October 23rd NBA Game Previews

The Cleveland Cavaliers will host the Atlanta Hawks at Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse on Saturday evening.

The Cavaliers (0-2) have not started the season on the right note and are already enduring a losing streak, dropping the season opener against the Grizzlies and losing against the Hornets on Friday by a 123-112 score. Collin Sexton had 33 points to lead a Cavaliers team that saw all their starters scoring in double digits. Ricky Rubio had 15 points and 10 assists, while Evan Mobley and Lauri Markkanen each contributed 13 points. Jarrett Allen, who has missed just one shot this season, had 11 points and four rebounds. Perhaps the most worrying thing about the Cavaliers is the fact that they've conceded at least 120 points in each of their first two games of the campaign.

Cleveland is listing Darius Garland (ankle) as a game-time decision for this game, while Dylan Windler (hip) will also be a game-time call.

The Hawks (1-0) looked excellent on both ends of the court in the season opener and raced out to a huge 113-87 win over the Mavericks, in a game where they limited their opponents to just 33.3 percent shooting from the field -- while also converting 47.9 percent of their shots. In what was a balanced scoring output, Cam Reddish led the Hawks in scoring after putting up 20 points in 21 minutes off the bench. Trae Young contributed 19 points and 14 assists, while John Collins chipped in with 16 points, nine boards, three assists and two blocks. Clint Capela mustered a double-double of 12 points and 13 boards, and DeAndre Hunter contributed 11 points and three boards. Bogdan Bogdanovic added 11 points while making three of his five three-point shots. This will be Atlanta's first game of the season on the road.

Atlanta is listing Danilo Gallinari (shoulder) as a game-time decision, while Onyeka Okongwu (shoulder) has already been ruled out and is weeks away from returning to action.

The Indiana Pacers play host to the Miami Heat at Gainbridge Fieldhouse on Saturday evening.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Pacers (0-2), who are coming off a heart-breaking overtime loss in Washington on Friday. The contest got out to a high-scoring start and was tied at 73, by halftime. The Pacers fell behind by 10 points through the third quarter, but they rallied back to lead by six points with two minutes left. However, they went cold in the final minutes and the Wizards pushed them to overtime. The back-and-forth action continued through the extra period, and the Pacers end up on the wrong side of a one-point deficit at the final buzzer. Myles Turner led the Pacers with 40 points on 15-of-22 shooting, 10 rebounds, three blocks and a steal, in 44 minutes, while Domantas Sabonis totaled 28 points, nine rebounds, seven assists and a block, and Malcolm Brogdon added 28 points, eight rebounds, eight assists, two steals and a block. The Pacers shot 53.6 percent, including 15-of-34 from long range, in the contest. They will be looking to bounce back from consecutive losses, as they search for their first win of the season.

Meanwhile, the Heat (1-0) kicked off their season with an impressive home win over the Bucks on Thursday. The Heat blew out last year's champs by 42 points in the contest, as Tyler Herro led the way with 27 points on 10-of-18 shooting, in 24 minutes off the bench. Bam Adebayo had a solid night with 20 points and 13 rebounds, while Jimmy Butler added 21 points, six assists and four rebounds. Kyle Lowry was quiet in his debut with the Heat, as he totaled just five points and six assists, in 24 minutes of action. Lowry (ankle) is listed as questionable for action heading into Saturday's contest. Dewayne Dedmon (ankle) played great in the Heat's season-opener with 13 points and nine rebounds, off the bench, but he is also listed as questionable for action on Saturday.

The Toronto Raptors will host the Dallas Mavericks at Scotiabank Arena on Saturday evening.

The Raptors (1-1) are looking for their first home win of the season, but they should enter this game on high spirits since they registered a massive 115-83 win at the Boston Celtics the last time out. In that game, Scottie Barnes came out of nowhere to lead the Raptors in this win, as he finished with 25 points and 13 rebounds, while Precious Achiuwa also posted a double-double since he ended with 15 points and 15 rebounds. Fred VanVleet had another struggling performance when it comes to shooting and ended with 11 points but also added nine assists. Gary Trent Jr. had 20 points, and OG Anunoby compiled 14 points. Chris Boucher added 11 points off the bench to round out a strong performance. The Raptors have gone 0-1 at home this season.

