The Atlanta Hawks have the worst record in the NBA heading into Friday’s visit to the Washington Wizards, but Trae Young continues to impress despite the team’s struggles. The second-year point guard recorded his second triple-double of the season in Wednesday’s 122-115 loss to Houston, scoring 42 points with a career-high 13 rebounds to go with 10 assists, and the 21-year-old entered Thursday fourth in the NBA in scoring and fifth in assists.

The New Orleans Pelicans look to stay hot when they launch a three-game road trip at the New York Knicks on Friday. Behind Brandon Ingram's 29 points, career high-tying 11 assists and eight rebounds, the Pelicans rolled to a 123-108 win over Chicago on Wednesday to improve to 7-3 following a 6-22 start.

A pair of teams trending in opposite directions in the Eastern Conference meet Friday in Brooklyn as the stumbling Nets host the Miami Heat. The Nets played admirably through injuries earlier in the season but they've hit a wall, dropping seven in a row after Tuesday's overtime loss to Oklahoma City.

The Indiana Pacers seek their seventh straight win over the Chicago Bulls when the teams meet Friday in the Windy City. With point guard Malcolm Brogdon missing seven of the last eight games - including four straight - the Pacers have hit a rough patch and are 3-6 in their last nine contests.

The young, fun Memphis Grizzlies are turning their talent into wins and will try to earn their first four-game winning streak of the season when they host the San Antonio Spurs on Friday. The Grizzlies are winners of six of their last nine but will be trying to avenge one loss in that span - an embarrassing 145-115 home loss to the Spurs on Dec. 23.

Hot starts and cold finishes are becoming the norm for the Phoenix Suns, who are in danger of clinching a losing five-game homestand. The Suns will try to avoid that fate and hold off a three-game slide when they host the Orlando Magic on Friday.

The streaking Utah Jazz look to record their eighth consecutive victory and 13th in 14 games when they host the Charlotte Hornets on Friday. The Jazz have won the past 12 home meetings with the Hornets and are a superb 24-5 against them in games played in Salt Lake City.

Los Angeles star power forward Anthony Davis is questionable with a backside contusion as the Lakers get set to visit the Dallas Mavericks on Friday. Davis took a hard fall to the floor during Tuesday's game against the New York Knicks and the club diagnosed him with a gluteus maximus contusion.

The Milwaukee Bucks look to improve on the NBA's best record when they visit the Sacramento Kings on Friday. A Milwaukee victory would also give the Bucks the best 40-game start in franchise history, topping a 33-7 run by the 1970-71 squad led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.

The Los Angeles Clippers still have some work to do to become a championship contender, especially at the defensive end. The Clippers will try to hold an opponent under 130 points when they host the struggling Golden State Warriors on Friday.