The Bucks swept the four-game 2018-19 season series between the teams, as well as the first-round playoff series. Saturday's game is the first of four meetings for Detroit and Milwaukee this season.

The Utah Jazz play host to the New Orleans Pelicans at Vivint Smart Home Arena on Saturday evening.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Jazz (10-5), as they improved to 7-1 at home with a win over the Warriors on Friday night. Donovan Mitchell tallied 30 points, while Mike Conley added 27 points in the win. Rudy Gobert also had a notable performance on Friday, as he tallied eight points, 19 rebounds and seven blocks. Behind Gobert, the Jazz tallied 10 blocks in the win. The Jazz have won two in a row and six of their last eight games. They are scoring an average of 104.3 points per game, which is fourth lowest in the league, but their defense is allowing them to win games, as they are holding opponents to a league-low 100.5 points per game. The Jazz are averaging 20 assists per game, which is fourth lowest in the league.

Meanwhile this marks the second game of a three-game road trip for the Pelicans (6-9), which they kicked off with a win in Phoenix on Thursday, to improve to 2-5 on the road. The Pelicans have won three in a row and will look to keep rolling. They are still dealing with injuries, as Derrick Favors (back) will remain sidelined through Saturday, while Josh Hart (knee) is questionable for action. Brandon Ingram has looked good in two games back from injury, including a 28-point performance in the Pelicans' most recent contest. Ingram is the Pelicans' leading scorer, averaging 26.5 points per game. Jrue Holiday is averaging team highs with 7.5 assists and 2.1 steals per game, while J.J. Redick is averaging 15.0 points on 45 percent shooting. The Pelicans are averaging 116.2 points per game, which is fourth most in the NBA.