Toronto is listing Yuta Watanabe as a game-time decision with a calf injury, while Pascal Siakam (shoulder) is out.

The Mavericks (0-1) couldn't have wished for a worse start to the season since they suffered a 113-87 loss against the Atlanta Hawks on Thursday in their season opener. It was a poor collective performance from Dallas, as they shot just 33.3 percent form the field and 30.2 percent from three-point range. Luka Doncic was the top scorer for the Mavericks since he ended with 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven assists, but he only shot 6-for-17 from the field. Kristaps Porzingis had 11 points and five rebounds, while Tim Hardaway ended with 14 points and two boards. Jalen Brunson provided a spark off the bench and contributed 17 points across 26 minutes. No other Dallas player scored in double digits, and overall, this game was a step in the wrong direction after going 4-0 in the preseason.

Dallas is not listing any injuries ahead of this game.

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

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Bulls (2-0), as they are coming off an impressive, 128-112, home win over the Pelicans on Friday evening in their home-opener. They jumped out to a strong start in the contest with a, 28-17, lead after one quarter and they pushed their lead to 18, by halftime. The Bulls did not look back from there on their way to their second straight win to start the season. Zach LaVine led the way in the win with 32 points on 11-of-19 shooting, six rebounds, five assists and a block, while DeMar DeRozan followed up with 26 points, six rebounds and four assists, and Lonzo Ball totaled 17 points, 10 rebounds, 10 assists, three steals and a block. Coby White (shoulder) missed Friday's contest and will remain sidelined through Saturday's action.

The Bulls already met with Pistons this season, as they faced off in their season-openers. The Bulls came out on top with a, 94-88, win, as they dominated te second half after a slow start.

The Pistons (0-1) will be looking to bounce back from the loss, as they get set for their first road game of the season. Unfortunately, the league's top draft pick, Cade Cunningham (ankle) has yet to make his season debut and is expected to remain out through Saturday. Jeremi Grant was the Pistons' high-point man with 24, in their first contest, while Saddiq Bey had a solid outing with 13 points, nine rebounds and four assists. Isaiah Stewart totaled 12 points, eight rebounds and a block in the contest, while Kelly Olynyk was the only other player to score in double digits for the Pistons, with 10 points, of the bench.

The Minnesota Timberwolves play host to the New Orleans Pelicans at Target Center on Saturday evening.

This marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Pelicans (0-2), as they are coming off a, 128-112, loss in Chicago on Friday. They fell behind early in the contest and trailed, 65-47, by halftime. They came out stronger in the third quarter but could hardly cut into the deficit as they trailed by 17, heading into the final frame. They had no answers down the stretch, as they fell for their second straight loss to start the season. Brandon Ingram led the Pelicans in scoring for the second straight game, as he totaled 26 points on 10-of-20 shooting, eight rebounds and eight assists, in 34 minutes of action. Devonte' Graham followed up with 21 points, six rebounds and six assists, while Jonas Valanciunas totaled 18 points, eight rebounds, three assists and a block. The Pelicans will look to bounce back, facing the second game of a three-game road trip.

Meanwhile, the Timberwolves (1-0) looked solid in their first game of the season, as they topped the Rockets, 124-106, at home on Wednesday. Karl-Anthony Towns led the way in the contest with 30 points, 10 rebounds, two assists, two steals and a block, while Anthony Edwards followed up with 29 points, six rebounds and three assists. D'Angelo completed the triple-threat for the Timberwolves, as he totaled 22 points, seven assists and three rebounds in the win. No other player scored in double digits for the Timberwolves in the contest, which could be a point of concern if it remains as such going forward. However, with guys like Malik Beasley and Taurean Prince coming off the bench, they should be able to count on some solid production from the second unit. This marks the second of three straight home games to start the season for the Timberwolves, as they will look to continue on the right track.

The San Antonio Spurs play host to the Milwaukee Bucks at AT&T Center on Saturday.

