January 25th NBA Game Previews

The Detroit Pistons will host the Denver Nuggets at Little Caesars Arena on Tuesday night.

The Pistons (11-35) and the Nuggets (24-21) will play for the second time in a three-day span, as these two teams already met Sunday in what was a comfortable 117-111 win for Denver at home. Now, the Pistons will hope to turn things around when hosting the Western Conference squad.

During that loss on Sunday, the Pistons were led by Cory Joseph and his 18 points, three rebounds and six assists. Isaiah Stewart had 18 points and three rebounds, making all eight of his shots. Cade Cunningham collected 18 points, five rebounds and eight assists. Trey Lyles led the bench with 18 points and five rebounds, while Saddiq Bey amassed 11 points, seven rebounds and three assists.

As for the Nuggets, they were led by Nikola Jokic, tallying 34 points, nine rebounds, eight assists and two steals. Will Barton totaled 14 points, six rebounds and five assists. Aaron Gordon generated 13 points, four rebounds and three assists, while Zeke Nnaji and Bryn Forbes led the bench with 12 points apiece.

The Philadelphia 76ers play host to the New Orleans Pelicans at Wells Fargo Center on Tuesday evening.

This marks the first game of a five-game home stand for the 76ers (27-19), as they look to build off a win in their most recent contest and add to their, 10-10, home record. Joel Embiid continues to put up huge numbers, averaging 34.1 points, 10.1 rebounds, 4.4 assists and 1.2 blocks, over the last 10 games. Tobias Harris is averaging 18.0 points, 6.8 rebounds, 3.7 assists and 1.1 steals, over that same span. Tyrese Maxey has been getting back in rhythm after missing some time, as he is averaging 16.4 points, 4.0 rebounds and 4.6 assists, over the last five games. The Sixers are still dealing with injury trouble, as Seth Curry (ankle), Danny Green (hip) and Shake Milton (back) will remain sidelined, while Matisse Thybulle (shoulder) is listed as questionable.

Meanwhile, this marks the second game of a back-to-back for the Pelicans (18-28), as they are coming off a hard-fought home win over the Pacers on Monday. The contest got out to a high-scoring start as the Pelicans trailed, 32-31, after one quarter. The score stayed tight through the second and the visitors maintained a one-point edge at halftime. The scoring slowed down in the third, while the Pelicans gained some momentum to take a four-point lead into the final frame. The visitors reclaimed a brief edge early in the fourth, but the Pelicans used a, 9-0, run to get back in front and close out their second straight win. Devonte' Graham led the Pelicans with 25 points, three rebounds, six assists and a steal. Josh Hart followed up with 22 points, 10 rebounds, two assists and a steal, while Jonas Valanciunas tallied 16 points, 12 rebounds, six assists and a block. The Pelicans will look to keep rolling as they head back out on the road with a chance to add to their, 7-17, road record.

The Washington Wizards will host the Los Angeles Clippers at Capital One Arena on Tuesday night.

The Wizards (23-24) are coming off a huge loss against the Boston Celtics on Sunday. Bradley Beal ended with 19 points and seven assists, but he also contributed five rebounds and two steals. Kyle Kuzma had 12 points and seven rebounds, but no other Washington starter scored in double digits. Spencer Dinwiddie had four points (1-12 FG) but he also had five rebounds and five assists. Deni Avdija posted 13 points and seven rebounds off the bench. Thomas Bryant scored 11 points.

The Clippers (23-25) are coming off a loss against the New York Knicks on Sunday. Reggie Jackson was the best player for the Clippers since he ended with 26 points and five assists, while Ivica Zubac contributed a double-double of 17 points and 14 rebounds while also adding three blocks. No other Los Angeles starter scored in double digits, but there were two decent contributions off the bench -- Luke Kennard had 14 points and Brandon Boston added 13.

The Charlotte Hornets take on the Toronto Raptors at Scotiabank Arena on Tuesday night.

The Hornets (26-21) come into Tuesday's contest in fine form, as they've won seven of their last nine games. However, their most recent time on the floor resulted in one of their two losses during that sample, as they dropped a 113-91 decision to the Atlanta Hawks on Sunday night. Trae Young led the Hawks with 30 points, complementing them with four rebounds, four assists and one steal. De'Andre Hunter furnished 20 points, two rebounds, one assist and three steals. Kevin Huerter poured in 11 points, while Danilo Gallinari delivered 10 points, seven rebounds, three assists and one block.

The Hornets will list Gordon Hayward (foot) as questionable for Tuesday's contest. Jalen McDaniels (ankle) will remain out.

The Raptors (22-22) had recently displayed some encouraging signs after battling through several weeks of key COVID-related absences, but they've been back on a downswing of late with losses in five of their last seven games. Their most recent stumble came Sunday evening, when they fell to the Portland Trail Blazers by a 114-105 score. Pascal Siakam paced the Raptors with 28 points, complementing them with eight rebounds, five assists, one steal and one block. Fred VanVleet delivered 19 points, eight assists, five rebounds five steals and one block. Gary Trent netted 13 points. OG Anunoby and Chris Boucher generated matching 11-point tallies while pulling down eight and nine rebounds, respectively.

The Raptors will continue without Khem Birch (nose) and Goran Dragic (personal) for Tuesday's game.

Tuesday's contest marks the first of three meetings between the teams this season. The Raptors won the three-game 2020-21 season series with the Hornets. 2-1.

The Sacramento Kings take on the Boston Celtics at TD Garden on Tuesday night.

The Kings (18-30) have endured about as many struggles as their record implies, and they'll come into Tuesday's contest having lost eight of their last 10 games. Their most recent stumble came Saturday night, when they fell to the Milwaukee Bucks by a 133-127 score. Harrison Barnes led the Kings with 29 points, adding six rebounds and three assists. Tyrese Haliburton generated a 24-point, 12-assist double-double that included six rebounds and one steal. Terence Davis provided 22 points, seven boards, three assists and one steal. Richaun Holmes totaled 17 points, seven boards, two assists, one steal and one block. Marvin Bagley managed 13 points and five rebounds.

The Kings will list De'Aaron Fox and Damian Jones as questionable for Tuesday's game due to ankle injuries.

The Celtics (24-24) continue to struggle with consistency in their own right, but they'll enter Tuesday's matchup coming off one of their most complete wins of the season. Boston won its third game in the last five contests when it defeated the Washington Wizards by a 116-87 score Sunday afternoon. Jayson Tatum led the way with a 51-point, 10-rebound double-double that included seven assists. Jaylen Brown provided 18 points, 10 boards, one assist and one steal. Marcus Smart delivered 11 points, six assists, four rebounds and four steals. Grant Williams posted 10 points, seven boards, one assist and one block.

The Celtics will come into Tuesday's contest without any short-term injuries to report.

Tuesday's game marks the first of two meetings between the teams this season. The Kings swept the two-game 2020-21 season series from the Celtics.

The Brooklyn Nets play host to the Los Angeles Lakers at Barclays Center on Tuesday evening.

This marks the first game back home after a four-game road trip for the Nets (29-17), where they went, 2-2, with a loss in Cleveland, followed by wins in Washington and San Antonio, and then a loss in Minnesota, on Sunday. The Nets will look to bounce back from the loss and add to their, 12-11, home record. They will have the disadvantage of missing Kevin Durant (knee), Kyrie Irving (protocol) and Joe Harris (ankle), while Nicolas Claxton (hamstring) is listed as questionable for action. On the bright side, James Harden continues to play well, averaging 23.4 points, 7.6 rebounds and 11.6 assists, over the last five games. Patty Mills is also keeping up the strong play, averaging 15.8 points on 49 percent shooting, over the last five games. Kessler Edwards will continue to start in place of Durant, while Day'Ron Sharpe will need to fill in, if Claxton is out.

Meanwhile, this marks the third game of a six-game road trip for the Lakers (23-24), where they have gone, 1-1, with a win in Orlando, followed by a loss in Miami in their last outing. The Lakers are, 8-12, on the road and have lost four of their last five road games. LeBron James has been putting up massive numbers lately, averaging 30.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, 5.5 assists, 1.3 steals and 1,0 blocks, over the last 10 games. Russell Westbrook is averaging 15.2 points, 7.5 rebounds and 5.7 assists, over that same span. Anthony Davis (knee) has been sidelined for over a month but is expected to make his return to action, which will be a major boost for the Lakers. Davis was averaging 23.3 points, 9.9 rebounds, 2.9 assists and 1.2 steals per game, prior to the injury.