The Bucks (1-1) could not have looked any better in their opener and any worse in their second game. They took care of business on Opening Night by beating the Brooklyn Nets by 23 points but went into Miami and took a 42-point beatdown on Thursday night. That's a bizarre two-game set, and it's hard to know what to expect here after such volatile performances. What we do know is that Jrue Holiday is nicked up, and Brook Lopez is out for this game. It's a long season ahead of them, and ruling out Holiday on Thursday with a probable tag shows just how cautious they will be. This team played a long season in their championship run last year, and you better believe there will be numerous maintenance days for all of these guys as we advance.

The Spurs (1-1) picked up a blowout win over the Oklahoma City Thunder in their opener but suffered a narrow loss against the Denver Nuggets on Friday. A close loss in Denver is nothing to be discouraged by, with players like Keldon Johnson and Dejounte Murray both playing well. That does mean that this is the second half of a back-to-back set, though, and that's usually an issue with the Spurs. They used to rest their veterans in the past, but this is the youngest core Greg Popovich has had in his tenure. That makes us believe they'll be at full health here, and fans certainly want that since this is one of their premier games against the former champs.

These teams have split each of their last three season series, with the home team prevailing in all six games. With that said, the Bucks have won six of their last nine games over the Spurs in total.

The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Phoenix Suns at Moda Center on Saturday.

The Suns (1-1) were one of the surprises of the 2020-21 season, but it's hard to understand what we've seen this year. They collapsed in the opener at home against the Denver Nuggets but came back to give the Los Angeles Lakers a beatdown on the road. A two-game sample size is tough to figure, but it's even more challenging when the performances differ so much. The Suns actually outscored the Lakers 48-8 in the paint through three-quarters of that blowout win, and that's the free-flowing offense we saw last season. It remains to be seen which team shows up the rest of the way but having some momentum in this back-to-back is hopefully the thing they need to keep them rolling.

The Trail Blazers (0-1) had an ugly loss in their debut, taking a 124-121 home defeat at the hands of the Sacramento Kings. That's a team that Portland needs to beat at home, and it has question marks flying all around this club. The defense was downright atrocious last season, and allowing 124 points in the opener is undoubtedly not a good sign. What is a good sign is the fact that C.J. McCollum and Jusuf Nurkic played so well. We all know that Damian Lillard will show up every night but getting more consistency from both of those players is the thing to get them over the top. What remains to be seen is if this team has enough talent to compete with the elite, though. That's been the issue with this club for years, and it certainly doesn't get any easier here, considering they face off with the Western Conference champs.

Phoenix swept the three-game season series over Portland last year, winning by an average of 13 points per game. Before that, the Trail Blazers won 12 of their previous 14 meetings with the Suns.

The Memphis Grizzlies take on the Los Angeles Clippers at Staples Center on Saturday night.

The Grizzlies (1-0) got their season off to a rousing start Wednesday against the Cavaliers, forging a 132-121 victory after holding off a Cleveland rally. Ja Morant led the way for Memphis with 37 points, adding six rebounds, six assists and two blocks. Desmond Bane posted 22 points, three rebounds, three assists and two steals. DeAnthony Melton supplied 20 points, four boards and three assists. Jaren Jackson registered 13 points, six rebounds, two assists and four blocks.

The Grizzlies will continue without Dillon Brooks (hand/thigh) for Saturday's contest.

The Clippers (0-1) nearly notched a win in their first game of the season as well, falling by a 115-113 margin to the Golden State Warriors on Thursday night. Paul George paced the Clippers with a 29-point, 11-rebound double-double that also included six assists and one steal. Eric Bledsoe managed 22 points, three rebounds, two assists, three steals and one block. Ivica Zubac managed 14 points, three rebounds and two assists. Reggie Jackson and Terrance Mann contributed 11 points each, with Jackson also dishing out six assists and Mann pulling down seven rebounds. Marcus Morris poured in 10 points.

The Clippers will likely list Nicolas Batum (personal), Serge Ibaka (back) and Keon Johnson (illness) as game-time decisions for Saturday's contest.

Saturday's game marks the first of four meetings between the teams this season. The Clippers won the 2020-21 season series from the Grizzlies by a 2-1 margin.