The Houston Rockets play host to the San Antonio Spurs at Toyota Center on Tuesday evening.

This marks the first game of a four-game home stand for the Rockets (14-33), as they will look to bounce back from a loss in their most recent contest and add to their, 7-13, home record. Christian Wood has been playing well lately, averaging 20.8 points, 12.6 rebounds, 2.4 assists and 1.2 blocks, over the last five games. Jalen Green is coming off a rough outing, where he went, 0-11, from the field and finished with three points in 25 minutes of action. However, Green is averaging 12.0 points, 4.0 rebounds and 1.9 assists, over the last 10 games. Eric Gordon continues to contribute for the Rockets, averaging 17.6 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.0 assists over the last five games. The Rockets are averaging 108.3 points per game, but they are giving up a league-high, 116.3 points per game.

Meanwhile, this marks the first game back on the road after seven game home stand for the Spurs (17-30), where they went, 2-5, with consecutive losses in their last two outings. They will look to turn things around, with a chance to add to their, 8-15, road record. Dejounte Murray continues to put up some big numbers, averaging 23.5 points, 8.8 rebounds, 9.4 assists and 1.8 steals, over the last 10 games. Jakob Poeltl has also been a solid contributor averaging 13.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 2.4 assists, 2.4 blocks and 1.0 steals, over his last 10 games. Keldon Johnson has been finding his rhythm again after a three-game absence, as he is averaging 15.0 points, 4.8 rebounds, over the last five games. The Spurs are averaging 110.4 points per game, but they are giving up an average of 111.1 points against.

The Golden State Warriors play host to the Dallas Mavericks at Chase Center on Tuesday.

The Mavericks (27-20) come into this matchup winning 11 of their last 13 games. This club was well below .500 before that stretch, and it's encouraging to see Dallas skyrocket up the Western Conference standings in such a short period of time. Luka Doncic has been unbelievable in that run, flirting with a 30-point triple-double over the last two weeks. Kristaps Porzingis has also been playing well, and it's a rare sight to see these two perform so well simultaneously. The key for this club is their defense, though, allowing the fewest points in the NBA since the calendar turned to 2022. As long as that continues, this club will continue to rise up the standings.

The Warriors (34-13) still have the second-best record in the NBA, but they're playing their worst basketball of the season right now. They enter this matchup with a 6-6 record across their last 12 games, barely beating shorthanded teams like the Indiana Pacers and Utah Jazz in their most recent outings. The struggles of Stephen Curry are a major reason why. Despite winning the last two games, Curry is 5-of-26 from three-point range and 11-of-41 from the field in those outings. He's been shooting poorly for weeks now, and it's just a matter of time before the best shooter of all-time gets rolling and this team gets back on the winning track.

These teams played back on January 5, with Dallas prevailing, 99-82. That gives the Mavericks seven wins in their last eight meetings in this series. That's the best record against the Warriors over the last three years of any team.

The Portland Trail Blazers play host to the Minnesota Timberwolves at Moda Center on Tuesday.

The Timberwolves (23-23) come into this matchup winning three of their last four games, beating the Brooklyn Nets on Sunday in their most recent outing. Grabbing a win over such a talented team shows just how much this young group has grown, with Minnesota sitting at .500 46 games into the season. That's the deepest they've been into a season with a .500 record or higher in about a decade, and it's a testament to this young trio. Karl-Anthony Towns, D'Angelo Russell and Anthony Edwards are among the most dangerous threesomes in the NBA, and all three of those guys are extremely young. It has T'Wolves fans excited for the first time in a while.

The Trail Blazers (20-26) looked like one of the worst teams in the NBA this time two weeks ago, but something has changed since then. In fact, Portland comes into this matchup with a 6-2 record over their last eight games. What makes that run even more bizarre is that it directly correlates with Damian Lillard's surgery. The All-Star point guard is out for most of the season, and his return isn't imminent unless this team hangs around and competes. They look to be doing that now, and the return of C.J. McCollum is obviously a major reason why. It's no flukey stretch either, posting a 4-1 record in this current five-game road trip, with most of those coming on the East Coast. Returning home could boost them even more, and it's clear that it's way too early to count them out.

These teams played back on December 12, with Minnesota prevailing, 116-111. With that said, Portland won eight of their previous 11 meetings in this series, dating back to 2018.